GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 25: James Tavernier of Rangers celebrates after scoring the open goal during the William Hill Scottish Cup match between Rangers and St Johnstone at Ibrox Stadium on April 25, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Before the game, Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell told BBC Scotland he thought he had a formula to frustrate the Old Firm on both sides.
His team’s last trip to Ibrox ended in a single-goal defeat, and they seldom looked back after a cool start that stood in sharp contrast to their unexpectedly nervous opponents.
Jack Vale’s through pass was mishandled by center-half John Souttar, allowing the striker to take advantage of the space behind him and set up teammate Bair for a 15-yard finish off the far post.
Rangers began the game looking rattled and uncoordinated, but as they developed, they discovered goalie Liam Kelly and his defense were playing with defiance.
Winger Ross McCausland was substituted out following
Rangers eventually equalized after Stephen O’Donnell’s slip into Silva resulted in a penalty kick, from which Tavernier shot his 21st goal of the season off the underside of the bar. Initially, Rangers believed they had equalized, but Cyriel Dessers was called offside.
The hosts pushed forward in an attempt to duplicate their victory over Kilmarnock in a midweek comeback.
Before Rangers’ equalizer, Blair Spittal had previously sent a warning shot off the crossbar, and the hosts’ defensive weaknesses were once more shown when the midfielder’s cross found Casey for the game-winning strike in an exciting finish.
This Motherwell triumph, their first in the top league proper in 38 trips to Ibrox since May 1997, was unexpected.
Since Clement’s appointment, Rangers had won 13 of their 14 home games in all competitions, going into the title game with the upper hand.
They had won six straight against Motherwell, who had won the Premiership play-offs at Ibrox in 2015, but had not defeated Rangers in 19 encounters since a 2-0 triumph at Hampden two years later.
Though Clement bemoaned that “luck was not on our side,” it begs the question of whether his team’s incessant rotation of players eventually caught up.
