Rangers Edge Past Motherwell Thanks to Naderi's Goal
Ryan Naderi pounced on a calamitous defensive error to fire Rangers past Motherwell and up to second in the Scottish Premiership – on a day when Derek McInnes lost his captain but found a match-winner.
The Rangers manager, serving the second game of a touchline ban, watched from the Ibrox stands as his afternoon threatened to unravel almost before it had begun. Lawrence Shankland, the focal point of his attack and the man in form, pulled up off the ball and hobbled out of the game inside nine minutes.
The mood turned quickly.
Naderi punishes Paulsen’s rush of blood
Shankland’s replacement, Naderi, needed barely three minutes to change the narrative.
Motherwell’s centre-backs twice failed to get proper control of the ball and, under pressure, nudged it back to goalkeeper Alex Paulsen. Instead of clearing his lines, Paulsen tried to dribble past the onrushing forward on the edge of his area. It was a disastrous choice.
Naderi read it, nicked the ball cleanly, and walked it into an empty net. He will struggle to find an easier finish all season, but Rangers will not care. One chance, one goal, 1-0.
From there, McInnes’ side set about tightening their grip on the contest, even as Motherwell kept finding small pockets of hope.
Pandur stands tall as Motherwell threaten
For all the focus on the goalkeeping blunder at one end, Ivor Pandur quietly put together a decisive display at the other.
First, Regan Charles-Cook broke free and forced Pandur into a sharp stop, the Rangers goalkeeper reacting well to push the effort away. Then, after a slick Motherwell counter-attack, Alex Lowry drove a low strike towards the bottom corner. Pandur got down brilliantly to his right to claw it out.
Those saves kept Rangers in front while they tried to settle after Shankland’s departure and Naderi’s early strike.
Motherwell, though, still carved out the game’s biggest chance from open play.
Minsu Kim, who would spend much of the afternoon cursing his luck and his finishing, planted a free header straight at Pandur when he should have scored. Minutes later, Tom Sparrow clattered into Djeidi Gassama in the box as the winger attacked Dan Neil’s cross, and the referee pointed to the spot.
With Shankland off, the responsibility fell to Minsu. He dragged his penalty wide. Ibrox exhaled.
Missed chances all round
The pattern barely changed after the break. Rangers controlled territory and tempo, Motherwell clung on and occasionally threatened, and both sides wasted chances that should have killed or transformed the game.
Minsu again found himself in a scoring position, only to be denied by Paulsen, who stood up well to block. The rebound cannoned off the post and bounced to safety. It summed up the South Korean’s day: always involved, never clinical.
McInnes turned to his bench. Gassama and Minsu made way, with Daisuke Yokota introduced and Kevin Kelsy sent on for his Rangers debut.
The fresh legs almost brought the cushion the home side craved. Nico Raskin saw a goal-bound effort hacked off the line. Yokota then sliced horribly wide with the goal gaping, a miss that drew groans from the stands.
Kelsy had his moment too. Teed up in a promising position, the debutant leaned back and lashed his shot over the bar, passing up the chance to mark his first appearance with a goal and to spare Rangers a nervy finale.
Motherwell, for all their spirit, could not punish those lapses.
McInnes buoyed by depth, worried by Shankland
Afterwards, McInnes cut a conflicted figure: delighted with the performance, concerned by the sight of his captain limping off.
“It looks like a significant hamstring injury and it might be a recurrence of the one he had at Hearts last season,” he said. “He’s a bit down about things and he might be out for a while.”
The manager stressed the importance of the squad now stepping up.
“I think Shankland has benefitted from the extra attacking impetus we’ve had. He was in good form but it’s all about the squad and players now need to step up. Kelsy was good on his debut and Naderi got his goal; we’ve got quality to lean on.
“It was a very strong performance; it was more than the scoreline suggested. We restricted a very good Motherwell team. I’m just annoyed and a bit frustrated that we didn’t add to our lead.”
Johansson sees “potential” in defeat
On the opposite side, Alfred Johansson refused to hang Paulsen out to dry despite the error that decided the match.
“Congratulations to Rangers; they were the better team, they deserved the three points today,” the Motherwell boss admitted. “We didn’t play to our best today and they got the game they wanted. The game is there for us to do better, but we didn’t do it.
“Alex Paulsen is a great goalkeeper who has shown that again and again and again. He showed that today. The mistake isn’t even a point for me today.
“When I watch the video and when I show the video to my players they will see the potential. We are on a bad day creating a couple of chances, which could’ve made a big difference. Rangers will feel they should have at least two more and we stayed in the game so that’s a positive.”
Rangers walk away with three points, a clean sheet, and second place – but also a fresh worry over Shankland’s hamstring. If the injury proves as serious as McInnes fears, how long can they keep winning tight games like this without their main marksman?
