Well have last Laff
KYLE BAGS A BRACE AS BLUES BATTLE BACK TWICE BUT WELL SHOW THEIR STEEL TO SAVE POINT RANGERS P17-18
ONLY time will tell whether Rangers have enough about them to win the war in the Premiership this season. This was a battle they should have won, though.
Steven Gerrard would have known exactly what to expect on his first trip to Fir Park following the controversial comments of Motherwell captain Peter Hartley in midweek.
If Rangers were going to emerge victorious, they would have to stand up and be counted. To a man, they rose to the challenge but the three points they coveted were snatched away in the final seconds. The script was seemingly written for Hartley.
Twice behind to goals from Danny Johnson and Carl McHugh, Rangers continued to prove the differences between the team last term and the one that Gerrard is building. In adversity, the Gers didn’t crumble, but there was still late heartache.
Two goals from Kyle Lafferty got the Gers back into it, while Ovie Ejaria’s first for the club looked like being the decisive one. In the end, it wasn’t enough.
Like at Aberdeen on the opening day of the campaign, the damage was done late on for Rangers and the points dropped will hurt Gerrard. There were positives to be taken, however, and the same traits will be required in Russia and Glasgow as they attempt to reach the Europa League group stages and prove themselves on derby day.
The changes – both tactical and in terms of the personnel – that Gerrard made looked to have been made with the key showdowns against Ufa and Celtic to come this week.
The switch to a 3-5-2 formation saw Jon Flanagan move from full-back to centre-back as he joined Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic, with James Tavernier and Borna Barisic stationed on the flanks.
There was no place for Scott Arfield in the middle of the park but Lafferty was handed his first start since returning to Ibrox as he partnered Alfredo Morelos up front. It was a risk from Gerrard to change the style but his side still looked more than strong enough to get the job done. So it proved.
It is their defensive resolve that has been the foundation upon which Rangers have built this term. In their 10 competitive fixtures before this one, they had yet to fall behind.
That run was gone just two minutes in, though. A long ball from Chris Cadden looked harmless enough but Goldson made an uncharacteristic mistake as he slipped on the slick surface and allowed Johnson in.
Keeper Allan McGregor also lost his footing and could not recover in time, leaving the striker with the simple task of knocking the ball into an empty net. Gerrard was in new territory.
He would have been pleased with the reaction of his side as Lafferty came close with a header from a Tavernier cross and Katic nodded a Barisic corner straight at Trevor Carson.
Motherwell were not content merely to preserve what they had but
‘‘ Like at Aberdeen on the opening day, the damage was done late
they lost their advantage just seconds after Curtis Main had almost doubled it after another mistake from Goldson.
There was a touch of good fortune about Rangers’ equaliser but Gerrard would have felt his side deserved it after rallying from their early setback. For Lafferty (left), it was a moment to savour as he netted his first goal for his boyhood heroes since April 2012.
Hartley could only half clear a teasing cross from Barisic and Lafferty steadied himself before unleashing a sweetly struck volley. The shot hit Richard Tait and Carson was beaten.
Lafferty sprinted towards the Gers fans in the main stand and slid on the pitch that had caused Rangers so many issues in the opening
stages. Rangers were back in it.
Having done the hard work, Gerrard’s side had to consolidate as well as go in search of a second but they found themselves behind before they had a chance to go in front.
It was another long ball that proved to be their undoing as Gael Bigirimana’s free-kick evaded everyone in blue. At the back post, McHugh