Nedim Bajrami has awful debut, Hamza Igamane superb – Rangers player ratings vs Dundee United
Rangers held on for a hard-fought 1-0 win away at Dundee United to get back to winning ways after the international break.
Tom Lawrence bundled his way through the centre of the Tangerines defence to open the scoring with a deft, dinked finish in the seventh minute as part of a fast Gers start, but the half fizzled out as Emmanuel Adegboyega avoided a red card for a lunge on Connor Barron.
Lawrence went closest to a second more than once in a scrappier second 45 as the Light Blues held out for a vital three points, as Nedim Bajrami did nothing in a full half on debut but Hamza Igamane looked excellent off the bench.
Here, Ibrox News rates the Rangers players out of 10 for their performances at Tannadice.
Jack Butland – 7
No major saves to make in the first half but there when he was needed. Important work late on as Rangers held onto a one-goal lead.
James Tavernier – 6
Okay. Purposeful start from the captain after shunning exit opportunities [HITC, 12 September] with one excellent early cross showing signs of a response. Hardly back to his best here but a reasonable outing after a rough start to the season.
John Souttar – 6
Wasn’t put under much pressure in a relatively-composed first half. Spent most of the second half crashing into people but far more reassuring defensively than Propper beside him.
Tom Lawrence sends Rangers on way to victory
Robin Propper – 4
Uncertain at best. Not tested enough to have actively made major errors but still feels oddly tentative for a senior centre-back arrival. Made a couple of decent blocks but too often risked being caught in possession. Was supposed to lift the entire defence after replacing Connor Goldson but so far looks no better than what Rangers already had.
Jefte – 7
Pretty good on the whole. Forward early and often to swing in crosses from the left, if not quite as dangerously as Tavernier on the other side or Borna Barisic used to. Good understanding with Cortes down the left and willing make a tackle defensively.
Connor Barron – 8
Very good game in the middle. Solid shuttling work on the ball and laid on one excellent chance for Lawrence to double his tally. Important passing offensively and snapped in to break up Dundee United attacks as well. Unlucky to be overshadowed late by Igamane.
Mohamed Diomande (off for Raskin ’73) – 7
Strong performance. Busy work in and out of possession in an impressive first half although he faded from prominence after the interval.
Philippe Clement makes strange Kieran Dowell decision
Kieran Dowell (off for Sterling ’73) – 3
Poor. Bizarre choice to start in place of the ill Vaclav Cerny on the wing. One reasonable long-range strike but largely bypassed by the action otherwise. Almost allowed Kristijan Trapanovski by being too weak and slow to prevent him cutting in and shooting. One useful clearance but a wonder he lasted as long as he did.
Tom Lawrence – 7
Better, but still flitted in and out of the game too much. Excellent finish for the early goal but arguably should have had four. So often most effective in the early exchanges before fading so crucial for him to make the most of it this time, but failed to play in Cortes on another strong first-half move and should have buried a nice pass from Barron. Characteristically disappeared after about 20 minutes until he was inches from a second on a very similar run to his first after the hour and couldn’t finish excellent work from Igamane.
Oscar Cortes (off for Bajrami ’46) – 6
Tentative start on his return from injury but jolted into action after the Rangers goal and combined well with Jefte. Energetic display but lacked quality with his final ball, perhaps unsurprisingly having been out since the opening day.
Cyriel Dessers (off for Igamane ’64) – 7
Generally good but still managed to frustrate at times. In the thick of things from the off and played his part in the opener with a nice touch to set Lawrence on his way. Held the ball up well while linking with teammates and made some important defensive contributions. Still could have been better if he hadn’t thrown himself to the ground so often under minor contact, and pulled the trigger earlier on the good chance just before the half.
Substitutions
Nedim Bajrami (on for Cortes ’46) – 2
Dreadful debut. Fans were eager to see what the Deadline Day signing would add and would have been disappointed not to see him start. But after jogging up and down the left wing for 45 minutes without contributing much of anything he managed to justify his manager’s hesitance. It is early days but he will need to improve a huge amount.
Hamza Igamane (on for Dessers ’64) – 9 (Man of the Match)
Excellent cameo. Nearly created a goal all on his own by controlling a long ball on his chest before turning and slipping in Lawrence. Showed great strength and composure on the ball. Dessers hadn’t been bad but the Moroccan showed enough to suggest he is going to be worth the wait after a delayed introduction to the first team. Something for fans to cling to at a difficult time.
Nico Raskin (on for Diomande ’73) – 5
Barely registered after his introduction.
Dujon Sterling (on for Dowell ’73) – 5
One of the best players last season he is struggling to force his way into Clement’s line up this term. Got booked in his first contribution from a unremarkable display.
In other Rangers news, a confirmed Ianis Hagi update has been issued after his agents ruled out an exit.
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