The match report for Rangers’ 3-1 victory against Ross County reads as follows: John Souttar scored the winning goal in extra time, after Cyriel Dessers had given Rangers the lead early on and Simon Murray had equalised; Philippe Clement’s team trails leaders Celtic on goal difference.
Rangers tied Celtic on points, but they were unable to convert enough of their numerous shots on goal to take the lead in the Scottish Premiership.
Cyriel Dessers’ early goal gave Philippe Clement’s team optimism. To move above Celtic for the first time this season, they needed to defeat County by at least three goals.
After Simon Murray unexpectedly equalised for the Rangers, Dessers’ deflection header put the home team ahead at halftime.Although County custodian George Wickens made a series of saves to hold Clement’s team at bay until John Souttar scored a third goal in added time, Rangers were wasteful.
A win keeps the pressure on Celtic, the victors, even if Ross County is ranked eleventh.While County custodian George Wickens made a series of stops to keep Clement’s team at bay until John Souttar nodded home a third in injury time, Rangers were wasteful. Victory keeps the pressure on champions Celtic, while Ross County is in eleventh place.A record-breaking crowd arrived to Ibrox, knowing that a three-goal victory over a team that had not defeated Rangers in 23 attempts would shift the lead atop the table.Dessers made an early breakthrough, receiving a pass from captain James Tavernier, dodging Ryan Leak’s attention, and lobbing the ball over Staggies ‘keeper Wickens to put the Light Blues ahead.Wickens was shortly forced to tip a strong attempt from Tavernier past the post and into a corner, which the surprised Dingwall team managed to hold onto.
Dessers beat Wickens in the tenth minute after latching onto a raking pass from left-back Rıdvan Yilmaz, only to have the ball rebound off the post.
Then midfielder Lundstram sent a defence-splitting pass to Rabbi Matondo, who ran on it and curled the ball beyond the far post before Wickens deflected a wide man’s attempt over the bar.
After further mixed-quality efforts from Tom Lawrence, Souttar, Tavernier, and Dessers, Murray astonished the home crowd by hitting a confident six-yard volley off a wonderful cross from Eamonn Brophy.
The Gers supporters watched in shock as Leak blocked Dessers’ close-range attempt after Wickens had mishandled a Todd Cantwell drive. However, the mysterious striker quickly made up for it, heading in a Tavernier cross seconds before halftime, which altered the mood once more.
January signature Oscar Cortes, a 20-year-old Colombian on loan from Lens, took Matondo’s place at halftime. In the 52nd minute, Wickens, who was overworked, parried a solid drive by Cortes, and Cantwell’s long-range effort was soon deflected beyond the post by Wickens.The County goal was under constant siege, but just after the hour, Michee Efete headed a corner over the bar for the Gers, relieving some of the pressure that had been on ‘keeper Jack Butland.
Wickens continued to save attempts from Lawrence, Dessers, and Lundstram; the Portuguese attacker Fabio Silva eventually took Dessers’ position.
Cortes missed the mark from 12 yards out in the 74th minute, while Wickens again denied Cortes and Cantwell despite numerous assaults on the County goal.
Souttar headed in a cross from Tavernier in the second of seven added minutes, but there was no drama to come and the opportunity to deal a psychological blow was lost. “A really fantastic win, and we can see the team improving each week, but it’s not possible for every game to improve on the previous one.
We set a record today with 23 shots on target, and it was wave after wave. Only by working extremely hard both on the offensive and defensive ends can you do that.
“It was a really strong game for Rangers, but we gave up one chance, and it was a goal. That’s a little bit unfortunate.
“I believe there has been a significant improvement in the team’s play and opportunity creation compared to those who were present four months ago in the stadium. We must keep doing that.
Sometimes it’s like pushing on a bottle of ketchup; sometimes everything comes out in one instant and sometimes not.
“The players have been displaying quality for months, and our current position in the table doesn’t change that.
“There is no reason to change the mentality, it’s about game by game.””It was a challenging night, but the lads persevered and did a great job, and I’m proud of them for that.
“Coming to a venue like this is never easy for a team like Ross County, but the boys showed that they could stand up and stick together when they truly wanted it.
“Of course, we can do things better and we’ll dissect that and look at it, but I don’t want to take anything away from Rangers as I thought they were outstanding.”
