Nothing quite beats a last-gasp winner, particularly when the performance doesn’t necessarily merit all three points.
Rangers’ 3-2 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie certainly falls into that category but the strength of character within the squad was evident for all to see as Michael Beale maintained his 100 percent start to life as manager.
Despite the three points, the Ibrox boss admits improvements are needed. Speaking afterwards Beale said: “Delighted with the result. 10 out of 10 for character and mentality. In the end, probably five out of ten for performance.”
It’s hard to argue with Beale’s assessment and if we take a closer look at the StatsBomb data we can get an accurate picture of how the match unfolded.
Although the match stats tell us Rangers deserved to win with their cumulative xG of 2.15 bettering that of the Dons’ 0.66, the graphic below shows it wasn’t until Aberdeen took the lead and Beale made a quadruple sub that they began to pepper the hosts’ goal.
Very little was created in the final third between Fashion Sakala’s opener to Scott Arfield’s volley that was saved by Kelle Roos on 76 minutes.
Sakala’s initial strike was tame but he was afforded a second bite at the cherry and his left-footed effort made its way into the back of the net. That being said, the Post-Shot xG of 0.32 tells us it wasn’t the greatest of hits and if you’re an Aberdeen supporter you’ll be disappointed at the defending.
The Aberdeen equaliser was a poor goal to lose as far as Rangers are concerned. From Sakala’s loose pass to James Sands’ clumsy challenge and Allan McGregor’s positioning for Duk’s free kick.
The Rangers No.1 has come in for some criticism for both goals and if we analyse them in closer detail it’s understandable to see why.
Prior to Duk striking the ball, the xG measured 0.08 which tells us it’s a very difficult chance. When the Cape Verde man sent his effort curling into the corner, the Post-Shot xG measured at just 0.10. This indicates it was more of a mistake from a Rangers point of view rather than a well-taken strike.
The second Aberdeen goal from Leighton Clarkson was a better hit than that of Duk with a Post Shot xG rating of 0.70. That being said, as we can see with McGregor’s positioning it’s not an effort that is nestled into the corner so could the 40-year-old have done better?
The introduction of Scott Arfield was pivotal for Rangers. He saw two efforts saved by Roos before eventually levelling matters when he showed great striking instinct to latch onto a Roos parry from a Ryan Kent shot to slot home.
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The eventual winner wasn’t the cleanest of hits but the Post Shot xG of 0.98 from an initial xG of 0.22 tells you as soon as the ball left Arfield’s boot it was a certain goal.
Despite the jubilant scenes, it was a far from convincing Rangers display. A look at the Pass Network highlights that.
There was little goal threat in the first half with Sakala often isolated up top. In the second half, Malik Tillman offered Rangers more in a creative sense with Connor Goldson and James Tavernier more involved but it tells us this was a team that lacked cohesion in attack and it’s an area that Beale and his coaching staff will be aiming to improve.
All in all, it may turn out to be a vital three points on the road but that will only be the case if lessons are learned and improvements are made starting in Dingwall on Friday night.
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