Jack Butland MOTM as 4/10 teammate stinks – Rangers player ratings v Hearts
Rangers got three points under their belts with a 3-1 victory against Hearts on Sunday, aided by two own goals.
The Gers found themselves ahead by one goal at the break but they had to rely on an own goal from Hearts while Jack Butland pulled off a number of good saves at the other end to keep his side in it with Hearts putting the pressure on.
Hearts got their way back into the game, making it 1-1 in the 49th minute. However, Philippe Clement’s men got themselves back into it with a Vaclav Cerny goal to take the lead before another own goal killed the game off.
Although they gained all three points on the afternoon, the pressure upon Clement will not fade easily.
Ibrox News have rated each player’s performance out of 10.
Jack Butland a standout man
Jack Butland – 8
When Hearts were piling on the pressure, Butland pulled off some great saves to keep his side leading going into half-time. The goalkeeper will surely have been disappointed to concede in the second half but it certainly feels as though his defenders could have done more for him.
James Tavernier (off for Rafael Fernandes, 90′) – 6
James Tavernier had plenty of touches in the game and a 71% accurate passing rate [FotMob]. However, he couldn’t create anything. He made five defensive actions but no tackles showing he was not at his best throughout.
John Souttar (off for Robin Propper, 77′) – 4
John Souttar really should have done better for the goal that his side conceded as it was the 28-year-old who lost his man allowing him to head the ball into the back of the net. However, with plenty of defensive actions throughout his 77 minutes of game time, he did do some making up for it.
Clinton Nsiala – 7
It took the defender a bit of time to get into the game on the afternoon but he won a number of duels and made 16 defensive actions on the afternoon once he got going.
Jefte – 5
A number of defensive actions throughout the day but for a player who was linked with a move to Chelsea during the winter transfer window, he certainly did not do enough to live up to that.
Nico Raskin – 6
Another player who took a bit of time to get going on the afternoon but once settled into the game, Nico Raskin had some contributions at both ends of the pitch.
Mohamed Diomande underwhelming
Mohamed Diomande – 5
With one shot and one tackle on the afternoon, Diomande certainly did not do enough in the game and was invisible for parts of the afternoon although it was not the easiest game for him to get stuck into.
Tom Lawrence (off for Cyriel Dessers, 70′) – 5
A striker who has no shots in the game has not had the best afternoon and the 31-year-old probably didn’t do as much as he would’ve hoped. However, a great pass from Tom Lawrence into Hamza Igamane set up the second Rangers goal, showing the quality he does have in him.
Vaclav Cerny – 8
Cerny attacked throughout the afternoon, showing great tenacity in his performance and had a number of opportunities going forward. The 27-year-old did well to get into a good position and score his side’s second goal of the afternoon with a great finish.
Ianis Hagi (off for Findlay Curtis, 90′) – 6
Ianis Hagi possibly could’ve done a bit more on the afternoon but he did show the continued willingness to get forward. It was Hagi who put the ball into the box which led to the Hearts own goal and even though it wasn’t met by his own player, the ball needed to be there for the ball to end up in the net.
Hamza Igamane – 7
Given the quality we know Hamza Igamane has, he probably could have had more chances against Hearts on the afternoon. Nevertheless, he had a great touch when controlling the ball he received from Lawrence which he then got out to Cerny for him to make the score 2-1 and did win the most duels through the game showing his effort throughout.
Substitutions
Cyriel Dessers (on for Tom Lawrence, 70′) – 7
The 30-year-old had an instant impact when he came on as a substitution. Although the Gers’ third goal was another own goal, Dessers was in the right place with a great run which put the pressure on the defenders he was up against. He did net again but the linesman had already flagged for the striker being offside.
Robbin Propper (on for John Souttar, 77′) – 5
Robin Propper only had four touches of the ball since he came on as a substitution so while he didn’t do anything wrong, you would’ve expected a bit more given how long he was on the pitch.
Rafael Fernandes (on for James Tavernier, 90′) – N/A
Findlay Curtis (on for Ianis Hagi, 90′) – N/A