IT was the moment that changed the match, but it shouldn’t have been the one where the game was lost.

The decision was inexplicable, yet the reaction from Rangers wasn’t strong enough. The feelings of disappointment should overpower those of injustice.

By the time John Beaton blew his whistle for the last time at Ibrox, the anger and the frustration had already reached a crescendo and the referee was at the epicentre.

When the storm dies down, there is more for Pedro Caixinha and his players to analyse, though. It went wrong, but it wasn’t all down to the man in the middle.

It had all started so well for Rangers. Ahead after three minutes through Alfredo Morelos, the path to victory was clear for the Light Blues as they looked to take another important step forward.

The momentum was lost, as was Ryan Jack. Soon, so was the match.

A couple of chances went unconverted for the Gers and when Hibs equalised the tide had turned.

It was a fine finish that summed up an impressive performance from Simon Murray, but Caixinha will surely lament the ease at which the striker breached Rangers’ defensive line.

The same could be said for the slack play that lead to the ball being deflected off James Tavernier and into the net for the second goal, and the non-existent marking that allowed Vykintas Slivka to superbly pick his spot and strike the final blow to Rangers’ chances.

By that stage, it was Neil Lennon’s side who were dominant in possession and had victory in their sights. The former Celtic boss, and his players, savoured the occasion.

Lennon riled supporters in the Main Stand, and Caixnha and the Gers bench, with his over the top celebrations after the opening goal but there was no repeat of the gesturing or ear-cupping in the aftermath of the second or third. Lennon had made his point and soon his team had deservedly earned all three. That may not be the end of the matter for Lennon, though, as the SPFL and Police Scotland look into his dugout conduct. 

A late header from Tavernier gave Caixinha’s side a chance to rescue a draw but for most of the second half it never looked like Rangers would take anything out of an encounter they were on course to win.

It was the loss of Jack nine minutes before the break that was the biggest dent in those ambitions but Caixinha could question the response of his players in adversity, and maybe with hindsight look at his own decisions. Individually and collectively, Rangers didn’t do enough in the second half.

The Portuguese redrew the blueprint at the break as Lee Hodson and Daniel Candeias were removed from the action, with Danny Wilson joining Bruno Alves and Fabio Cardoso at the back and Eduardo Herrera partnering Morelos up front. But there was no sustained goal threat from the Gers and the upper hand in the middle of the park was never regained.

It would have been a safer bet to introduce Jordan Rossiter, allow him to do the same job as Jack, and take off Morelos to leave Miller as the focal point of the attack. Caixinha gambled, but it didn’t pay off.

It will be the performances of his players, the positives and the negatives, that the Gers boss will consider in the coming days as attentions turn to the visit of Hearts for what is now a hugely significant Premiership clash.

But it was the showing of Beaton that dominated the immediate post-mortem in the aftermath of an entertaining yet controversial affair at Ibrox. When it comes to the referee, there are only black marks.

The decision to send Jack off was the most baffling one that Beaton made throughout an error-strewn afternoon yet it wasn’t alone on his own personal horror show highlights reel.

Caixinha was unhappy with the decision to only book Anthony Stokes for grappling with Tavernier and throwing him to the ground just five minutes in. And the Irishman then somehow avoided another caution when a melee erupted in the middle of the park after Graham Dorrans took exception to a challenge from Slivka.

It was Stokes that was the instigator in the Jack incident but he wasn’t punished when he put his hand to the throat of the Rangers midfielder before the pair went head-to-head. There was nothing in it to suggest that Jack should have been sent off and the Ibrox crowd were rightly furious that Stokes never walked having seen yellow for a second time.

The anger was mixed with disbelief as Morelos was punished when Darren McGregor bundled him over on the edge of the area and the reception Beaton received at half-time and the end of the game would have left him in no doubt about what those inside Ibrox made of his efforts.

Rangers will appeal the dismissal of Jack and the 25-year-old could yet be available to take to the field against the Jambos this weekend. That will be of little consolation to Caixinha, though, after he saw a potential Premiership win slip away.

The Portuguese will rightly look at those few seconds as costly ones for Rangers but the 90 minute showing of his side tells a bigger, and more important, story.

Even a man down, Rangers could have taken something from the game. They weren’t helped by the circumstances, but they didn’t help themselves, either.

The big moments didn’t go for Caixinha’s side against Hibs. Now he need a big performance from them to ensure there is no hangover against Hearts.