Todd Cantwell in 2/10 shocker, Connor Goldson best of bad bunch – Rangers players ratings v Celtic
Rangers fell to a 1-0 loss against Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday [3 September] in the opening Old Firm of the Scottish Premiership campaign.
The Gers had two goals ruled out in the first half – the first a clear offside decision for Rabbi Matondo’s tap-in in the opening minute, the other a far more controversial call as Kemar Roofe had one chalked off.
Kyogo Furuhashi struck a sucker punch just before the interval with a well-taken volley and that proved the decisive moment of the contest.
Here, Ibrox News rates the Rangers players out of 10 for their performance against Celtic.
Jack Butland – 5
Had five saves to make on his first taste of this famous fixture but could not get down to his right to keep out Kyogo’s half-volley from outside the box. May have felt he could have done more to keep it out given the distance, but credit to Kyogo for a fine finish.
James Tavernier – 4
Tavernier provided an attacking threat down the right as he so often does, playing one superb pass for Dessers in particular – though his teammate was offside anyway. Fired wide from a free-kick when many were expecting so much more and was ultimately below par by his usual standards.
Connor Goldson – 5
Made a brilliant clearance off the line in the first half when Kyogo looked certain to open the scoring. His headed clearance came straight back in the build-up to Kyogo’s opener when it did arrive, but still a solid enough showing from the defender.
John Souttar – 4
Like his central-defensive teammate, Souttar will be unhappy with the way Kyogo got between the two of them to fire the all-important goal for Celtic. A steady presence on the ball, but could he have been more proactive with his passing from the back?
Dujon Sterling – 4 (Off for Ridvan Yilmaz 65′)
Probably Rangers’ best performer in the first half, which says an awful lot. Had plenty of touches down the left, but the injured Borna Barisic’s absence was felt the more the game went on.
Nicolas Raskin – 3
Played some eye-catching passes, but looked poor in the second half. Needed to take hold of the game far more, especially in the second period as Celtic dropped off and invited pressure onto themselves.
Ryan Jack – 3 (Off for Tom Lawrence ’76)
Like Raskin, there was the off promising moment but Jack was unable to provide a moment of quality from midfield. Surprisingly left on the field for the full 90 minutes despite the Gers lacking any creativity.
Todd Cantwell – 2
These are the games Cantwell was signed to make a big impact in, yet the 90 minutes passed him by without much of an impact at all. Best moment was a pass in the build-up to Matondo’s disallowed goal in what was one of his weakest performances for the Light Blues.
Kemar Roofe – 4 (Off for Danilo ’64)
Took his goal superbly and was unfortunate it did not stand. Roofe provided a presence and just about justified his place in the starting XI, which home supporters agreed with when jeering his substitution, but ultimately failed to test Joe Hart on a frustrating day for the hosts.
Cyriel Dessers – 3 (Off for Abdallah Sima ’76)
Won possession for what Rangers thought was the breakthrough goal, only for the referee to controversially rule it out. Dessers also assisted Matondo’s disallowed goal, but failed to have a shot of his own and was hauled off in the second half. Would have been a different story for him had either of those goals stood.
Rabbi Matondo – 3 (Off for Sam Lammers ’64)
Having earned himself this starting role, Matip looked the liveliest of Rangers’ attackers before being replaced. Had that early goal rightly ruled out and had another attempt saved by Hart. Can be a frustrating player, though, as highlighted by his wayward shot over the bar with plenty of the goal to aim for.
SUBS
Danilo – 3 (On for Roofe ’63)
Forced Hart into action with a shot, which is more than most of his teammates can say, though that aside he was just another ineffective presence in the final third in the closing stages.
Sam Lammers – 2 (On for Matondo ’64)
Had a glorious chance – arguably Rangers’ best of the game – when rounding Hart and then somehow firing into the side-netting. Angle was against the Dutchman, in fairness, but these are the type of chances you simply have to put away.
Ridvan Yilmaz – 3 (On for Sterling ’64)
Did not get involved enough after coming on for Sterling. Might well be the natural successor to Barisic, but needs to offer far more than this.
Tom Lawrence – 3 (On for Jack ’76)
Another who failed to put his fresh legs to good use. This was the ideal opportunity for the Welshman to truly make a name for himself, but he did not do anything of note in his 20 minutes or so on the field.
Abdallah Sima – 3 (On for Dessers ’76)
Will consider himself unfortunate not to have started, but did not exactly do much to prove Michael Beale wrong during his cameo as he had no shots and created nothing.
In other Rangers news, Neil Lennon slammed this “poor” player after what he did in the Old Firm.