Cup following tonight's 2-1 win over Motherwell at Fir
Park - but the narrowness of the scoreline was not
reflected in the run of play, for this was a game that
the visitors won by a country mile.
The game will however be long remembered for a quite
appalling display of refereeing by Iain Brines who
somehow contrived to yellow card no fewer than nine
players - only three of whom wore the Light Blue.
It had been all of 46 years since Motherwell had last
defeated Rangers in a cup-tie, and that record seldom
looked like being ended this evening.
Manager Walter Smith made two changes from Tannadice
with Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo replacing Daniel Cousin
and Amdy Faye. 'Well likewise made two changes from
the last time they hosted Rangers at the Lanarkshire
ground - just 32 days ago - with Mark Fitzpatrick and
Phil O'Donnell replacing Stephen Hughes and Chris
Porter.
Barry Ferguson almost got the Ibrox men off to the
perfect start in three minutes with a twenty-yard
free-kick that came back off an upright.
Six minutes later Novo's snap-shot from Lee
McCulloch's pass was touched wide by home goalkeeper
(and former Ranger) Graeme Smith.
At the other end Keith Lasley was almost as close in
eighteen minutes when his header from a Jim Paterson
cross was inches wide.
Three minutes later David Weir's header from a Novo
corner was deflected onto the roof of the net.
The opening goal when it arrived in 22 minutes came
from Novo - the little Spaniard rifling the ball home
after Ferguson's long-throw was flicked on by
McCulloch to Boyd whose overhead-kick was blocked,
falling perfectly for the little Spaniard.
The game's first real controversial incident arrived
on the half-hour mark when Paul Quinn's driven cross
struck Ferguson's arm at point-blank range. By no
stretch of the imagination could it be termed
deliberate, yet the referee awarded a free-kick for
handball. Given that decision, it should have been a
penalty for the Ibrox captain was certainly inside the
area.
If that was a bizarre instance of refereeing, then ten
minutes later came an abomination of a judgement from
Iain Brines at the other end when Novo, clean through
on an Alan Hutton pass, saw his attempted lob parried
by Smith, who then clearly bundled the Ranger to the
ground as he moved onto the loose ball with the goal
at his mercy.
It was a stonewall penalty and a clear red card, yet
unbelievably the official awarded a goal-kick.
The interval arrived with the visitors still a goal to
the good, and a 'crime count' of four yellow cards in
a half that had scarcely merited one.
Rangers restarted very much in the ascendancy - and
went 2-0 up seven minutes in when Boyd swept the ball
home from a Novo flick.
Sixty seconds later Boyd again had the ball in the net
but this time it was ruled offside.
There was only one team in it - Novo's shot on the
turn from a McCulloch lay-off flashed over in 58
minutes, then in the next instance it was the former
Wigan player whose twenty-yard drive from a Boyd
nod-down was just too high.
Boyd should have wrapped the game up in 75 minutes
when he somehow shot wide of an open goal following a
Novo - Ferguson move that split the home defence
apart.
'Well had not yet given up the ghost however - four
minutes later Phil O'Donnell's eighteen-yard shot from
a Jim Paterson cross was parried by Allan McGregor,
Marc Fitzpatrick hesitating when the rebound fell to
him.
Rangers continued to look the likelier however -
Novo's shot on the turn from a Sasa Papac pass in 85
minutes being blocked by Smith, but with time running
out it was Motherwell who reduced the deficit when
Steven McGarry's corner appeared to be gathered by
McGregor only for the goalkeeper to be clearly fouled
in mid-air, Paul Quinn bundling the ball home.
Ridiculous as it was, Rangers now had to survive two
corners in injury time before the final whistle
signalled their passage to the last four.
Afterwards Walter Smith summarised:
"I'm delighted at the result - this is always a
difficult place to come. Motherwell are direct and
played with determination and enthusiasm.We could have
won by more - we should have had a penalty, it was a
clear-cut decision, but the referee opted out of
giving Graeme Smith a red card."
MOTHERWELL Smith; Quinn, Reynolds, Craigan, Paterson;
Lasley (Porter 56), O'Donnell, Fitzpatrick, McGarry;
Clarkson, McCormack
UNUSED SUBS Meldrum, Kinniburgh, Mensing, Grabban
RANGERS McGregor; Hutton, Cuellar, Weir, Papac;
Beasley, Ferguson, Thomson, McCulloch; Novo, Boyd
(Cousin 81)
UNUSED SUBS Carroll, Ehiogu, Faye, Whittaker
REFEREE Iain Brines