ALAN STUBBS had said he wanted a strong referee.

He couldn't have bargained on a weak Rangers.

The Hibs manager upset Ally McCoist with his pre-match comments about ref Calum Murray ahead of last night's trip to Ibrox but he did not have to worry about any howlers from the man in the middle costing his side points.

Instead it was the 11 men in blue who turned in an abject performance as Rangers failed to close the gap on Championship leaders Hearts.

This embarrassing 3-1 defeat again raised questions about the abilities of the manager and his players alike.

The victory has revitalised Hibs' bid for promotion and leaves the Gers six points adrift of the Jambos. It is a gap that will only grow if more showings like this are served up in the coming weeks.

There were no positives for McCoist and the pressure is now firmly back on the Ibrox boss. His big calls didn't pay off, his players didn't perform and he must find the answers.

The first signs something ominous was going to unfold for the Gers legions came long before a ball was kicked.

The inclusions of Arnold Peralta and Steven Smith were baffling. If they were part of a McCoist masterplan, it should be left on the drawing board in the future.

The duo took up berths on the right and left wing ahead of Fraser Aird and David Templeton, and that set the tone for an abysmal first half from Rangers, devoid of any skill, pace or attacking guile. Smith did come close to a goal when his free-kick was saved but Peralta endured a horrendous 45 minutes and was rightly replaced by Aird at the break.

By that time the writing was on the wall. It took Hibs just 13 minutes to clinch the points as they netted three times in a horror period for Rangers that saw the anger levels from the stands reach a crescendo.

While McCoist's players punted a series of aimless long balls in Kris Boyd's direction, Stubbs' side were clinical on the break, taking advantage of a defensive line that was cut open with alarming ease.

At the other end, Boyd was devoid of service and Dean Shiels anonymous. Without a league strike to his name this season, it was another night to forget for the Gers' main goal threat. Boyd's frustration was shared by the majority of the 31,619 inside Ibrox.

Hibs' passing was crisp, their movement baffling for the Light Blues midfield and back four. But they didn't need any skill or verve to open the scoring on 25 minutes. All they needed was another moment of haplessness from Rangers.

Mark Oxley will get the credit for the assist but it's Peralta who Hibs should thank. The keeper's long punt looked harmless until Peralta failed to clear his lines and gifted the ball to Jason Cummings to open the scoring.

By the time the Hibees kid notched his second 13 minutes later - finding the bottom corner of Steve Simonsen's net from inside the area - Rangers were already staring defeat in the face after David Gray headed home his first senior goal at the back post.

As McCoist's side trudged from the park to a chorus of boos from a furious fanbase, Bilel Mohsni roared and waved his arms in a bid to gee up the crowd before being ushered down the tunnel.

It was another moment of madness from the defender McCoist described earlier this week, in a friendly way, as a 'lunatic'. A straitjacket may have been more apt for him than a Light Blue jersey.

RANGERS emerged for the second half more in hope than expectation but it didn't take long for Ibrox to be roused from its slumber.

Nicky Law's strike into the roof of the net from the edge of the area allowed the hosts to believe once again. But it was to be a false dawn.

It took McCoist until the 70th minute to make the switch the home fans had been calling for, Templeton taking over from Smith shortly after Jon Daly had replaced Shiels.

It was too little too late from the Gers boss. As the clock ticked on, hope faded and desperation crept in as Gers piled forward in search of another goal to set up a frantic finale.

Aird saw his deflected effort spin over the bar and Mohsni headed wide from a promising position.

Hibs didn't really look like adding to their tally but their lead was comfortable, the points within their sights.

Boyd did put the ball in the net with six minutes left but as the linesman's flag was raised for offside, Rangers' last hope was gone.

The Hibs supporters would barely have heard the final blast of Murray's whistle over their celebrations but McCoist and his players were left in no doubt about the feelings of the home crowd as loud boos rung around the stadium.

This defeat may not be a fatal blow for Rangers' title challenge but another post-mortem has now begun. It won't make pleasant reading.