Attendance 8,754
Rangers secured a vital win in a blood-and-thunder battle at East End Park this afternoon, a 3-1 win over Dunfermline ensuring they retain their lead in the title race.
It was a tremendous contest all the way through, with the Pars perhaps unfortunate not to take anything from the game.
It has been all of 33 years since Rangers last suffered defeat at East End Park on League business, 15 years since they lost in any competition, and 31 years since the Pars’ last League win over the Ibrox men (3-4 April 1972 at Ibrox), but today might have rewritten the history books.
Rangers made just the one change from Tuesday with Shota Arveladze replacing Michael Mols against a side containing two former Ibrox men – Gus MacPherson and Barry Nicholson.
Dunfermline Manager Jimmy Calderwood sprang a surprise with his line-up, changing to a flat back four to accommodate Frenchman David Grondin and moving Stephen Crawford to midfield to introduce Noel Hunt.
Rangers seemed to have been taken by surprise by the move – inside twenty seconds Hunt’s pace carried him through on a Brewster pass only for Craig Moore to save the day with a last-ditch tackle, and from the resultant corner Brewster’s overhead kick cleared the crossbar by no more than a couple of feet.
The home side were setting a fierce pace. Stefan Klos was forced into a brilliant save in seven minutes to again deny Brewster from a Nicholson pass.
Noel Hunt was proving to be a revelation up front – although the former Shamrock Rovers player did himself no favours when he gestured towards the Rangers fans.
The visitors had soaked up the early pressure – and indeed should have opened the scoring in 27 minutes when a long pass from Lorenzo Amoruso found Arveladze free on goal. The Georgian’s low drive was turned wide by goalkeeper Derek Stillie.
Five minutes later Rangers suffered an injury blow when Maurice Ross suffered a hamstring injury, being replaced by Bob Malcolm.
Conditions were proving difficult with a cold, swirling wind affecting play – but it was those very conditions that played a significant part in the opening goal in 36 minutes when Neil McCann’s inswinging corner went directly into the net, although the home side claimed that Arveladze had impeded Stillie.
Dunfermline could feel hard-done-by to be one down at the interval, but inside four minutes of the restart they were on level terms when Hunt – very much a thorn in the side of the Ibrox defence – saw his effort blocked by Klos, the loose ball falling perfectly for Craig Brewster (scorer of two goals in midweek) to volley into the unguarded net.
Rangers were rattled, but stepped up the pace, driven on by the fans behind the goal they were attacking. Ronald de Boer was denied a stonewall penalty in 64 minutes when he was hauled back by Magnus Skerla as he homed in on a Neil McCann cross.
With Irish Under-21 International Hunt being replaced by Steven Hampshire due to injury, the tide appeared to be slowly turning in favour of the visitors.
Two minutes later another inswinging corner – this time from Mikel Arteta – caused more problems for the Fife side, Amoruso’s back-header at the near post finding Arveladze whose effort was touched over by Stillie, and from that corner McCann’s effort – touched onto the bar by Stillie – found Moore at the far post. ‘Oz’ seemed certain to score from point-blank range, only for his header to strike Lee Bullen on the line.
The dam was breached however in 71 minutes when Amoruso (for once) hit the target. A twenty-yard wide-angled free-kick exploded behind Stillie – and Rangers led 2-1.
The Pars were far from finished however – three minutes later Craig Moore was clearing a Steven Hampshire shot off his own line, then within seconds it was Bob Malcolm to the rescue when he blocked the same player following a clever turn and shot.
There was another injury blow in 77 minutes when Arteta limped off with an ankle injury to be replaced by Claudio Caniggia.
Substitute Michael Mols should have sealed victory in 87 minutes when a Caniggia break – via De Boer – released him clear on Stillie, but the goalkeeper blocked his shot.
Neil McCann had been in outstanding form for Rangers, and a left-wing break on the final whistle brought the third goal when his cross was headed home by Caniggia
Manager Alex McLeish could not hide his delight at the result: "This was a rewarding win. I expected a tough battle – the conditions were difficult, but we need to overcome all kinds. We need to approach every game in the right way."
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC Stillie; MacPherson (Kilgannon 78), Skerla, Bullen, Grondin; Nicholson, Brannan, Crawford, Dair (Karnebeek 71); Brewster, Hunt (Hampshire 63)
UNUSED SUBS Ruitenbeek, Dempsey
RANGERS Klos; Ross (Malcolm 32), Moore, Amoruso, Numan; Ricksen, Ferguson, Arteta (Caniggia 77), McCann; De Boer, Arveladze (Mols 83)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Bonnissel,
REFEREE Hugh Dallas