The spirit in the Rangers camp must be sky-high following an emphatic 2-0 Europa League win against Malmo FF. But they had little time to recover ahead of hosting Hibernian this afternoon at Ibrox. Philippe Clement made a few changes in the starting XI from their midweek triumph, yet they grabbed an edgy 1-0 win, thanks to Tom Lawrence’s stellar strike and Jack Butland’s saved penalty in the first half.
Below are the Rangers players rated in their 1-0 win against Hibernian.
Jack Butland: 8.5
Stopped a crucial spot-kick to deny Mykola Kukharevy moments before the half-time break. The Englishman grabbed his fourth successive clean sheet since conceding three goals against Celtic before the international break.
James Tavernier: 7.5
Did better defensively with timely tackles, no-nonsense clearances and key recoveries. Also, he played his part high up the pitch with overlapping runs, crosses and cut-insides.
John Souttar: 7.5
Was unfortunate to concede a penalty for a handball late in the first half. But the centre-half was otherwise calm and composed while defending the narrow lead.
Robin Propper: 8
Another resilient performance from the Dutch centre-half alongside Souttar. Dominated the duels and exhibited great ball-playing traits. Had a header off-target in the closing minutes of the contest.
Jefte: 8.5
Relentless down the left with his pacy runs, dribbles and crosses. Created several chances high up the pitch, also, performed his defensive duties with key tackles, duels and interceptions.
Connor Barron: 7.5
Another top-notch performance from the young midfield ace who marshalled the backline expertly, carried the ball forward from the deep and distributed across the pitch by mixing his passes and box-to-box movements.
Nicolas Raskin: 7
A rare start for the Belgian who is working on regaining fitness after long injury layoffs. Had his moments deep down the midfield before making way for Kieran Dowell at half-time.
Vaclav Cerny: 6.5
Mixed performance from the Czech winger who had a few successful dribbles and link-ups from the right. But he should have offered more creativity in and around the box before making way for Dujon Sterling midway through the second half.
Tom Lawrence: 8
Picked up McCausland’s pass and sent a perfect curling effort into the top corner by cutting inside. Got dispossessed a few times but he made the most crucial contribution before being replaced by Neraysho Kasanwirjo in the closing minutes.
Ross McCausland: 7.5
An impressive show against Malmo earned him a starting status down the left-hand flank. Registered an assist by setting it up for Lawrence. The gaffer took him off at the break and replaced him with Nedmi Bajrami to avoid injury woes.
Hamza Igamane: 7
Was handed a surprise start as a ‘number 9’ in place of Cyriel Dessers. Came close to find the net on one occasion but was eventually replaced by the Nigerian hitman minutes before the hour mark.
Rangers Subs vs Hibernian
Nedim Bajrami: 7.5
Lively down the left as he created chances and offered directness in the attacking third.
Kieran Dowell: 6.5
Was rusty at times with his tackles, but his technical traits helped the Gers dominate the midfield game.
Cyriel Dessers: 6.5
His close-range header was denied by Josef Bursik in Hibs goal.
Dujon Sterling: 6.5
Injected pace, power and a high work ethic to defend the lead late in the outing.
