Rangers showed their powers of recovery yet again to come from behind to beat 10-man Kilmarnock 3-2 as Michael Beale claimed his seventh win out of eight games and remain nine points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic.
The victory ensured the Ibrox side improved their dismal Rugby Park record where they had won just twice in their previous nine league visits and send them into their Scottish Cup clash with St Johnstone this weekend on a high.
But they again had to do it the hard way after Chris Stokes headed the home side into an early lead to punish the visitors for a shaky start. But they found their feet and Alfredo Morelos drew the Ibrox side level with his sixth of the season before Ryan Kent fired home early in the second half and Morelos completed his double - his 14th goal against the Ayrshiremen - after Danny Armstrong’s red card left Killie with a mountain to climb. But they ensured a nervy finale as Joe Wright volleyed in with six minutes left. In short, Morelos reminded Beale he is on point.
Beale made three changes to the Hampden starting XI with Jon McLaughlin, Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield coming in for Allan McGregor, Ryan Jack and Malik Tillman. The Ibrox gaffer is keen to give McLaughlin a chance but he didn’t his chances of claiming the No. 1 spot no good in the early stages.
The former Sunderland man was lucky not to be punished when he failed to collect a corner and Ash Taylor really should have done better when he headed wide of the post. It was an early warning and one they didn’t heed as Killie took the lead with McLaughlin failing to collect a corner and Stokes headed home.
A slow start and conceding the first goal early on has been a familiar trait of this Rangers side. They did go close to a leveller with Connor Goldson denied from a header. Alan Power were snapping at the heels of their visitors but Alan Power was too keen and went into the book for a late tackle on Scott Arfield.
Rangers, though, did get level midway through the first half and it was Morelos who grabbed it. James Tavernier played a lovely ball for Fashion Sakala who did brilliantly down the right and drilled a low ball across the face of goal and the Colombian was in the perfect position to slot home with a great first-time effort beyond Sam Walker.
Morelos had been taking some stick from the home fans and celebrated with a shush gesture, and cupping his hands to his ears. He looked in that kind of mood and he went into Kevin Clancy’s book for a foul on Daniel Armstrong after a couple of earlier challenges went unpunished.
As slow as Gers have started games recently, they have raised their game in the second half. And it was the same story here as they got their noses in front. Kent raced onto a long upfield pass and should have done better with his initial chance as his effort ended up with Morelos on the right side of the box. But the striker cut it back to Kent and he sent a shot low into the bottom corner.
It was a brilliant finish and Kilmarnock’s job was made a whole lot tougher when Armstrong was shown a second yellow card for a an elbow on Borna Barisic which undone so much of the winger’s good work as he had been impressive.
Rangers took full advantage and Morelos got his second as he kept up his incredible scoring streak against Killie as he rose to head home Barisic’s cross. But there would be no hat-trick as Malik Tillman replaced him. His work appeared to have been done but Wright's sweet strike made it an anxious end and substitute Kyle Lafferty forced McLaughlin into a late stop. Here’s three talking points from Rugby Park
Slow off the mark, rapid after the restart
Rangers games are following a familiar pattern but how many times can they be so sluggish at the start and recover? The players have repeatedly been told that they are slow out of the blocks yet they keep dong it. Their ability to get back into the game is commendable but they can’t keep expecting to start so slowly and getting away with it. Beale is continually being left with too much to do at the break in terms of tweaks and team talk. It’s giving opposition teams encouragement to start fast against them, knowing they are likely to get some joy instead of a defensive approach to kick off with.
Goalie groans
The shot-stopper situation at Rangers is one that sums up the lack of direction at the club this season. The Allan McGregor contract situation was allowed to drag on in the summer and even when he agreed to an extension, there were was a lot of debate over who would be first choice before Jon McLaughlin got the nod. Giovanni van Bronckhorst then lost faith in him and McGregor was back in.
There has been too much chopping and changing and now Beale is giving the pair a shot in some kind of weird alternative fashion. McGregor didn’t look too clever at times at Hampden, despite Beale saying he’s the best in Scotland, and McLaughlin was back in for this trip to Ayrshire and was suspect twice at coming out for corners early on, with his flapping resulting in Killie opening the scoring. The bottom line is neither of them are currently in the kind of form needed to be Rangers No. 1 and the situation needs sorted - quickly. And if a keeper isn’t bought this month, then Beale should maybe settle on one.
Dynamite Danny explodes
Daniel Armstrong really impressed for Kilmarnock against Celtic, giving Alexandro Bernabei a real tough time. And the former Raith Rovers man was lively again here before his moment of madness which saw him get his second yellow card for an elbow into Borna Barisic. That was the ugly after seeing so much of the good from the 25-year-old. A Tommy Wright signing from Raith Rovers, the Wolves graduate - on the form of his last two games - wouldn’t have looked out of place had he been lining up on the side of the Old Firm rather than the Ayrshiremen, especially as the right wing has been a problem position for Rangers in recent years. But he just let himself down with his crazy sending off.
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