Rangers took advantage of two penalty awards to inflict partial revenge on Hibernian for their famous CIS Insurance Cup victory earlier in the month.

Shota Arveladze and substitute Steven Thompson were the men who converted them, either side of an excellent strike from another replacement, Michael Mols.

At Hampden earlier in the month, Hibernian goalkeeper Daniel Andersson had been the semi-final hero for his penalty saves in both normal time and the sensational shoot-out that saw Frank de Boer hit a post to hand the tie to the Leith outfit.

But within eight minutes, the Swede had been beaten from 12 yards after Arveladze had successfully converted a spot-kick given when Mathias Doumbe tripped him in the box.

The Georgian was one of the men who had missed in the shoot-out but he had already atoned in the match straight after that, at Kilmarnock, when he scored from the spot in the absence of Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard was back in the starting line-up today following a hamstring problem but it seems that Arveladze is now the bearer of his side's penalty duties.

The Georgian had already fired a good chance over by then, as had Alan Reid at the other end but although the game continued to be an end-to-end affair the chances soon dried up.

Steven Whittaker saw a long-range effort almost fool Stefan Klos in the Rangers goal via a deflection off Hibs striker Garry O'Connor but the German recovered to divert the ball round his right-hand post.

The closest Rangers came to extending their lead before the break was from a Nuno Capucho downward header into the side netting after Mikel Arteta had picked him out at the back post with a free-kick.

Otherwise, referee Hugh Dallas was called upon to blow his whistle far too regularly.

Frank de Boer was booked in the 36th minute for challenging O'Connor from behind but the home fans were less than enamoured with Dallas for letting play continue after the striker had clearly barged the Dutchman to the ground the next time they clashed.

De Boer's twin Ronald was playing in some luridly blue boots but the only time before the break that they produced anything of note saw Arveladze fail to connect with a ball lashed invitingly across the Hibernian back line.

A great chance was presented to Capucho three minutes into the second half following a perfect through ball from Arveladze but the former Portugal international's finish could not match his ambitious intentions and he ended up chipping the ball past both Andersson and the far post.

Minutes later the ex-Porto man's radar was still not working properly as, although he rose to meet a cross from the right from Fernando Ricksen, his unchallenged header flew wastefully wide.

Reid was booked just before the hour mark for hauling Arteta back by an arm to even up the yellow card count and Hibs then swapped Jarkko Wiss for Stephen Dobbie, the former Ranger who had scored against them in normal time in the cup tie.

Rangers also made a change with Ronald de Boer being replaced by Mols but within seconds their one-goal lead had almost been wiped away.

It was only preserved by some over-excited finishing by the diminutive Reid, who had played the ball to O'Connor and then moved to receive his flicked return in the box.

The chance to beat Klos was there but he poked it wide and the costliness of that miss was emphasised in the 66th minute when Mols made it 2-0.

The Dutchman's form has been erratic this season, with the lows more common than the highs, but it was a trademark turn that beat challenger Gary Caldwell and a fine finish that flashed past Andersson and into the net.

Rangers felt they could now afford to give a run out to Thompson, who had been missing since September 13 because of knee reconstruction surgery.

The big man was immediately involved, galloping past challengers with the sort of appetite that had been only occasionally seen at Ibrox in his absence.

A second Hibs change saw Derek Riordan replace Alen Orman with 16 minutes remaining and the newcomer should have put his side back in the game with his first touch.

Riordan was blameless as his free-kick was right on to the head of Dobbie but the hero of Hampden, who had never been given a chance to shine at Ibrox, headed wastefully over.

It was game over in the 84th minute when Dallas awarded Rangers their second penalty of the afternoon when Roland Edge tripped Fernando Ricksen.

Thompson was the man who took it in the absence of both Arveladze and Arteta, who had just been replaced by Stephen Hughes, and although Andersson got a hand to his effort, he could not keep it out.

Teams

Rangers Klos, Ricksen, Berg, Frank de Boer, Ross, Emerson, Arteta (Hughes 80), Nerlinger, Capucho, Ronald de Boer (Mols 61), Arveladze (Thompson 69).

Subs Not Used: McGregor, Hutton.

Booked: Frank de Boer, Nerlinger.

Goals: Arveladze 9 pen, Mols 66, Thompson 83 pen.

Hibernian Andersson, Whittaker, Doumbe, Caldwell, Edge, Orman (Riordan 73), Reid, Wiss (Dobbie 60), Thomson, Scott Brown, O'Connor (McManus 76).

Subs Not Used: Alistair Brown, Baillie.

Booked: Reid.

Att: 49,698

Ref: H Dallas (Scotland).