Substitute Ivan Sproule was the Hibs’ hero as he capitalised on lapses in the Rangers defence to bag himself an unlikely, and for him no doubt unforgettable, hat-trick as the Light Blues plunged to their second SPL defeat of the season.
Hearts’ fifth consecutive league victory means they now lead Rangers by six points and although it is still very early days it must already be a concern for McLeish who was left shaking his head at the way Sproule was able to burst through his defence on three occasions to net three well-taken goals.
The manager had handed a rare start to Steven Thompson – his first of the season – and he partnered Thomas Buffel up front, with Dado Prso and Nacho Novo asked to supply the ammunition from the left and right wings respectively.
Novo in particular enjoyed a fruitful afternoon down the right-hand side, regularly skipping past bamboozled full-back, David Murphy, to send in a succession of inviting centres.
One such delivery – after just two minutes – presented Thompson with an early chance for his first goal of the campaign but, although his low shot was firmly struck, Zbigniew Malkowski reacted swiftly to keep it out.
The keeper was helpless though just two minutes later when another delicious Novo centre arrived flush on the forehead of Prso but the talismanic striker was unable to direct an effort on target and Hibs were once more spared.
After seeing two of his crosses come to nothing, Novo took matters into his own hands in Rangers’ next meaningful attack, weaving his way across the periphery of the penalty box before unleashing a left-foot shot that crept over the crossbar.
Hibs deservedly collected the plaudits last season for their brand of swashbuckling, adventurous football but there was none of that on show on this occasion until the closing stages.
Without the services of striker Derek Riordan – currently mulling over a possible move to Cardiff City – Tony Mowbray elected to start with just one man up front, Garry O’Connor, as Hibs sat in and did their best to contain Rangers.
Their only chance of note in the first half was a hopeful long-range effort from O’Connor that Ronald Waterreus collected with ease as Rangers dominated possession without greatly troubling Malkowski at the other end.
The Polish keeper looked comfortable all afternoon and pulled off a fine double save after 36 minutes to keep the scoreline blank, twisting to parry Alex Rae’s deflected drive and then springing to his feet to somehow block Prso’s rebound attempt from close range.
A frustrating first half ended with a Barry Ferguson thump from the edge of the Hibs penalty box that Malkowski stretched to tip over his crossbar and it would prove to be a similar story after the break.
Just six minutes in and Novo dribbled an enticing ball across the six-yard box just out of reach of Thompson’s despairing lunge before Buffel was wasteful after latching on to Prso’s measured knockdown.
After Malkowski had then gobbled up Novo’s powerful drive, the unthinkable happened: Hibs scored.
If its creation was down to a lot of good fortune then the execution of the goal was clinical and merciless.
Ricksen’s attempted ball through to Novo was intercepted by Murphy and, although his thump forward was no more than a hasty clearance, it caught the Rangers defence by surprise.
Substitute Sproule – on the park less than five minutes after replacing O’Connor – was alert to the situation and advanced on Waterreus before calmly lobbing the ball over the Dutch goalkeeper to give his side an unlikely lead.
It was only Hibs’ second attempt on goal and, unbelievably, they then extended their lead with their third shot of the afternoon.
Scott Brown was the architect on this occasion, nipping in ahead of the hesitant Peter Lovenkrands before setting off on a probing run that took him deep into the Rangers half.
He had the opportunity to shoot but selflessly played in Sproule who emphatically drove the ball past Waterreus for Hibs’ second.
As Rangers desperately sent everyone forward to try to somehow claw their way back into the match, Hibs hit them on the counter-attack with Sproule completing an unlikely hat-trick after rounding Waterreus and rolling the ball into the gaping net.
RANGERS (4-4-2): 25 Waterreus; 2 Ricksen, 18 Pierre-Fanfan, 16 Rodriguez, 24 Murray; 10 Novo, 6 Ferguson, 8 Rae, 9 Prso; 4 Buffel (Lovenkrands 55), 19 Thompson (McCormack 71)
Subs not used: Klos, Andrews, Malcolm, N’Guessan, Smith
Booked: None
HIBERNIAN (4-5-1): 31 Malkowski; 2 Whittaker, 5 Smith, 15 Hogg, 3 Murphy; 7 Brown, 22 Shiels (Fletcher 72), 6 Stewart, 14 Beuzelin, 8 Thomson (Glass 90); 9 O’Connor (Sproule 62)
Subs not used: Brown, Konte, Morrow, Rudge
Booked: Beuzelin (56)
Referee: Iain Brines
Attendance: 49,754
Key Man: Ian Murray, Put in a tireless shift