Daniel Feliciano

Sun 8 January 2023 17:53, UK

Rangers fought hard to claim a 2-0 win over Dundee United after a tough performance where Antonio Colak struggled massively.

It was a slow start to the game for both sides, with Rangers having plenty of possession but very little penetration with their passing and struggling to create any clear chances.

They started the second half on fire though as Fashion Sakala smashed the ball into the roof of the net, before Malik Tillman slotted the ball into the corner just minutes later to double their lead.

That was enough to secure the three points and cut the deficit at the top back down to 9 points behind Celtic.

Here’s how Ibrox News rated the performance of each Rangers player from the game…

Jon McLaughlin – 6/10

A surprise inclusion in the starting lineup, but McLaughlin did everything that Beale asked of him in this game. He commanded his area well, distributed brilliantly for the most part and made the few saves he needed to make very well.

James Tavernier – 6/10

A standard showing from the skipper, who was strong defensively and a constant threat going forward, although his crossing was off for the first time in a while. Always reliable..

Connor Goldson – 8/10

The best defender this club has had in a long time, and once again showing how important he is. Physically dominant, aerially unbeatable and with good passing out from the back, it was an excellent performance.

Ben Davies – 7/10

Another great showing from the defensive partnership, and Davies is starting to show why the club splashed out to bring him to Ibrox. Excellent passing from the back and some of his front foot defending to win the ball back early helped set the tone in the second half.

Borna Barisic – 6/10

A pretty quiet showing from the World Cup bronze medalist, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Didn’t need to do much defensively and going forward he did his job, but there were no real stand-out moments from the left-back.

Ryan Jack – 7/10

Brought into the midfield to offer more defensively stability, and offer more defensive stability he did. He covered plenty of ground, broke up play well when covering for Tavernier and also got forward on occasion too in a solid performance.

John Lundstram – 7/10

While Jack did most of the dirty work defensively, Lundstram covered for him well and supported him while playing more of an orchestrator role deep in midfield. Showed his passing range well and ensured standards weren’t allowed to slip after a slow first-half. He’s a real leader in this team.

Malik Tillman – 8/10

In a first-half of little excitement it was Tillman trying to be positive constantly, and in the second half burst it was him who got the second goal to kill the game off. He still has plenty to improve on, but there’s no doubting that he’s special and was excellent in this game.

Ryan Kent – 5/10

Kent went back into his shell in this game after finally being coaxed out of it in the Old Firm with his goal. He tried to be positive but nothing came off for him, and he was probably quite fortunate to play the whole 90 minutes in honesty.

Fashion Sakala – 7/10

At half-time there was an argument that he was one of the worst performers on the pitch with some wasted moments in attack and poor decision making. But a brilliant goal in the second half and relentless running saw him improve hugely, and showed why Beale keeps picking him.

Antonio Colak – 3/10

This was his chance to show that he is ready to take the starting berth back from Alfredo Morelos, but he really let it slip. Did absolutely nothing of note in the first half and was promptly hooked at the break by the boss.

Substitutes

Alfredo Morelos – 7/10

This is the old El Buffalo we all love. He was a complete nuisance after coming on, with his physicality causing the defence plenty of problems and his movement creating space for others. The only thing missing was a goal.

Scott Arfield – N/A

Kemar Roofe – N/A

In other Rangers news, Sky Sports pundit stunned by Michael Beale decision as he blasts ‘fat’ star