Dundee 3 (Murray 2, Shaughnessy 18, Tiffoney 62)
Rangers 4 (Shaughnessy 43og, Tavernier 75, Lawrence 81, Dessers 90)
Attendance 8,710
In a madhouse of an encounter at Dens Park on Saturday evening Rangers came from two goals down twice to edge out Dundee in a seven-goal thriller that will live long in the memory.
Barry Ferguson made just the one enforced change in the starting eleven from the win at Celtic Park before the International break with Hamza Igamane coming in for the injured Vaclav Cerny.
Rangers – wearing white tops, blue shorts and white socks – got off to the worst possible start, conceding the opening goal in the SECOND minute when from a Finlay Robertson corner Simon Murray’s volley found the net with the visitors’ defence statuesque.
It was yet another goal conceded from a dead ball situation – the latest of many in a truly appalling litany of defensive errors by the Ibrox men this season.
The corner had originally been conceded from a Rangers attack when a mix-up involving Ridvan Yilmaz and Nico Raskin enabled Dundee to counter-attack – and continuously throughout the opening forty minutes all too often the visitors’ attacks would founder with the final ball.
If the first goal had been the result of defensive frailties then the second was even worse as Jack Butland was found wanting – firstly from a Joe Shaughnessy header from a Ziyad Larkeche cross before fumbling Murray’s effort from the loose ball, enabling Shaughnessy to turn the loose ball home.
All too often in the first-half it was the Dens men who looked like adding to their lead as they hit on the counter-attack – but finally with the interval fast approaching Rangers stirred into action with Hamza Igamane seeing his 25-yard drive from a long ball from Butland on 41 minutes being turned wide by home ‘keeper Trevor Carson
The resultant James Tavernier corner saw Murray clear off the line from a Cyriel Dessers header but the deficit was finally reduced sixty seconds later when from a ‘Tav’ cross Shaughnessy sliced the ball into his own net.
Rangers were now piling forward in search of an equaliser before the break – and Dessers almost secured it when put through by Igamane only to see his low shot deflected wide by Carson’s foot, then with the last action of the half Dessers was again through only to see his effort blocked by the Northern Ireland International ‘keeper.
Having been outplayed for most of the first-half, remarkably Barry Ferguson’s men could and perhaps should have been level at the interval, but the Interim Manager clearly recognised that change was essential before play resumed – making a double substitution with Ianis Hagi and Bailey Rice introduced for Leon Balogun and Connor Barron as the defensive formation reverted to a back four.
Sixty seconds after the restart Igamane came close to levelling the scores with a twenty-yard drive from a Dessers lay-off that whistled inches wide.
It was far from one-way traffic however as in quick succession from Josh Mulligan crosses Murray headed wide before Scott Tiffoney sliced wide of the target.
Dessers finally had the ball in the net after rounding Carson from an Igamane through ball in the fiftieth minute. Referee David Dickinson awarded the goal but the intervention of VAR ruled yet another marginal offside decision.
There was no let-up in the action at both ends of the park – on the hour Seun Adewumi saw his shot strike the outside of a post from a Murray cutback.
Jefte had now come on for Yilmaz – and within two minutes he was skinned by Tiffoney as he raced clear on an Adewumi ball to make it 3-1.
Rangers were now right up against it – and an immediate change saw Danilo substitute for Igamane.
Within sixty seconds Dessers once again was inches wide with a left-foot volley from a Jefte cross as the Ibrox men sought a way back into the game and one final substitution in the 74th minute saw Tom Lawrence introduced for Mohamed Diomande.
Within two minutes the deficit was reduced when a superb James Tavernier 22-yard strike from a Danilo lay-off left Carson with not an earthly.
Rangers now scented blood – and a strong penalty claim was denied when Danilo was impeded by Dundee substitute Cesar Garza.
Nevertheless an equaliser appeared inevitable – and so it proved when another long-range strike, this time from Lawrence from a Raskin pass, found the back of the net from 25 yards on 81 minutes.
Dessers yet again was denied by the outstanding Carson four minutes later when his angled shot on the turn was diverted away by the ‘keeper.
At the other end of the park another outstanding performer for the Dark Blues was Simon Murray who had at times run the ‘Gers defence ragged – and as the game entered five minutes of additional time the forward broke through on a Mulligan ball before rifling in a shot that struck an upright.
Just when it appeared that an incredible game would end all square, a long ball from Tavernier saw Dessers seizing on an attempted headed clearance by Aaron Donnelly to flick the ball wide of Carson into the net.
In the remaining minutes there was still time for the ‘Gers centre to be denied twice more by the ‘keeper – but at the final whistle a truly bonkers game ended with Rangers merging somehow 4-3 winners as the ‘Gers fans in the Bob Shankly Stand celebrated long and loudly.
Dundee: Carson; McGhee, Shaughnessy, Donnelly, Larkeche; Adewumi, Mulligan, Sylla, Robertson (Garza 65), Tiffoney; Murray (Reilly 89)
Unused Subs: Sharp, Astley, McCracken, Ingram, Samuels, Koumetio, Lopez
Rangers: Butland; Sterling, Souttar, Balogun (Hagi 46); Tavernier, Barron (Rice 46), Raskin, Diomande (Lawrence 74), Yilmaz (Jefte 60); Igamane (Danilo 64), Dessers
Unused Subs: Propper, Bajrami, Kelly, Cortes
Referee: David Dickinson
By Robert McElroy
