Strikers duo defy conditions as Rangers move to within a point of Celtic
If Rangers are to finally end Celtic’s dominance of the Scottish Premiership, they’ll need to grind out victories in the harshest circumstances. Few will come more gruesome than this, but that was just the weather conditions.
Battered by torrential rain and howling winds, Rangers moved back to within one point of their title rivals with a 4-0 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox, thanks to a brace from Kevin Kelsy (29, 61) and strikes from Ryan Naderi (61) and Tochi Chukwuani (88).
Prior to last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Dundee, seven successive wins in all competitions had amplified belief that this was a different Rangers' to what had come before. Having succumbed to an unfancied Jablonec side in the Conference League qualifiers in August, they responded with gritty victories at difficult venues such as Aberdeen and Falkirk, before quickly morphing into one that swept aside Celtic - twice - with minimal fuss.
While their back-to-back wins over Celtic felt somewhat symbolic, Rangers have become accustomed to false dawns. A failure to break ‘Pressley-ball’ in last weekend’s draw away with Dundee saw their mentality put under the microscope once again. Momentum halted, and scars from previous failures reopened.
Coupled with Celtic’s 7-1 win against Hearts the following day, the result was something of a reality check. The Glasgow pendulum doesn’t take too long to swing, and Rangers players knew the response would prove whether it was simply a blip, rather than a return to ghosts of seasons past.
While they entered the game as strong favourites, an impressive start to the campaign by newly promoted St Johnstone led them to be a much tougher proposition than many would have imagined in pre-season.
In an attempt to return to winning ways, McInnes reverted to a front two of Kelsy and Naderi. The latter had contributed to five goals in his last six league games, but wasn’t quite as impactful when handed a lone striker role in last weekend’s draw in the City of Discovery. Djeidi Gassama was the unlucky man to miss out, with Min-su Kim shifting out to the left flank.
The home’s side intent clear from the off as Badredine Bouanani threatened early on with a left-footed attempt that deflected round the post. They really should have taken the lead in the opening quarter of the game when neat play between Min-su and Bouanani saw the Algerian run through on goal, but he somehow squeezed his shot wide of the St Johnstone goal. A speculative effort from Kelsy was then spilled by youngster Toby Steward as the pressure built.
A misplaced goal kick from Ivor Pandur saw the goalkeeper come in for some harsh words from sections of a nervous home just before the half-hour mark, but they need not have worried, with Rangers taking a deserved lead seconds later. Excellent play between the Min-su and Naderi saw the latter feed Kelsy, who blasted into an empty net for his third goal of the season.
Min-su, the lively South Korean, almost doubled the lead seconds later, only for his long-range effort to bounce off the outside of the post, while Kelsy threatened to add to his tally just before the break, only for Stewart to halt the celebrations with a strong save at close range as Rangers continued to dominate.
If the first 45 was largely one way traffic, St Johnstone’s response after the break ensured it was a vastly different story early in second period. Jamie Gullan was the first to send warning signs, with his goal-bound shot deflected wide by Dujon Sterling. Defender Enes Alic’s ambitious 30-yard effort in the proceeding minute then forced Pander into a smart save as the Perthshire outfit started to get on top.
However, just as torrential rain began to whip around Ibrox like a tornado, the visitors were made to pay for their missed chances when Min-su’s shot could only be palmed into the oncoming Naderi, who tapped home from two yards out. Kelsy then made sure of the win when he became the first Rangers striker since Jermain Defoe in 2019 to score four goals in his first five appearances.
And things went from bad to worse for Valakari’s side when midfielder Kai Fotheringham was given a straight red card 15 minutes from time after VAR ruled that his high tackle on Nico Raskin was grounds for dismissal before Chukwuani added to the scoreline.
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