Rangers won comfortably 4-0 against Ayr United in the League Cup to progress to the semi-final. The match at Ibrox could have been tricky due to Ayr’s good form and the changes made to the Rangers team. A strong attitude and good attacking play meant that wasn’t the case. Here is how the Rangers players rated on the night.
WES FODERINGHAM – 7
Foderingham made a good save in the first half and had to deal with a couple of crosses. After that, it was a very quiet night for him. He was composed on the ball whenever it was played back to him and found his passes well.
JON FLANAGAN – 7
Flanagan was solid at right back and had no real issues defensively. Going forward, there were times he looked almost uncomfortable on the ball, but he did put in a couple of great crosses. He was a little prone to poor passes throughout. Considering he was asked to play a different position from his last game and has been somewhat in and out of the team, he was comfortable.
NIKO KATIC – 8
Katic opened the scoring with a great header which settled any nerves Rangers started the match with. He was barely troubled defensively as Ayr struggled to hold the ball in advanced areas. Played on the right-hand side of the two centre-halves when he normally plays on the left.
JOE WORRALL – 7
Worrall, like Katic, was solid enough in defence without having to do an awful lot. There were a couple of headers he didn’t win but did ensure the second ball wasn’t a problem. Made some good runs when attacking set pieces and was unlucky not to be found with a few.
ANDY HALLIDAY – 8
Halliday set up both of Middleton’s goals with great passes. The first of those was a great ball over the top and the second a smart through ball. He was constantly looking to get forward and link up with the attackers. Halliday has been in good form this season and showed again that he’ll be vital to the squad during this busy period of matches.
GRAHAM DORRANS – 7
Dorrans made his first start of the season and played ok. He was good off the ball, pressing well and reading passes. On the ball, he was a little erratic, with a few passes going astray early in the match. Played within himself somewhat as he searches for match sharpness and confidence.
ROSS McCRORIE – 7
McCrorie followed up a strong performance against St Johnstone with a good display in this match. He defended well, often winning the ball cleanly when tracking back. The nature of the match meant that he was often just an easy outlet when play slowed down.
OVIE EJARIA – 9
Ejaria was clearly in the mood against Ayr. He constantly tried to beat players with skill and find dangerous passes. More than once, you were left wondering just how he managed to keep the ball in certain situations. A couple of those were unlucky not to lead to more. Off the ball, he was impressive, with his work rate meaning he won the ball back numerous times.
RYAN KENT – 8
Kent ran at Ayr every chance he got. The movement of the forward three has meant he has more of a free role now, and he used it to get involved constantly. He linked up well with Middleton and Morelos in the first half which led to some good chances. The ball in from the corner which opened the scoring was a great cross. He was unlucky not to score with a couple of strikes as well.
ALFREDO MORELOS – 7
Morelos started the game a little off the pace. His touches weren’t quite there, and moves would break down due to that. Once he settled, though, he gave the Ayr defence a difficult time. Substituted on 50 minutes after scoring the sort of goal you hope to see more of from him.
GLENN MIDDLETON – 9
Two cracking goals for Middleton only told part of the story of his performance. He was excellent throughout, both on and off the ball. His direct runs and crosses could have led to more goals with some luck. He looked comfortable in any of the three attacking roles. The touch and finish for this second goal belied his young age, and he looked every bit as comfortable as anyone else on the park.
EROS GREZDA – 5
Grezda replaced Morelos to get around 40 minutes of the match. He played well, linking up play often and offering a real threat on the counter-attack.
JORDAN ROSSITER – 4
Rossiter made his comeback to the first team and looked eager to impress. He won a couple of heavy challenges and drove forward as often as possible.
STEPHEN KELLY – 3
Kelly got around 20 minutes, and for the most part, the match was winding down by then.
How did you rate the players on the day? Tweet us @abouttherangers with your thoughts.
