Rangers moved into third place in the Scottish Premiership with a 1-0 win over Hibernian, although Danny Röhl’s side offered little inspiration for much of the night at Ibrox.
The Gers fans had begun to grumble about their disjointed side when defender Emmanuel Fernandez nodded home in the 34th minute for his third goal in 10 appearances, and that proved enough to secure all three points.
Rangers were all but knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat to Ferencvaros, leaving them with one point from 18 in Europe. Domestically, however, Röhl has been steadier since taking over from Russell Martin, with six wins and two draws in eight fixtures.
The win moved Rangers to within nine points of leaders Hearts — whom they face at Tynecastle on Sunday, live on Sky Sports — with a game in hand.
Both sides had early chances. After Hibs attacker Elie Youan drove a shot over the crossbar, Rangers’ Youssef Chermiti, back in the side along with Mikey Moore, Findlay Stevens (Curtis), Mohamed Diomande and Dujon Sterling, drew a save from goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger with an angled drive. Nasser Djiga then headed Connor Barron’s resultant corner wide.
The visitors, who looked physically stronger across the pitch, settled into the game with growing confidence. Rangers struggled for rhythm and fluidity, and fans grew increasingly anxious, which affected the players. Hibs striker Kieron Bowie fired a long-range effort over the crossbar and, in the 29th minute, fit-again Sterling — starting for the first time this season — cleared a Warren O’Hora header from a corner off the line.
Rangers took the lead shortly after that spell of pressure. Sterling’s cross found Fernandez, who glanced in a header to catch out the Leith defence.
There was a VAR check for a Hibernian penalty in the 42nd minute after a Sterling handball from a Bowie shot, but the claim was dismissed because of an offside in the build-up.
Moore began to influence more at the start of the second half, but Rangers still struggled to create clear chances. Youan’s effort from 30 yards was comfortably gathered by Jack Butland, and both goalkeepers saw little sustained action as Hibs moved forward with relative ease but could not penetrate an unconvincing Govan rearguard.
In the 78th minute, substitute Djeidi Gassama raced through to beat Sallinger but was ruled offside after VAR intervention. Chermiti fired a shot straight at Sallinger with three minutes remaining, and Sallinger later denied Gassama before the final whistle.
It was another positive result for Rangers, though performance levels will need to rise in the coming weeks and months.
Danny Röhl hailed his players’ determination over style, saying he was proud of the group for running for each other, communicating and blocking shots. He acknowledged mistakes but insisted the basics were right. “From the last eight games, six wins, it’s not because we play tiki-taka, it’s about effort, effort, effort,” Röhl said. He added that with many players unavailable, the team’s 95-minute commitment made the win fully deserved and expressed a desire for his side to exploit opponents’ open spaces more to “kill” games and allow him to relax on the touchline.
Hibs head coach David Gray was left frustrated, praising his players’ bravery and aggression but lamenting their lack of quality in the final third. “For all the control I felt we had, considering this was a difficult venue to come to, their keeper didn’t really have a save to make,” Gray said. He pointed to decision-making and a lack of quality in the final third as the differences that cost Hibernian.