ONE FOR THE MONEY
Change of fortune for £20million kid Diallo as he nets goal to delay rivals’ title party
RANGERS .... 2 DUNDEE UTD .... 0 HE was supposed to give help give Rangers the edge over Celtic.
In the end, Amad Diallo’s lasting Ibrox legacy may come down to merely ensuring the Parkhead side weren’t served up the Premiership crown on a plate.
To say the loan signing of the £20million Manchester United kid hasn’t lived up to expectations would be like saying Boris Johnson is prone to the odd wee fib.
If ever there was a player to prove that the crazy money floating about down south is no guarantee of anything, the 19-year-old is it.
Since arriving he’s registered two goals in 10 appearances, only four of which were starts, while never coming close to delivering the impact Gio van Bronckhorst needed if he was to hold off Celtic’s resurgence.
But his strike with 12 minutes left yesterday at least did spare the Ibrox squad the ignominy of confirming Celtic’s title triumph without the Hoops having kicked a ball.
James Tavernier’s 17th goal of the season from the penalty spot got the Light Blues on their way before sub Diallo, looking more interested than he has in any of his previous run-outs, stroked home the clincher.
It was a day when Rangers were there in body but not quite in spirit.
The rush to Spain hasn’t quite kicked-off yet but fans’ minds are already on Seville as anticipation builds to May 18 and Rangers date with Europa League destiny against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The sombreros and beach balls were out but Rangers could have popped the party atmosphere had they not got the points required to ensure Celtic’s celebrations now have to wait until Wednesday’s trip to Tannadice at least.
It’s a game which will also now have major repercussions for United and their bid to qualify for Europe for the first time in a decade.
Tam Courts’ team remain wellplaced in fourth but both Motherwell and Ross County are hanging on in there with two games remaining.
Van Bronckhorst made seven changes to the team which served up a night for the ages against RB Leipzig on Thursday as 18-year-old Leon King came in for his first start, looking like a senior pro during a cool and composed defensive display.
Aaron Ramsey was also back in for Gers as he shook off the knock which kept him out of both legs against the Germans.
Earlier this week, Twitter was awash with the high-pitched screeching of rival Old Firm fans bickering over whether the Welshman’s signing represents the biggest flop in the history of Scottish transfers.
Thursday night was precisely the kind of occasion Rangers had in mind when they made their audacious swoop to sign the Juventus ace on loan.
His contribution to Gers’ incredible Seville surge, however, tallies up to one start and one sub appearance totalling a mere 84 minutes.
Yet for all the fanfare about what his world-class abilities could offer this team so long as his notoriously flaky fitness levels held out, the simple truth is Rangers haven’t needed him to get to this remarkable position.
There are, of course, a couple more big dates in the diary but right now you’d be surprised to see Ramsey shoehorned into either of the starting lineups van Bronckhorst names for Seville and the Scottish Cup final against Hearts three days later given what his other midfield men are producing.
This was, though, an opportunity to make the manager think twice. He had a hand in the move which brought Tavernier’s penalty but it was another day on which you felt the former Arsenal star may never get back to his previous lofty heights.
United didn’t exactly help his efforts.
While Tam Courts’ side were distant runners-up in the possession stakes they did make a decent fist of it in shutting down the space Rangers were looking to exploit in the final third.
The Tannadice men have done almost as much as any other team this season to derail Gers’ title defence, denying last year’s unbeaten champions five points. Even the one
win Rangers previously managed against them was a bit of a slog.
This was no thriller either as the hosts, understandably, had minds elsewhere.
That didn’t mean Rangers didn’t create chances. More that they lacked the same ferocious hunger that saw them gobble up the openings that came their way against Leipzig.
United keeper Benjamin Siegrist was also in top form, keeping out early efforts from Fashion Sakala and Scott Arfield, operating in a false nine role.
Siegrist was at it again early in the second half, pushing away another Sakala effort.
It was a bit cruel that it was the
Swiss No.1 who gave away the penalty for Gers’ opener 10 minutes into the second half after Ramsey showed a flash of the creativity the Ibrox faithful have been longing to see since his January arrival.
It was a perfectly measured dink in behind the United defence which drew Siegrist from his line only to clear out Sakala, who had got to the ball first.
Referee Steven MacLean had no hesitation pointing to the spot and Tavernier was just as authoritative as he swept his spot-kick home.
Ibrox kid Alex Lowry – who, like Arfield, was handed a new deal this weekend – was introduced with 25 minutes left alongside fellow youngsters Charlie McCann and debutant Adam Devine.
His first involvement was to slot in Diallo for a goal with some wonderful vision – but the linesman was just as eagleeyed, spotting that the Ivory Coast kid had crept offside.
But Diallo did get a deserved goal with 12 minutes left after a bright second half showing.
Sakala pounced on Archie Meekison’s loose pass, slotting in Diallo, who made sure of the points as he calmly lifted the ball over Siegrist and into the net.
The fact Benji is still in very good form gives me a lot of confidence and positivity TAM COURTS BELIEVES THAT UNITED’S EURO SPOT IS IN SAFE HANDS