Butland blunders in 3/10 – Rangers player ratings v Manchester United
Rangers suffered injury-time heartbreak to lose 2-1 at Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday at Old Trafford.
After an encouraging opening on 23 January, Jack Butland then accidentally punched a corner into his net to give Manchester United the lead, but Cyriel Dessers had other ideas late on, shrugging off Harry Maguire to slam home an equaliser.
Rangers’ joy was short-lived, however, as Bruno Fernandes ghosted in at the far post to net the winner on the volley, meaning Philippe Clement’s side head home empty-handed.
Ibrox News rated each player out of 10.
Jack Butland howler costs Rangers v Manchester United
Jack Butland – 3
Back in the side as anticipated after six games out, Butland superbly denied Amad Diallo, but any notion of solidity was shattered in the second half as his attempted punch from a corner came skewing off his fist and into his net. Produced saves to keep out Manuel Ugarte and Alejandro Garnacho, but these didn’t make up for his costly error.
James Tavernier – 7
Got forward at will down the right flank to link up with Cerny, and caused United plenty of problems with his set-piece deliveries; chipped in defensively too to put Amad’s low cross behind for a corner. Forced to shift to centre-back in Balogun’s absence, but still picked out a delightful pass for Dessers to score.
Leon Balogun (off for Bailey Rice, 46′) – 6
Dominant in the air against Joshua Zirkzee early on and headed several crosses and corners clear, Balogun didn’t look out of place in defence but picked up an ankle injury late in the first half which ended his evening early.
Robin Propper – 5
Bundled over by Leny Yoro from the corner which led to De Ligt’s disallowed goal and was seen as very lucky to get a free-kick, but did show his strength to make a crucial block and deny Fernandes early in the second half.
Jefte – 4
More restricted when trying to come forward than Tavernier, Jefte did get into the final third as the game opened up, forcing Bayindir into a good save with a half-volley from 20 yards. He was booked for hauling down Amad, before losing Fernandes at the far post for United’s winner in a costly lapse of judgement.
Connor Barron (off for Ross McCausland, 45′) – 6
Solid and industrious as ever in midfield, Barron collided with Diogo Dalot late in the first half and was forced off with potential ligament damage, meaning he couldn’t make the most of a rare start.
Nico Raskin – 7
Played clean through on goal by Igamane in the early stages, Raskin couldn’t sort his feet out to finish but made up for it at the other end by heading Garnacho’s effort over the bar. Became a one-man double-pivot after Barron was forced off, and held his own as best he could in the middle.
Vaclav Cerny (off for Findlay Curtis, 60′) – 6
Back in the Gers’ starting XI, Cerny looked to cut inside off the right flank whenever possible but was restricted from shooting for much of the first half. That changed in the second with a 20-yard effort through a crowd which Bayindir saved, but Cerny was also forced off injured with the Gers 1-0 down.
Nedim Bajrami (off for Cyriel Dessers, 71′) – 4
Often dropped deep looking to link up with his fellow midfielders, as well as providing a constant link-up for Cerny, but went firmly into his shell in the second half and was hooked for Cyriel Dessers midway through it.
Ridvan Yilmaz (off for Leon King, 90′) – 6
Was denied a glorious opening goal on the volley by Bayindir after meeting Tavernier’s cross-field ball first, but proved a constant threat on the left flank throughout the first half. That all changed as he was forced to switch to right-back in the second period, where he was forced into a few last-ditch defensive efforts before being hooked late on
Hamza Igamane – 7
Fired off a few shots early on which didn’t really test Bayindir, and saw a brilliant through ball for Raskin come to nothing before a deflected effort from range almost crept into the bottom corner. Forced into action at the other end too, heading a United corner off the line in the second half to spark a rapid-fire counter-attack.
Substitutes:
Ross McCausland (on for Connor Barron, 45′) – 5 – Came onto the left flank as one of two half-time changes, but found himself dropping deep to help out much more often than he was in the final third.
Bailey Rice (on for Leon Balogun, 45′) – 7 – Replaced Balogun in the backline but still looked to get forward, sending a half-volley over the bar from the edge of the box. Clipped two brilliant balls in towards goal, which neither McCausland nor Dessers could execute, but an encouraging performance overall.
Findlay Curtis (on for Vaclav Cerny, 60′) – 5 – Another enforced change due to injury, the 18-year-old came on for the final half-hour and helped to give the Light Blues some much-needed presence in the middle of the park.
Cyriel Dessers (on for Nedim Bajrami, 71′) – 8 – On for the final 20 as Clement shifted to a front two, Dessers was soon active in the final third scooping a close-range shot past Bayindir and back off the outside of the near post. He certainly made his mark off the bench, turning away from Maguire to slam home a left-footed equaliser which sparked bedlam in the away end – albeit briefly.
Leon King (on for Ridvan Yilmaz, 90′) – N/A
In other Rangers news, one aspect of the Light Blues’ displays this season has been slammed by Kris Boyd on Sky Sports.
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