Eleven Heaven
SPFL SUNDAY GOAL FEST
EL BUFFALO started what turned out to be a second-half Sunday stampede for Rangers at struggling St Johnstone.
Alfredo Morelos cashed in on a mistake from Scott Tanser to put the Light Blues ahead before Connor Goldson and a late Jermain Defoe double saw off the winless Saints in Perth.
The Colombian’s 12th goal of the season was the turning point in this game as it broke down the stuffy resistance of Tommy Wright’s side and from that point Rangers never really looked back.
It keeps them on the tails of Celtic with five wins out of six.
The pleasing thing for Steven Gerrard is there appeared to be no ill-effects after Thursday’s Europa League win against Feyenoord with another victory tucked nicely away.
Saints boss Wright will bemoan the error that led to the first goal and the fact is his side got very little luck all day.
They had an effort cleared off the line at 2-0 and Rangers went up the park and made it three.
These games, however, won’t be where St Johnstone’s fate is decided.
They will be looking to get out of the bottom two with games against those in and around them coming up.
Wright made only one change from the hard-fought point at Aberdeen and that was enforced. Jason Holt couldn’t play against his parent club so David Wotherspoon took his midfield berth.
Gerrard also freshened his team up after a taxing week, both physically and mentally.
The club have had to deal with the death of Fernando Ricksen and then the emotional and energysapping exploits of Thursday’s Europa League win over Feyenoord.
Brandon Barker came in for his first start for Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo got the nod ahead of Glen Kamara. There was a minute’s silence for Ricksen before kick-off and it was followed by a second minute of applause for their former No. 2. The Saints’ game plan was to sit in, be hard to break down and then to hit on the break. It worked in the first half. Rangers dominated but found chances few and far between. They should have had the creativity with the guile of Steven Davis and Joe Aribo and the pace and creativity of Barker and Ojo down either flank but it just never fell into place until the second period.
A lot of credit for that must also go to Wright and his team who followed his game plan.
Borna Barisic had arguably his best game in a Rangers shirt in the win over the Dutch side.
The Croat was keen to keep it going and almost got on the scoresheet in the fourth minute with a curling free-kick that fell
the wrong side of Zander Clark’s right-hand post.
Aribo and Jack did unlock the Saints defence for Morelos to crack in a shot but his effort was turned behind by Clark.
Saints’ attacks were few and far between although they did go close in the 36th minute.
Stevie May, on the first home start of his second McDiarmid Park spell, challenged with Filip Helander for Clark’s clearance and it fell to Michael O’Halloran who was denied by a brave stop by the legs of Allan McGregor.
Wright would have been delighted with his team at the interval but two minutes after the re-start he was furious as Rangers cheaply took the lead.
Ali McCann’s weak shot on the edge of the box was blocked by Jack who then sent a long ball forward.
Scott Tanser was in total control of it but allowed Morelos to rob him too easily, go round him and smash the ball high past Clark.
Rangers felt they should have had a penalty when the ball came off Murray Davidson’s arm but ref Andrew Dallas wasn’t interested.
However, they doubled their advantage after Saints failed to clear from a corner and it came back to James Tavernier whose cross was powered towards goal by the head of Goldson and past the left hand of Clark.
Arfield came on for Barker and Rangers were centimetres away from scoring again.
Goldson went for a header and it dropped to Aribo who looped his own header over the keeper but it came back off the bar.
Saints looked out of it but thought they had scored a couple of minutes from the end.
Steven Davis made a fine block to deny sub Chris Kane and then Davidson thought he had scored in the follow-up but the Northern Irish midfielder got back to clear on the line again.
Rangers went straight up the park and scored again.
Arfield played it to Jack and he found Defoe, who had come on for Morelos, to slot into the corner.
The veteran Englishman then netted again in the final minute.
Aribo’s cross found him and he was able to turn the two central defenders – although he looked offside – and smashed a fierce shot into the bottom corner.