Stevenson: Ayr United moment v Rangers is ‘Unbelievable’ at Ibrox
Ryan Stevenson was blown away by Ayr United goalkeeper Robbie Mutch as he pulled off a superb save against Rangers on Saturday 10 February.
The Honest Men’s keeper was always going to face a tough challenge against the Gers, who ran out 2-0 winners on a tough evening at Ibrox.
Up against Fabio Silva, Oscar Cortes and Scott Wright in attack, the visitors at Ibrox did well to make it to half-time only conceding once, and Mutch could certainly be thanked for that.
Speaking via BBC Sportsound on Saturday (10 February, 6:18pm), the former United midfielder said: “What a save, unbelievable. It comes at him at some pace.”
Rangers punish Ayr United at Ibrox
With just two shots on target in the first half, Clement would have been extremely disappointed with his team’s performance and would have certainly expected more. Cup competitions give smaller teams, such as Ayr United, to discover glory and accomplish the impossible, much like the FA Cup.
However, a much more assured and confident second half meant Rangers were able to secure the victory without too many scares from the visitors.
The new transfers in Cortes and Mohamed Diomande could be forgiven for their slowness to adapt, with both being handed their first starts in Rangers colours, though the former was one of the best performers in the match.
Of course, playing a Championship side like Ayr United comes with its difficulties, likely to sit back in their own half and hit Rangers on the counterattack. But that is no excuse for a team competing in the Europa League to be sloppy in the Scottish Cup.
Fabio Silva’s display in the opening 45 minutes left a lot to be desired. The Wolves loanee will have been much happier in the second half as he slammed home with 15 minutes left to play, netting his second in his last three games.
There will have been a lot of negatives that Clement could point out. A win, though, will have been the most important part of the match as the Gers will have wanted to continue their fine form after taking the top spot in the league for a brief moment.
In other Rangers news, a pundit has predicted what Light Blues fans will want to make Scott Brown “squirm” at Ibrox.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.