The nature of the draw against Hibs made singling out one player as man of the match pretty difficult. Almost every player made as many mistakes as they did moments of good quality. Despite this, there were a few candidates on the day.
Jason Holt would have potentially been my choice were it not for his daft red card late in the game. Being on a booking and making that decision was stupid, and he’ll be frustrated by that. In the first 20 minutes or so, he also looked as if he was lost in midfield. Unable to make any sort of impact, it was a concern. After setting up the first goal for Tavernier, he seemed to completely reverse that. He was winning tackles, finding good passes, and got a goal at a vital team to put Rangers in the lead. His shot which deflected into the net via Windass came from some good play in midfield. Had he not been sent off, I believe Rangers would have went on to win the match.
Jordan Rossiter only lasted just over 60 minutes, but that was enough to make a huge impact on the match. When the rest of the team looked scared and unable to compete, he was winning tackles and demanding the ball. His goal was excellently taken, a mix of desire and composure. When the game got physical, he stood up to that as well. There were genuine concerns about him starting the match from a sharpness and injury viewpoint. When he got clattered by Scott Allan, you were worried his match was over. Instead he got up, ran off the knock, and continued to play well. This match will do him a power of good going forward if he can stay fit.
Man of the match for me, though, was Jamie Murphy. He directly assisted the goals for Rossiter and Holt. The first of those came from a great pass into the run of the midfielder, a real moment of quality in a crazy match. He was unlucky not to score with a header in the second half, and had other chances as well. Every time he picked the ball up to run at the Hibs defence, they had to foul him to stop him.
In recent matches, Murphy has started on the left, but moved into a central area and impressed more. His ability to turn in either direction with the same level of confidence is difficult for defenders to deal with. He’s also good at beating players in a tight area of the pitch. It may be that he’ll be used as a number 10 as such next season and beyond.
Do you agree that Murphy was man of the match? Tweet us @abouttherangers with your opinions!
