McInnes's Home De Ends in Defeat as Hibs Hit Late Winner Through Wright
Callum Wright scored a late winner as Hibernian beat Rangers 2-1 at Ibrox on Sunday, turning Derek McInnes's first competitive home match as manager into an afternoon to forget (BBC Sport).
The defeat was Hibernian's first Scottish Premiership win of the season and it landed with extra weight: Rangers had taken just one point from their opening league fixtures and sat seventh in the table going into the match (Yahoo Sports).
McInnes made six changes to his starting line-up, including deploying a third different back four of the young season — Ben Godfrey, Dujon Sterling, Emmanuel Fernandez and Tuur Rommens had already featured together in a draw with Dundee United, but the rotation spoke to a squad stretched thin by injuries and a European schedule that shows no sign of easing (BBC Sport; Rangers FC).
The problems started early. Summer signing Vanja Dragojevic grappled Josh Kerr to the ground inside the box, conceding a penalty from which Hibernian took the lead. McInnes disputed the decision afterwards, describing the result as "really harsh on us" and insisting Rangers "were the better team" (BBC Sport).
Then came the moment that quietened Ibrox. Striker Youssef Chermiti — who had already attracted a rejected bid this summer, with McInnes confirming the offer fell short of Rangers' valuation (BBC Sport) — went down by the advertising hoardings on the byline after chasing a long ball forward. He received treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off before half-time with what looked a nasty injury (talkSPORT; Rangers FC).
Losing Chermiti stings beyond this result. The forward scored seven goals last season, five of them in away wins over Celtic and Hearts — including a hat-trick against Hearts in February that gave Rangers their first win of that campaign at Tynecastle (BBC Sport). A prolonged absence would strip McInnes of his most reliable attacking threat at the worst possible time.
The fixture list offers no relief. Rangers lost 2-1 to Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie, meaning Thursday's return at Ibrox now carries everything — a place in the group stage of Europe's second-tier club competition hangs in the balance (Yahoo Sports; BBC Sport).
For McInnes, the picture is sharpening quickly. Four players were already out and three more were doubts ahead of the Hibs match, according to The Scotsman. The squad depth he is working with is being tested on two fronts every week. A home debut is supposed to be a fresh start; instead, it delivered a first league defeat of the season, a potentially serious injury to a key striker, and a European second leg that now looks like an early defining moment for his tenure.
