So near yet so VAR - Hibs ratings as chances squandered in Ibrox loss to Rangers

VAR giveth and VAR taketh away. Unless you taketh the chances presented by the men in the video booth, however, no amount of technological intervention is going to make much of a difference.

On a day of bad decision making, Myko Kuharevich’s missed penalty was the decisive factor as Hibs succumbed to a 1-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox. In a game where David Gray’s men had a staggering 18 shots on goal, they turned in one of their best performances of the season – yet left with nothing to show for their efforts.

A Tom Lawrence strike late in the first half, the goal only awarded after an infuriating three-minute video review to overturn an offside flag, put the visitors in a difficult situation. But a John Souttar handball missed by the on-field officials – only to be caught by the video refs – gave Hibs a glorious chance to equalise just before the break.

Kuharevich’s stutter-step did nothing to fool Jack Butland, who could just about fall on the striker’s weak effort to the keeper’s right.

With Junior Hoilett getting his first Hibs start in a slightly reshaped away XI, Gray going for a 4-4-1-1 formation that relied on Chris Cadden and Junior Hoilett doing double shifts as wingers AND auxiliary defenders as required, the visitors more than held their own in the opening exchanges. Hyeokkyu Kwon looked a particular threat in and around the box, the on-loan Celtic midfielder getting off a couple of shots and generally looking menacing.

Everything changed, though, when Tom Lawrence cut inside from the left to send an exquisite curling right-footed shot beyond Josef Bursik and into the goalkeeper’s top left-hand corner. It was a wonderful bit of solo skill – one that appeared to count for nothing as the assistant referee flagged for offside.

There then followed a VAR check that took three minutes to decide that a clear and obvious error had been made. With every passing second, the 932 Hibs fans allowed to buy tickets for Ibrox grew more certain that, eventually, referee Nick Walsh was going to point to the centre circle.

Kwon’s ability and willingness to shoot from distance forced a stunning low save from Butland as Hibs looked to bounce back. And, from the corner awarded, Souttar clearly stuck out his hands to block Kuharevich’s goal-bound effort. The big man’s inability to convert from 12 yards was, in the circumstances, as crucial as it was disappointing for travelling punters.

Against a Rangers side who seemed to drop right off the pace at the start of the second half, Hibs had their chances to equalise. None better than the one that fell to Josh Campbell from a Junior Hoilett free-kick after 54 minutes, the midfielder sclaffing his effort towards goal when a clean connection might have burst the net.

Rangers weren’t without threat, especially as Gray threw on substitute after substitute in search of an equaliser. Bursik made one jaw-dropping save from Cyriel Dessers inside the closing 10 minutes.

But the best chance of the second half was squandered, in almost unbelievable fashion, by Hibs. Dwight Gayle HAD to bury Chris Cadden’s cross – but the veteran free agent striker, singed after the deadline, put his header wide.