Hibs 0 - 3 Rangers: Miller proves double trouble for old club Hibs

IF NOT quite as predictable as his match-winning double at Celtic Park last month, Kenny Miller produced another outstanding display against one of his former clubs yesterday as Rangers re-established a three-point lead at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Miller's return from injury came at the expense of Kris Boyd, left out by Walter Smith despite his extraordinary goal against Partick Thistle on Wednesday night. It was a team selection vindicated in some style by Miller whose two superbly finished first-half goals put Rangers on their way to their biggest win at Easter Road for seven years.

While Hibs had occasion to feel the breaks deserted them during an entertaining match, Mixu Paatelainen would recognise his team were well beaten in the final analysis as familiar defensive frailties returned to haunt them.

Smith would certainly feel no need to justify the decision to drop Boyd from his starting line-up but the Rangers manager would take great satisfaction nonetheless at the deadliness of Miller which put his team firmly in control of the match before half-time.

The Scotland striker had missed the midweek Co-operative Insurance Cup tie at Firhill because of a calf strain but returned to partner Jean-Claude Darcheville as Boyd was relegated to the bench.

Miller was a lively presence from the start, troubling Hibs with his energy and persistence as Rangers began an open contest with greater cohesion than their hosts.

Ian Murray had to make a brave challenge to deny Charlie Adam a clear opportunity to give Rangers an early lead and Yves Ma-Kalambay had spilled a low cross from Miller into the midfielder's path.

The hesitancy of the Hibs goalkeeper infected his team-mates as they conceded possession to Rangers cheaply on several occasions. One of them allowed Darcheville to provide Miller with his first sight of goal, a low shot flying narrowly wide of Ma-Kalambay's right-hand post.

While Rangers were worth their interval lead, however, Hibs twice came close to making the breakthrough before Miller's first goal in the 31st minute.

Their first opportunity was carved out by Derek Riordan, making his first starting appearance since returning to the club from Celtic. He made Sasa Papac look foolish with a cute through ball between the Bosnian full-back's legs which left Dean Shiels with only Neil Alexander to beat. The Rangers goalkeeper did well to turn Shiels' shot behind for a corner, but the Northern Ireland international would feel he should have scored.

Alexander was comprehensively beaten when Hibs next came close, Souleymane Bamba powering a close-range header from Riordan's corner towards goal, but Kevin Thomson, jeered throughout by the home support, denied his former club when he headed the ball off the line.

It would prove a pivotal moment as Rangers almost immediately swept forward to open the scoring. Kirk Broadfoot made the most of the space he was afforded to surge down the right flank and his cross caught the Hibs defence on their heels as Miller stooped to guide a header beyond Ma-Kalambay's right hand into the corner of the net.

Hibs were unfortunate not to equalise six minutes later when Rangers, not for the first or last time in the game, were troubled by an excellent set-piece delivery from Riordan. They failed to clear his right wing corner and when the ball was knocked back into the penalty area, Riordan showed magnificent touch and control to cut it back into the path of Murray.

His instinctive first-time shot struck Alexander's left-hand post with the goalkeeper crucially getting a slight touch on the ball as it rebounded back into play, taking it away from the lurking Shiels and allowing Rangers to scramble it clear.

While Hibs were entitled to curse their misfortune at one end of the pitch, they were the architects of their own downfall at the other when Miller doubled Rangers' lead five minutes before the break.

The home players fatally switched off when Steven Davis took a quick throw-in to the unmarked Pedro Mendes on the right flank.

The Portuguese midfielder smartly fed a pass into the feet of the overlapping Broadfoot who laid it off first time for Miller to curl a precise left-foot shot beyond Ma-Kalambay from the edge of the penalty area.

Rangers were never likely to let the victory slip out of their hands from that position, but might have had their resilience tested to a greater degree had Alexander not made a fine diving save to turn Joe Keenan's shot behind for a corner as Hibs tried to stage a comeback at the start of the second half.

Any lingering hopes they had of achieving one were snuffed out when Rangers made it 3-0 with 16 minutes remaining. Thomson's free kick from the left caused panic in the Hibs defence and Madjid Bougherra was able to stab in his first goal for the Ibrox club from close range.

Miller almost sealed a terrific individual performance with a hat-trick goal three minutes from time when he was again played in by Broadfoot but this time his curled shot went inches wide of the target.

It was just one of several opportunities carved out by Rangers in the closing stages against a dispirited Hibs side who were grateful to hear the final whistle.