Rangers 3-1 Dundee: Three things we learned

By Alexander Cruickshanks

Rangers defeated Dundee 3-1 on a wet Saturday afternoon despite being down to 10 men for the whole second half. Let’s take a look at what stood out:

Abdallah Sima celebrates his 9th league goal (Image:Getty Images)

Rangers’ resilience

Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes was sent off at the end of the first half after a VAR check deemed his challenge on Dundee striker Amadou Bakayoko was dangerous. Rabbi Matondo and Todd Cantwell made way for Ross McCausland and Dujon Sterling at half-time and it was clear the second half would be about defending the lead.

Philippe Clement making his feelings known to Kevin Clancy (Image:Getty Images)

Dundee showed their intent, taking advantage of the extra man pinning Rangers in and achieving 65% possession. They pressed high, nearly forcing Jack Butland into some crucial mistakes and giving the Rangers supporters some nail-biting moments. However, Rangers defended well limiting Dundee to five shots, with one of them being on target. Rangers themselves had eight shots and probably should have added to their three-goal tally. They showed superb defensive resilience and played for each other and the supporters.

Rangers’ midfield crisis

With Cifuentes seeing red, he will be suspended for the Viaplay League Cup final which leaves Philippe Clement in a difficult position when choosing the midfield. The injury list is long with Ryan Jack, Tom Lawrence and Nicolas Raskin all on the treatment table. Kieran Dowell seems to be out of the picture and with Cifuentes now suspended, that leaves John Lundstram as the only recognised central midfielder for the final. Clement made an interesting change at the half with Dujon Sterling filling in for Cifuentes playing in a two with Lundstram and gave a good account of himself. With his pace and power, he caused real problems for Dundee in an attacking sense, hitting the post after a powerful run.

Dujon Sterling filling in, in the Rangers midfield (Image:Getty Images)

Sound on the ball and brilliant defensively, Sterling made a real case for himself to play in the final next Sunday.

Dundee didn’t back down

Although the result wasn’t what Tony Docherty would have wanted for his side, he can be proud that his team played in his style and didn’t back down. They started extremely well with a shot that was denied by an unworldly save from Butland. They scored from the resulting corner, with Bakayoko giving them the lead. They remained true to their high-pressure, attacking style the whole game.

Joe Shaughnessy blocks effort from Cyriel Dessers (ImageGetty Images)

Most smaller teams park the bus and play long balls, but Dundee put together some good moves and played some good football. Despite the defeat, they showed why they are a competitive side this season.