Rangers’ winning streak hit a massive setback last weekend when they suffered a depressing defeat to age-old rivals Celtic FC in Ibrox’s Old Firm derby who came back twice from the behind and grabbed a second-half winner despite being down to ten men. Graeme Murty, the Gers boss, motivated his men to bounce back from the defeat and instigate another winning run defeating Saturday afternoon opponents’ Kilmarnock in order to clinch the runners-up spot. The game was tipped to be a close contest as the Light Blues were defeated by Killie in their previous meeting whereas the last Ibrox encounter ended all square. Rangers were determined to break the jinx and utilize the home advantage on this occasion to grab a win but the curse continues as the Gers suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against the ‘bogey’ Kilmarnock.
Below are the Rangers players rated and slated in their shocking against Kilmarnock FC.
Wes Foderingham: 5.5
The English custodian saved Youssouf Mulumbu’s shot but the rebound was converted by Cris Boyd who netted his 20th goal of the season which also proved to be the winner for Killie.
James Tavernier: 5
Did not have a comfortable outing as the right-back was bullied by Jordan Jones who outpaced him on occasions and whipped in crosses inside the box. Made some forward runs but lacked impact in the Gers attack.
Russell Martin: 5.5
Should have converted his header from yards away in the first-half which could have led the game to a different conclusion. Was unlucky as his effort hit the woodwork in the second half as Rangers came agonizingly close to equalize but could not.
Bruno Alves: 5.5
Used his experience to maintain the composure but lacked pace and struggled against young Jones as well as veteran Kris Boyd who troubled the Portuguese international with his timely runs and positioning.
Declan John: 5
Earned Wales call-up but could not celebrate the occasion with a victory due to a below-average display from the fullback. His runs were mostly purposeless thus failed to cause any harm or trouble the visitors defence.
Greg Docherty: 6
Had a promising start to the game with some strong runs from the midfield to operate in advanced areas, but faded away lately particularly after conceding in the second half when it mattered the most.
Sean Goss: 6.5
His range of passing and distributing traits was helping the Gers to dictate the game from the middle of the park. His delightful delivery inside the box was wasted by Russell Martin and the Gers did not have the same impact after the break following his half-time substitution with a suspected injury concern.
Daniel Candeias: 5.5
Signed a contract extension this week but failed to replicate his current form against their weekend opponents except for one or two moments of spark in the first-half. Was highly ineffective in the second-half and got replaced by veteran Kenny Miller late in the game.
Josh Windass: 5
A rare occasion when the Englishman failed to trouble the Killie defence despite an impressive start and got replaced by Alfredo Morelos around an hour mark due to his lack of activity inside the opponents’ box.
Jamie Murphy: 5
Murphy too was highly ineffective down the left-hand flank and despite opening up the Kilmarnock backline at times, his final delivery let him down throughout the afternoon.
Jason Cummings: 5.5
Earned a start ahead of Morelos following the latter’s shocking miss against the Hoops and forced Killie custodian Jamie MacDonald to make a decent stop midway in the first-half. Cummings, however, was largely isolated in the second half and could not offer much in the attack winning back possession by his own.
Substitutes
Jason Holt: 5
Came in place of Goss at half-time. Played plenty of passes in midfield most of which were back or sideways and lacked penetration.
Alfredo Morelos: 5
Danced past the visitors’ defence but saw his effort blocked by the same who maintained their defensive resilience throughout.
Kenny Miller: 5
The veteran forward replaced Candeias late in the game but could not alter the fate as Rangers’ disappointment against Kilmarnock continues.
