Rangers narrowed the gap on Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic to two points with a convincing victory over 10-man Hibernian at Easter Road.
A blistering start did the damage, with Ryan Kent profiting from an Ofir Marciano error to steer in the opener before Joe Aribo added a classy second inside eight minutes.
Jermain Defoe marked his first start in almost a month with the third after the break to seal victory, before Ryan Porteous saw red on the hour for a reckless lunge on Borna Barisic.
The centre-back’s dismissal sparked chaos. Objects, including a glass bottle, were thrown at Barisic as he lay injured and a melee in the dugouts led to Hibs assistant John Potter and Rangers coach Tom Culshaw being sent off.
Steven Gerrard’s side will find themselves five adrift again on Saturday should Celtic beat Aberdeen, but there was plenty for the Ibrox manager to enjoy in this win.
For Hibs manager Jack Ross, it is a third defeat in four as his side remain in sixth place before the Boxing Day Edinburgh derby meeting with Hearts at Tynecastle.
With no Alfredo Morelos – the striker suspended after his red card at Motherwell last Sunday – and no wins in their past three visits to Easter Road, this was a test of Rangers’ title credentials.
The question of how they would cope without their 27-goal Colombian was emphatically answered. They were helped on their way by a Marciano howler after just three minutes.
There was no danger as Lewis Stevenson rolled a pass back to his goalkeeper, but Marciano dawdled on the ball far too long. Aribo raced in and charged down the clearance, which was scuffed towards Kent at the edge of the box, and he planted into the empty net.
A terrific second quickly followed. Lovely interplay down the right between Ryan Jack and Aribo ended with the latter cushioning a first-time finish in at the far post.
Hibs didn’t know what had hit them or how to muster a response. They were being overrun in midfield where their lack of steel was exposed time and again and their diamond formation was allowing Rangers to run riot down the flanks.
The chances kept coming for the visitors and Kent was beginning to show the form that convinced Rangers to part with £7m to lure him from Liverpool.
He had a goal-bound shot directed wide by Porteous before slicing Hibs open with an incisive pass to Aribo, with Marciano sticking out a leg to deny the midfielder a second goal.
