EVEN the blandest day in Scottish football can provide mayhem, argument and a talking point to keep us going for a week.

Allan McGregor managed to receive a ridiculously stupid red card because of a moment of utter madness. That’s 12 this season for the Ibrox club. It’s an awful record. No wonder Steven Gerrard had no words to sum up what he had just witnessed from his most experienced operator.

It was so unnecessary. Rangers were a few minutes away from a win which should have been far more convincing but was all-but secured.

McGregor had the ball in his hands. Hibernian’s Marc McNulty was hanging about, doing what strikers do, trying put off the Rangers goalie who punted and then followed through quite deliberately with some force on McNulty.

Referee Bobby Madden spotted what happened. Nobody else had. He ran half the length of the pitch to show McGregor a straight red and the yellow card to McNulty. A free-kick went the way of Rangers presumably because McNulty had been judged to be interfering with play.

The Rangers man pleaded his case but he was bang to rights. That means he will miss the Celtic game next Sunday.

Ross McCrorie went in goal and Rangers saw out the victory.

Gerrard looked and sounded down after the match. His team should have won easily. They played some nice football. Glen Kamara and Steve Davis both had terrific games and Jermain Defoe showed that he will be some player when he gets older.

But once again the manager found himself unable to defend one of his players.

At least he has Defoe. That’s eight goals for the 36-year-old striker so far. When you add in his assists, both direct (seven) and indirect, that’s a terrific return for someone who didn’t start too many games at the beginning when he deputised for Alfredo Morelos.

It will be argued, and for good reason, that for Rangers to both catch Celtic and keep ahead of the chasing pack, to rely on Defoe on goal next season would be asking a lot for any player at his stage.

Defoe is still a pest for any defence. All he needs is a half a yard at most to get in front of his marker and put the ball in goal. Which is a decent trait to have.

Rangers have one more thing to play for. Celtic travel to Ibrox next Sunday for what will be the last home game of the season for Gerrard’s team and the final match at Ibrox for a few players. Morelos got the final 20 minutes or so in this game but it should be Defoe who starts the derby. We shall see.

This was Hibs manager Paul Heckingbottom’s first defeat in the league. His team started slowly and never really got going until the last 15 minutes.

In stark contrast, Rangers moved the ball about with precision and pace, with Kamara an impressively calm figure in the middle of the park. This guy can play a bit. He’s lovely on the ball and his decision making has turned out to be top class.

A whole 40 seconds was on the clock when Rangers came close to a goal. James Tavernier was his usual accurate self from a free-kick, his cross was met by Scott Arfield’s whose flicked header flew just wide of the post.

Tavernier’s crossing caused Hibs problem all day. He had a lovely of wrapping his right foot around the ball to put pace on his crosses which defenders hate.

Ryan Kent didn’t make it out after the break but enjoyed a tidy 45 minutes which should have produced a goal for him on 27 minutes.

The on-loan man from Liverpool did everything right when he got on the on the edge of the Hibs box, he feigned a show twice, fooling defenders as he did, but his shot was straight at Ofir Marciano. It’s a part of his game that he needed to work on.

Defoe was threatening every time the ball was played forward but even he can miss sitters, which he did on 37 minutes.

Ryan Jack’s shot from 25 yards was saved then spilled by Marciano, the ball fell perfectly for Defoe six yards out and with the whole goal to aim at, but he slipped as he shot, and the chance was gone.

Four minutes later, Defoe found the net.

Davis, excellent again, won the ball in midfield, gave it to Jack and continued his run. Jack’s pass over the top found Davis who had the presence of mind to cross for Defoe who only needs a sniff to score – which expertly he did from close range.

Daniel Candeias replaced Kent at the break and missed a relatively straightforward opportunity three minutes into the second-half.

Davis somehow got past three challenges on the edge of the Hibs area before slipping the ball to Candeias who had time and space to collect his thoughts and pick a spot. He did neither and put a weak shot past.

Heckingbottom changed his team shortly into the first-half when he put on Thomas Agyepong and Florian Kamberi for the unusually quiet Daryl Horgan and Ryan Gauld who stared for the first time in three months.

Agyepong was close to an equaliser on 64 minutes when David Gray did well to get in a cross but the substitute’s radar wasn’t working.

Ibrox rose as one on 73 minutes to thank Defoe for his efforts and to welcome back Alfredo Morelos. He did have the ball in the net with four minutes remaining, Candeias should have scored after being set-up by the Colombian but was well offside.

Hibs had slightly more edge in the final quarter, not difficult, and would have stolen a point were it not for McGregor, yes him, in the final seconds.

Fraser Murray’s deflected cross to the back post sailed over the head of every Rangers defender, Florian Kamberi took a touch and would have scored had McGregor not been able to pull off a fantastic save.

And that was it. Or so we thought. There was still time for the red card and for Morelos to see two shots saved by Marciano.

Gerrard is right to say there are problems in our game. A lack of controversy is not one of them.