Rangers 2-0 Dundee United: Malik Tillman double downs bottom club
- Published
Malik Tillman netted the opener to break United's resistance shortly before half-time
Rangers manager Michael Beale is "positive" about the prospects of keeping Malik Tillman beyond summer after the on-loan midfielder delivered another reminder of his talents in victory over Dundee United.
Tillman netted either side of half-time at Ibrox to secure Rangers' 10th straight Scottish Premiership win and trim the gap to six points on leaders Celtic, who face Ross County on Sunday.
Rangers are in talks with Bayern Munich to activate the clause for a permanent deal for the 20-year-old.
Tillman, who has netted 12 for Rangers this season, says he is "enjoying my football and will "see what happens in the summer" regarding his future.
Beale has "never felt" the player does not want to be at Ibrox next term, adding: "There is an option there that we can take but the player has a say too and so does the club that he is at.
"It is not a part of the negotiations I am involved in but I am fully up to speed with it. There were more talks over the international break as well.
"Everything at the moment is positive. Me and Malik have a fantastic relationship and I think he really enjoys playing here."
Goalkeeper Allan McGregor crowned his 500th Rangers appearance with a clean sheet and was seldom troubled by bottom club United whose winless league run now extends to 11 matches.
Jim Goodwin's side remain two points adrift of County, while third-bottom Kilmarnock now have a six-point cushion over United after beating Hearts.
Beale had called on Rangers to deliver a marquee home performance and show more ruthlessness after noting the best displays of his tenure have all come away, where his side are afforded more space.
Had Rangers made more of their glut of second-half chances, this could have been the showing he craved.
United did a commendable job of frustrating Rangers for much of the opening half, and even showed glimpses of menace at the other end.
Peter Pawlett burrowed his way clear on goal, but elected to pass rather than shoot and succeeded only in hitting a defender. The lively winger limped off with a hamstring tweak a few minutes later, summing up his injury-ravaged recent fortunes.
Craig Sibbald also had the home fans restless with a swerving strike that missed the postage stamp by inches, but Tillman brought calm to Ibrox by finishing off a well-crafted opener.
Todd Cantwell, off balance on the edge of the United box, brilliantly diverted Connor Goldson's pass into Tillman's path and he drilled past Mark Birighitti.
Ryan Kent rattled the bar from distance but the second goal was not long in coming as United States international Tillman rifled a shot straight through Scott McMann and Birighitti, who not for the first time this term should have done better.
The Australian partly redeemed himself with a number saves - the most eye-catching to deny James Tavernier - as Rangers failed to add to their lead amid opportunities for Tillman, Alfredo Morelos, Borna Barisic and Antonio Colak.
McGregor's exacting standards mean a concession on his landmark appearance will not have gone down well, and the 41-year-old ensured the clean sheet with a late stop from United substitute Mathew Cudjoe.
Player of the match - Malik Tillman
Creativity and cutting edge combined from Rangers' top performer. Tillman scored two of his four shots and his crossing and incisive passing also stood out
Rangers keep rolling as United keep score down - analysis
Rangers kept up their momentum for next week's trip to Celtic Park, which is effectively a last-ditch attempt to keep the title race alive.
Beale remains unbeaten in the league - with 13 wins from 14 - while Rangers' run of 10 straight victories is their best winning league run since January 2021.
They can't afford to be so profligate against Celtic, though, as the scoreline didn't fully reflect their superiority over United.
The Tannadice men will be relieved to get this one out of the way and focus on more winnable fixtures in their survival battle.
While United made a promising start, they too often gave the ball straight back to Rangers and Steven Fletcher couldn't make it stick up front.
Once the goals went in, it became a damage limitation job and United gamely kept the score down. The positivity Goodwin has instilled in his early reign won't be chipped away by this defeat and it's now eight games left to try to preserve their Premiership status.
What they said
Rangers manager Michael Beale: "Delighted with the result. The performance in moments was really good, I just wish we'd scored more goals when the chances came.
"That's a mixture of good goalkeeping and being slightly unlucky. After two weeks off I saw what I needed to see from my team today."
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "Extremely disappointed to lose. The players put a lot into it and we didn't lose through lack of effort or commitment, but we lacked that little bit of quality you need when you turn over possession.
"We didn't put enough passes together at key moments and weren't ruthless enough with the few opportunities that did come our way."
What's next?
Rangers head across Glasgow to face Old Firm rivals Celtic in a top-of-the-table Premiership showdown next Saturday (12:30 BST), while Dundee United host Hibernian the following day (12:00).
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