Although Rangers failed to grab results in recent weeks, the Gers broke the Old Firm derby hoodoo after almost seven years when they knocked down Celtic, their famous counterparts, on Saturday afternoon. The outcome at Ibrox reignites the fierce rivalry between these two Scottish giants in spite of the Hoops’ sheer supremacy in the past decade.
Ryan Jack’s maiden Gers goal brought the Bears back in the title hunt, but their long-term success is mostly relying on the fitness of Ryan Kent, the Liverpool loanee, who influenced the derby banking on a stellar show from the left flank.
The 22-year-old winger missed out almost two months of football through an injury layoff but returned to action in Scotland’s most gruesome encounter. Kent took little time to find his feet and terrorised the Bhoys’ backline with his pace, mazy runs and cut insides. Veteran Mikael Lustig, in particular, was utterly outclassed by the Three Lions youngster who exhibited great composure and maturity while setting up the solitary goal of the game for the Scotsman.
Kent has found the net three times and has assisted twice in 12 Premiership appearances. The numbers, however, do not reflect his real impact on the pitch as he has evolved into a workhorse under Steven Gerrard. The Rangers boss must do everything to tie down the prodigy on a permanent deal once the loan stint gets completed at the end of the ongoing term.
The player is enjoying his spell in Glasgow and has already expressed his desire (as reported by Daily Record) to settle in beyond the next summer. Also, it is highly unlikely for Kent to break into Liverpool’s star-studded first-team ahead of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Xherdan Shaqiri and even youngster Harry Wilson, who is making significant strides at Derby County under Frank Lampard’s tutelage.
Teenager Glenn Middleton enjoyed some productive game time in Kent’s absence, so did Eros Grezda – the Albanian wide attacker who seems to have overcome a difficult start in the aftermath of a summer deadline transfer from Croatian outfit Osijek. Yet the presence of the Liverpool starlet enhanced their quality as well as creativity high up the pitch which, in turn, helped the Light Blues dominate the game despite being a newly-assembled lineup compared to the reigning champions.
Kent, now aware of the demands of Scottish football, must bring on more consistency to his game week in week out to pitch in with Alfredo Morelos in the attacking third. Rangers have often struggled to convert their chances that led to some disappointing results. However, the return of Ryan Kent must have reduced Gerrard’s anxiety and enhanced the odds of the Gers winning silverware this season.
