AS celebrations continued at Ibrox yesterday following Rangers’ progression to the Europa League final, supporters were treated to an entertaining and stress-free 90 minutes.
The hosts were entirely dominant in a 2-0 win over Dundee United. A pass completion of 88 percent was up from their league average of 83 and 787 passes well supersedes an average of 607. Ball retention was progressive and intentional; eventually providing the momentum to break through the visiting defence.
The xG total of 2.86 to 0.05 offers further evidence of their superiority. As the below trendline shows on the basis of chances yesterday, Giovanni van Bronckhrost’s side earn all three points 97 times out of 100.
The fluidity witnessed was surely helped by the inclusion of Steven Davis and Aaron Ramsey at No.8 from the start. Their combined game intelligence and technical ability facilitated snappy build-up play which forced United’s defence to shift from side to side.
James Tavernier and Borna Barisic were heavily involved and as a result, Scott Wright and Fashion Sakala could make inverted runs when opportunities presented themselves.
Amad Diallo and Fashion Sakala scored and earned a penalty after the interval, while Alex Lowry was impressive from the left. Davis propped up the midfield and Charlie McCann saw plenty of the ball next to him after arriving from the bench. Adam Devine took up aggressive positions while Leon King impressed in the centre and at left-back.
READ MORE: How Rangers' Giovanni van Bronckhorst became the 13th man with RB Leipzig solutions
Sakala topped the xGChain, closely followed by Tavernier and King. xGChain is a metric that attributes the value of the final shot to all players involved in the possession. Basically, it determines which players were most influential in the creation of chances.
The game’s shot map features little involvement beyond the penalty spot, given the visitors played so deep, space was limited.
Aside from either goal, Sakala’s 0.39xG chance after 30 minutes was the best opportunity of the game. He fired wide having run infield and turned inside the area.
Tam Courts’ men pulled the trigger three times from ambitious areas.
His side’s pressure map shows a compact shape that shuttled across the pitch; allowing possession on the outside, pressure was only applied down either flank.
Rangers held 72 percent of the ball and therefore, little can be learned from their pressure map.
Amad impressed from the bench, making three key passes and 29 carries.
King was strong in any duels he contested while also impressing on the ball, only misplacing six of 85 passes.
And while Lowry didn’t have as long as many would’ve hoped on the pitch, his attempted passes took a risk. He attempted to switch the ball and play vertically.
Van Bronckhorst admitted post-match that the hat-trick of three points, academy opportunities and squad rotation made yesterday’s victory a perfect day.
Yesterday's win retains vital momentum as the club focus on making history next Wednesday.
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