Rangers player ratings vs Celtic: Anonymous 2/10 winter signing sparks real concern in fatal Scottish Cup exit
How we rated the Rangers starting XI and subs in their Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat against Celtic at Ibrox
Rangers exited the Scottish Cup at the quarter-final stage after losing 4-2 on penalties to Celtic at Ibrox in a game marred by ugly scenes involving both sets of fans at full-time.
Danny Rohl’s side were the superior team over the course of 120 minutes against a depleted Hoops outfit who defended for their lives, but the Light Blues failed to make the breakthrough and instead had to suffer the agony of shoot-out heartbreak.
Captain James Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama both missed from 12 yards in sudden death, with Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland unable to keep out any of Celtic’s four efforts to leave Rangers now facing up to the possibility of ending the season without a trophy.
The ramifications of a defeat heading into this cup tie were huge for the losing side. A trip to Hampden was on the line and on this occasion, there had to be a winner after last week’s nail-biting 2-2 Premiership draw at the same venue.
Light Blues boss Rohl made two big changes to his starting line-up with Wolves loanee Nasser Djiga favoured over John Souttar in central defence and Mohamed Diomande given the nod over Tochi Chukwuani in midfield.
The pressure was firmly on the German’s shoulders to deliver a positive result. He discussed in his pre-match press conference about ending the importance of ending the campaign with silverware locked away. So it was essential they came out on top.
And while they largely dominated proceedings throughout an absorbing - if poor quality - contest, Rangers came up short once again on the big stage to ensure all their focus is now on the title race.
The hosts only had themselves to blame. For long spells, they had Celtic firmly on the ropes but failed to capitalise on a series of chances as their fierce rivals stood firm to earn an unlikely victory. Youssef Chermiti, in particular, was extremely wasteful in the final third on several occasions.
Both sides had a goal ruled out by VAR inside the 90 minutes, with Daizen Maeda’s diving header disallowed for a narrow offside call before Emmanuel Fernandez saw his close-range effort chalked off for handball in extra-time.
The headlines, however, will focus on the aftermath as ugly scenes spilled over onto the pitch and broke out between both sets of supporters.
For Rangers, this was a hugely damaging result and leaves them back at square one. All the good work carried out by Rohl and his players to sort out the mess created during the first-half of the season under previous boss Russell Martin appears to be disappearing down the drain.
They must now focus all their time and efforts into their faltering league title bid and finish the season unbeaten if they are to have any chance of catching leaders Hearts at the summit.
Here’s how we rated the Rangers players:
GK: Jack Butland - 5/10
Quiet start to the match. Almost closed down by Maeda as he attempted a clearance. Fortunate that Maeda’s diving header which crept past him was ruled out for offside. Unable to keep out any of Celtic’s penalty kicks in the shoot-out.
RB: Dujon Sterling - 7/10
Impressive display. Got plenty of joy down the right flank. Clattered by Scales which earned the stand-in Celtic captain a yellow card. Excellent cross led to Chermiti’s chance late in first-half. Booked for wiping out Maeda right in front of the Celtic dugout. Defended strongly when tested. Subbed.
RCB: Nasser Djiga - 7/10
Big call from Rohl to include the Wolves loanee, but it paid off. Strong defensively. Headed Skov Olsen’s cross late in the first half over the bar. Blocked Fernandez’ goal-bound header, but did well to last the full 90 given his lack of game time of late. Can be pleased with his contribution. Subbed.
LCB: Emmanuel Fernandez - 7/10
Rose highest to meet Moore’s corner early in the second half but goal-bound header was blocked by team-mate Djiga. Showed his threat in Celtic’s penalty area at set piece opportunities. Extra-time goal was chalked off by VAR for handball.
LB: Tuur Rommens - 7/10
Got forward to great effect in the first-half. Enjoyed a good tussle with Araujo. Picked up a needless second half booking for pulling down McCowan. Worked his socks off and showed up well again. Subbed.
CM: Nico Raskin - 6/10
Dictated the midfield battle again first-half, outworking those in green and white. Got across his marker well from a second half corner which almost resulted in a goal. Led by example.
CM: Mohamed Diomande - 5/10
Picked up an early booking for catching Araujo and left walking a tightrope thereafter. Helped Raskin to dominate the middle of the park in the first 45 mins. Subbed at half-time.
CAM: Andreas Skov Olsen - 2/10
For a second successive derby, the Danish winger didn’t have any real impact.
CAM: Mikey Moore - 8/10
Saw two follow-up attempts from Chermiti’s first-half effort blocked amid a period of sustained pressure. Escaped a caution after sliding in on Nygren. Posed a serious set-piece threat and a constant source of energy. Emptied the tank as the second half wore on. Subbed.
CF: Ryan Naderi - 5/10
More required from the big money January signing. Almost found himself clean through on goal midway through the first half but was outmuscled under pressure. Didn’t see enough from him. Outstanding tackle to rob Araujo off possession as Celtic looked to counter. Weak penalty converted in sudden death.
CF: Youssef Chermiti - 4/10
A frustrating day in front of goal. Early sighting of goal after space opened up for him, but slipped and fired off target. Had a strong penalty claim waved away minutes later. Shot blocked from Rommens’ cut-back. Breathed a sigh of relief after losing Maeda for Celtic’s disallowed goal. Deft touch from Sterling’s cross flashed narrowly over the top. Decision making at times let him down. Flapped at a glorious extra-time chance from close range when unmarked in the box then failed to hit the target from Tavernier’s low delivery.
SUB: Tochi Chukwuani - 6/10
Perhaps unfortunate to be dropped in the first place after showing up well last weekend. Replaced Diomande at half-time and brought great composure. Hooked a long-range shot on the turn over the crossbar. Late chance on the counter required a last-ditch block from Murray.
SUB: Djeidi Gassama - 3/10
Brought on for the ineffective Skov Olsen. Offered a more direct threat, albeit not on the flank where he poses a greater threat. Late effort well blocked at the end of the 90. Blazed his spot-kick over in the shoot-out.
SUB: Nedim Bajrami - 6/10
Introduced for a tiring Moore with 15 mins left of regulation time. Sparked a late counter-attack that almost led to a goal. Superb clipped pass set up Chermiti’s extra-time chance. Dipping extra-time shot straight down the throat of Sinisalo. Converted his his spot-kick.
SUB: James Tavernier - 4/10
The captain came on for the start of extra-time, replacing Sterling. Sent a few inviting crosses into the box, most notably for Chermiti who steered wide. Missed his penalty in sudden death.
SUB: Jayden Meghoma - 3/10
Introduced for Rommens towards end of first period of extra-time. Didn’t do a great deal of note.
SUB: John Souttar - 3/10
Replaced Djiga for the second half of extra-time. Busy in the closing stages, making a couple of vital blocks.