Dundee United commit grand larceny this afternoon by
escaping with a point from a 2-2 draw - yet one of the
greatest injustices in football history might have
been even worse for incredibly Rangers had to fight
back from a two-goal deficit.
The new manager fieded the same eleven that had won at
Motherwell, and there was a stunning welcome for the
Frenchman and his backroom team with a card display
that blended the St. Andrews Cross with the French
Tricolour. New £1.8m signing Filip Sebo from FK
Austria Vienna had to be content with a place on the
bench.
United arrived at Ibrox having won just one out of
seventeen games under Manager Craig Brewster, a run
perhaps reflected in a paltry travelling support.
There was a tremendous atmosphere inside the Stadium,
with a full house 50,394 spectators.
Rangers almost struck early when Libor Sionko saw his
shot from Charlie Adam's cross parried by goalkeeper
Derek Stillie in four minutes.
Five minutes later, in United's first attack, Noel
Hunt tested Lionel Letizi with a twenty-yard shot.
Charlie Adam was denied twice from a Thomas Buffel
cross in eleven minutes - his first effort being
blocked by Stillie, the second cleared off the line by
Alan Archibald.
The pressure continued unabated - and two minutes
later Julien Roidriguez headed over from an Alan
Hutton cross.
The opening goal arrived in fourteen minutes - at the
other end when Hunt turned on a Stuart Duff pass to
shoot home, before quite deliberately and
provocatively gesturing to the home fans.
Four minutes later Sionko twisted onto an Adam cross
only to see Stillie produce a stunning one-handed
save.
The pressure was incessant - Dado Prso shooting just
wide from Buffel's cross in 21 minutes, then within
sixty seconds it was the Belgian's turn to fire just
wide on the turn after a Prso drive had broken to him.
The woodwork came to United's rescue in 25 minutes
when Sionko struck the crossbar from a Steven Smith
cross, then again three minutes later when Rodriguez
saw his header from an Adam corner come crashing back
off the bar.
It was one-way traffic - and another Adam corner in 41
minutes saw Prso's header cleared off the line by Mark
Kerr.
Kris Boyd replaced Adam at the interval.
The interval scoreline was a joke - yet Hutton had to
look lively to clear off the line from Greg Cameron
following a Duff cutback in 50 minutes.
Five minutes later unbelievably it was 2-0 when Barry
Robson's corner was missed completely by Karl Svensson
allowing Norwegian debutant Christian Kalvenes to head
home.
Rangers were now right up against it - but an
immediate substitution paid dividends when Chris Burke
replaced Svensson and within two minutes the winger
rifled home a left-foot shot from 22 yards from a
Jeremy Clement pass.
Rangers were denied a stonewall penalty in 63 minutes
when Boyd was hauled back by David McCracken as he
went clean through on goal with his eventual shot
being deflected wide - incredibly Referee Dougie
McDonald took no action when it should undoubtedly
have been a spot-kick and a red card for the United
defender.
Sebo replaced Prso in 69 minutes as the visitors were
guilty of constant timewasting.
It would be another substitute who would have a
decisive impact however - United's Steven Robb coming
on in 77 minutes and within sixty seconds he headed a
Smith cross past his own goalkeeper for the equalising
goal.
Rangers piled on the pressure in the closing stages
with Stillie denying both Sionko and Buffel from a
Burke chip in 84 minutes.
Three minutes later Sionko's eighteen-yard grounder
was turned wide by Stillie, and United had somehow
survived.
Afterwards a frustrated Paul Le Guen commented:
"We had so many chances. We could have scored four or
five in the first-half. We made too many mistakes, we
need to work hard, and we need one or two players
more."
Meanwhile Chairman David Murray issued a statement:
"We appealed to our fans to stop any form of sectarian
singing and they have responded magnificently. I would
like to thank our fans who demonstarted today what a
tremendous support we have at Ibrox. We will continue
to do everything we can to build on this.
"The match commander today complimented our supporters
and said there had been a substantial improvement in
behaviour with no arrests within the Stadium."
RANGERS Letizi; Hutton, Svensson (Burke 55),
Rodriguez, Smith; Sionko, Hemdani, Clement, Adam (Boyd
45); Buffel, Prso (Sebo 69)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Rae, Fanfan, Ponroy
DUNDEE UNITED Stillie; Mair, McCracken, Archibald,
Kalvenes (Robb 77); Samuel, Kerr, Cameron, Robson;
Hunt (Miller 66), Duff
UNUSED SUBS McLean, Conway, Kenneth, Gardner,
Robertson
REFEREE Dougie McDonald
Attendance 50,394