Celtic reclaim edge in Scottish title battle as Rangers held

Rangers handed the initiative in the Scottish Premier League title battle back to Celtic after being held to a 1-1 draw at Hibs on Wednesday.

Derek Riordan fired Hibs into a first-half lead and Rangers had to rely on substitute Nacho Novo to earn them a point, ten minutes from time at Easter Road.

The draw leaves Celtic top of the table on goal difference with both clubs having two more games to play.

Celtic had reclaimed top spot with a 2-1 defeat of Dundee United on Tuesday and former Hoops striker Riordan helped his old club out with a superb strike to give Hibs a first-half lead.

Rangers looked to have run out of luck when the referee controversially adjudged the ball had not completely crossed the line from a Novo shot in the second-half.

But the Spaniard popped up with ten minutes left to scramble home an equaliser and keep Rangers behind Celtic on goal difference in the race for the championship.

Rangers boss Walter Smith was forced to make one change to the side that defeated Celtic in the Old Firm derby on Sunday with Andrius Velicka replacing Kenny Miller, who had a recurrence of his hamstring injury.

Rangers, who scored after only two minutes in their last visit to Easter Road, pushed forward in numbers looking for another early goal.

The first real chance fell to Steven Davis after Kris Boyd drew a foul from John Rankin 25 yards from goal. The Northern Ireland midfielder stepped up but curled his effort just wide of the post.

With 20 minutes gone, Portuguese international Pedro Mendes collected the ball on the left and fired in a thunderbolt strike which keeper Yves Ma-Kalambay was glad to see fizz past the post.

Rangers lacked urgency in their forward surges and it was Hibs who took the lead through a touch of quality from former Celtic striker Riordan.

The Gers defence was static as Rankin and Steven Fletcher combined to play in Riordan, who took a touch before curling a superb shot into the top right-hand corner past the helpless Neil Alexander from the edge of the box.

Novo and Kyle Lafferty replaced the ineffectual Velicka and Steven Smith at half-time and immediately had an impact in increasing the tempo of Rangers’ play.

With 50 minutes gone, the Spaniard broke quickly down the right and Boyd met his cross with a diving header which lacked pace and was easily saved by Ma-Kalambay.

Novo then had two golden chances to get Rangers on level terms.

Lafferty found the striker unmarked ten yards out with a cross from the left but he blazed his first-time effort over the bar.

Former Hibs player Steven Whittaker then showed great skill down the left-wing to break into the box and set the ball up for Novo who skewed his shot wide of the right-hand post.

In the 55th minute, Rankin found himself with room in the box but couldn’t keep his powerful effort on target and didn’t trouble Alexander.

Hibs had Belgian keeper Ma-Kalambay to thank for keeping them level when he pulled off a magnificent save from a Davis shot from the edge of the box which looked destined for the top corner.

Controversy arrived in the 70th minute when a Novo shot from just yards out appeared to cross the line before Ross Chisholm hooked his clearance away but the referee waved away the Rangers protests.

Riordan should have had his second after a mistake by Madjid Bougherra in the box but he drilled his shot into the ground and Alexander saved.

Novo scrambled home an equaliser with ten minutes remaining.

A Bougherra cross from the right was headed down by Christian Dailly to Lafferty whose effort was saved, but Novo slid in to prod the ball past Ma-Kalambay.

Novo could have clinched it late on but sent his header straight at the keeper.

Falkirk moved off bottom place with a 1-0 win over Hamilton with St Mirren replacing them in the relegation zone following a 2-1 defeat by Kilmarnock. Motherwell drew 2-2 with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.