Attendance 12,204
Rangers came from behind to defeat Kilmarnock in a five-goal thriller at Rugby Park this afternoon. It was a game however that the Champions should have had won long before substitute Nuno Capucho s late winner, but a combination of bad finishing, poor defending, ill luck and appalling refereeing prevented Rangers from a much more emphatic winning margin.
The Ibrox men have not lost at Rugby Park in more than nine years, but at times today it appeared that the home side might end that run. Rangers, wearing all white, made two changes from Old Trafford with Craig Moore and Zurab Khizanishvili both out injured, being replaced by Fernando Ricksen and Emerson.
On Remembrance Sunday a one-minute silence was immaculately observed prior to kick-off.
The game was a long time in coming to life, Stephen Hughes coming close in 23 minutes with a twenty-yard drive that flashed just over from a Shota Arveladze cross
Six minutes later Arveladze it was who opened the scoring when he calmly drilled the ball home after Mikel Arteta s corner had been head-flicked on by Peter Lovenkrands.
Rangers were well on top Michael Mols going through on an Arteta pass only to see his weak shot deflected wide in 32 minutes
The home side made an enforced change two minutes later when Kris Boyd limped off to be replaced by former Ranger Gary McSwegan.
Slack defensive play cost the visitors the lead in 38 minutes when Gary McDonald was left unmarked at the back post to convert a Peter Canero cross after home captain Steve Fulton had created the opening with a clever back-heel.
The game exploded in controversy four minutes later when Peter Lovenkrands, clear through on an Arteta pass, was barged to the ground by Gordon Greer. It was a stonewall penalty, and a certain red card for the
Killie defender, yet astonishingly Referee John Underhill waved play on, a decision that obviously had its roots in the furore following the two soft penalties awarded to Celtic at Rugby Park eight days ago.
On the very cusp of the interval Lovenkrands was again downed when clean through, significantly on this occasion just outside the box. This time a free-kick was awarded, and former Ranger Greg Shields yellow-carded, but the defender could consider himself fortunate that the card was not of a different hue.
Unbelievably Kilmarnock took the lead in 48 minutes when the unmarked Canero drilled home a low eighteen-yard drive following a McSwegan knockdown. Rangers were now right up against it, but laid siege to the home goal immediately after falling behind, coming close to an equaliser five times in as many minutes Emersons drive from an Arteta pass being just wide of the post in 51 minutes, then Lovenkrands effort from an Arteta corner being cleared off the line. Another Arteta corner headed on by Emerson found Mols, whose hook shot from point-blank range struck the underside of the bar, then Emersons drive was fisted out by Killie goalkeeper Francois Dubourdeau, the rebound falling to Arveladze who shot across the face of goal. Finally, with the home goal resembling the Alamo , Arveladze found Lovenkrands whose net-bound shot was deflected wide.
The equaliser had to come and it duly arrived in 61 minutes when a superb Mols flick released Arveladze who drilled the ball past Dubourdeau. Rangers went all out to regain the lead, and almost secured it two minutes later when Lovenkrands, through wide on a Mols pass, struck the underside of the bar. Dubourdeau came to his side s rescue in 65 minutes when he deflected a Mols shot from Artetas pass wide with his legs.
Kilmarnock had weathered the storm, and unbelievably almost snatched the lead again in 77 minutes when Arteta cleared substitute Martin Hardie s shot off the line from a Fulton corner.
With time fast running out, Nuno Capucho replaced Emerson as Rangers desperately sought the winner Dubourdeau twice proving equal to the task, firstly when he held an Arveladze shot from a Hughes opening in 80 minutes, then sixty seconds later he smothered a Ricksen twenty-yard drive from a Lovenkrands pass.
Finally at long last Rangers secured the lead, and the game, when Arteta s inswinging free-kick was headed home from close range by Capucho in 85 minutes.
The final whistle brought immense relief to the Light Blue legions, and manager Alex McLeish was bullish in his summing-up:
"We deserved the win. We controlled the game and pummeled them at 1-2. We can take heart from todays performance the players played out of their skins.
This was an important game to win. I thought it was a clear penalty in the first-half but if its a penalty the guy should be sent off. Perhaps last week s controversy (Petrov) might have had an influence. "
Looking back to Old Trafford, Eck was honest enough to admit:
"We were caught in the rabbit s headlights. The players were annoyed with themselves. "
KILMARNOCK Dubourdeau; Shields, Greer, Dindeleaux, Hay; Canero, McDonald, Fulton (McLaughlin 87), Murray (Hardie 69); Boyd (McSwegan 34), Nish
UNUSED SUBS Meldrum, Dillon
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Berg, Ball, Vanoli; Emerson (Capucho 78), Arteta, Hughes, Lovenkrands; Arveladze, Mols (Ostenstad 90)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Ross, Burke
REFEREE John Underhill