Glasgow | Has the pressure eased slightly on Russell Martin?

Rangers 2 - 0 Hibernian

Rangers secured their place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals as Nico Raskin and Bojan Miovski returned to the scoresheet to see off Hibernian.

Author | Mark Lee

Stadium | Ibrox

A first win in six games was vital for head coach Russell Martin, with fan frustration at boiling point ahead of the tie. Supporters protested before and during the early stages in a sparsely filled Ibrox, demanding the removal of both Martin and chief executive Patrick Stewart. Chairman Andrew Cavanagh observed events after flying in from the United States.

Rangers started positively but failed to create clear-cut chances, while the visitors looked more threatening. The first warning came when Martin Boyle fired narrowly over after Kieron Bowie had broken behind the defence. Boyle then appeared to add to Rangers’ woes, racing clear and sending the ball just inside the post, only for the goal to be ruled out for handball following a VAR review.

READ MORE | Rangers fan discusses shambolic start to the season

The breakthrough arrived when Raskin, omitted from the squad since before the international break, powered a header from James Tavernier’s corner into the net. Moments later, Raskin played a key role again, setting up Mikey Moore for Miovski to score his first goal for the club. The two-goal cushion lifted the atmosphere in the stadium and left Rangers in control.

After the interval, Djeidi Gassama cut in from the left and clipped the crossbar. Hibernian briefly looked unsettled, with Grant Hanley clearing on the line to deny Miovski a second. Moore then fired narrowly wide before substitute Youssef Chermiti failed to convert a chance.

Rangers did enough to claim a crucial victory, one Martin will hope provides a platform for a significant improvement in form.

Their local rivals now await in the semi-final at Hampden Park.

A real missed opportunity for Hibernian

David Gray's side will regret missing a couple of clear chances. At times, they showed they can pose a genuine threat, but their defending at the set-piece that led to Rangers’ opening goal was far from convincing.

They never fully recovered from the two goals just before half-time and will now turn their attention to Premiership fixtures, aiming to build on an encouraging start to the season.

Cup semi-finals are rare occasions for clubs outside the traditional big two, and they approached this tie believing they had a real opportunity.