Rangers moved into pole position in the title race
with a 4-1 win over Motherwell at Ibrox this afternoon,
but once again this was a victory that should
have been so much more emphatic, with Marvin Andrews
for the second successive week netting an own goal
late in the game.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from the Hearts
game with Michael Ball and Shota Arveladze replacing
the suspended Gregory Vignal and the ineffective Peter
Lovenkrands.
A one-minute silence in memory of former referee Tom
Wharton was immaculately observed prior to kick-off.
With former Ibrox Boss, and currently Newcastle United
Manager Graeme Souness looking on Rangers were on top
from the opening seconds, Dado Prso's
stabbed shot from a Nacho Novo cutback being held by
Gordon Marshall.
Three minutes later Nacho Novo's chip found
Arveladze who headed over.
The opening goal was merely delayed however,
Michael Ball's long pass being nodded on by Prso
into the path of Thomas Buffel who stayed on his feet
despite being fouled by William Kinniburgh to slot the
ball home in twelve minutes.
Four minutes later it was 2-0 when Arveladze netted
from a Prso cross after Marshall had parried the
Georgian's original shot.
Buffel was involved in almost every home attack,
and almost made it 3-0 in 33 minutes when Paul
Quinn cleared his chip from a Prso pass off the line.
It was one-way traffic towards Marshall's goal,
Prso's lob from a Buffel chip six
minutes later only just clearing the crossbar.
Novo was a tireless worker wide on the right,
and his run and cutback found Arveladze who turned the
ball into the net in 53 minutes to make it 3-0.
"There's only one Arveladze," sang
the 49,495 spectators, and three minutes later the
former Ajax player had a hand in the fourth goal when
his cross found Prso whose lay-off was rifled home by
Buffel.
Rangers were rampant now, but carelessness in
defence almost gifted Motherwell a goal when Scott
McDonald shot wide from a David Clarkson pass.
With goal difference always a possibility in deciding
the outcome of the Championship, Rangers continued to
push forward, Prso cutting inside from a Buffel
pass in 81 minutes before rifling a 22-yard shot
inches wide.
Two minutes later Arveladze had a chance to complete
his hat-trick, only to see his drive from a Prso
cutback blocked by Kinniburgh.
Novo, suffering from cramp, went off to a standing
ovation in 85 minutes, being replaced by Chris Burke.
Unbelievably for the second successive week an Andrews
own goal reduced the deficit three minutes later when
he deflected a Clarkson cross into his own net.
The final whistle saw the Rangers players taking a bow
in front of the Light Blue legions with Arveladze in
particular waving a poignant farewell.
Afterwards Alex McLeish summarised:
"I'm delighted with the win. We went about
it the right way. We haven't always taken
advantage of our play this season. We're not
guaranteed a win at Easter Road next week. It's
not in our hands."
Well Boss and former Ibrox legend Terry Butcher
was honest enough to admit:
"Rangers were awesome today. The score could
have been even greater."
RANGERS Waterreus; Ricksen, Andrews, Kyrgiakos, Ball;
Novo (Burke 85), Ferguson, A. Rae, Arveladze; Buffel,
Prso
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Thompson, Malcolm, Adam,
McCormack, Lovenkrands
MOTHERWELL Marshall; Quinn (Keogh 62), Corrigan,
Kinniburgh, Fitzpatrick; Paterson, Kerr, Fagan, Foran
(Hamilton 78); McDonald, Clarkson
UNUSED SUBS Corr, Britton, Higgins
REFEREE Calum Murray
Attendance 49,495