Glasgow Times

SportTimes looks at the five things we learned from draw

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no answer to the energetic hounding from the visitors, but that gameplan unfortunat­ely had to be abandoned as the red cards came out.

Even still, the early success of the tactic in the game will give Gerrard great encouragem­ent that what he is preaching in the little time he has had on the training ground thus far seems to be seeping into his players, and they seem to be moving and pressing as a cohesive unit. 5 These Rangers players will fight for the cause

Given the numerical disadvanta­ge that Rangers were fighting against for such a long period of the game, their resolve to scratch and fight their way to a draw and the promised land of the Europa League group stage was commendabl­e.

You just couldn’t have seen last season’s Rangers side coming through such a test without wilting, and they deserve great credit for standing up to what was a considerab­le task to begin with, and only got more difficult as the night went on.

Such willingnes­s to put their bodies on the line for the cause was admirable, with the relentless running and energy of Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack in particular hugely impressive.

Their character had been questioned a little following Motherwell’s late equaliser against them on Sunday, but they answered any doubts about their backbone in fine style here.

Their resilience will be tested to the hilt once more against Celtic this weekend, but Rangers supporters will now have a lot more faith in their men to handle the cauldron of Celtic Park than they might have had just a few days ago.

 ?? Pictures: SNS ?? Rangers from booking a place in the Europa League, much to the delight of their players and support
Pictures: SNS Rangers from booking a place in the Europa League, much to the delight of their players and support

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