Rangers

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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For the first half an hour, it looked like it might be another long away day for the travelling Rangers support.

They've drawn their last three on the road and hadn't won away since early December when they beat Ross County in Dingwall.

After an energy and morale-sapping loss to Manchester United on Thursday, they started slowly. Passes were wayward, there was little to no threat, and the hosts had them under real pressure from any set piece.

Diomande's goal breathed new life into them. Hamza Igamane looked more confident, nutmegging defenders at will, and his teammates started to address the physical challenge of United.

However, it wasn't until the 86th minute that they wrapped up the points with Dessers' sublime finish - a strike that suggests the Nigerian international is back to best as he followed up a brilliant goal in the Europea League.

Clement might not be completely enamoured with the performance then, and he'll be even angrier with Nick Walsh's decision to send off Diomande which looked incredibly harsh.

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Hamza Igamane. He proved to be the difference in the second half, tearing United's tiring defence apart with his mazy runs and trickery when one-on-one.

Cyriel Dessers was also impressive. He now has 18 goals for the season now and when he plays on instinct, he can be lethal.

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Dundee United remain without Craig Sibbald (groin) while Ross Docherty is rated "touch and go".

Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande returns from suspension while Leon Balogun, Connor Barron and Vaclav Cerny will be assessed after coming off at Old Trafford.

Ianis Hagi, Rabbi Matondo, Clinton Nsiala and Danilo are not part of Rangers' European squad but are available again, albeit the Brazilian striker has been injured. Dujon Sterling, John Souttar (groin) and Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee), remain out.

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Philippe Clement is hopeful Rangers can eliminate individual errors and end their poor away form when they visit Tannadice on Sunday.

The Ibrox club have won just three of their 11 Scottish Premiership matches away from home this season and trail league leaders Celtic by 13 points.

In Wednesday night's Europa League clash at Old Trafford, Cyriel Dessers thought he'd rescued a Europa League point for Rangers before Bruno Fernandes ensured victory for Manchester United with a late goal, and Clement says his side must tighten up.

"The main thing this season is that in several games we made individual mistakes and because of that, we had to chase games," the Belgian manager told Sky Sports.

"And that's been our major problem.

"In the beginning of the season, in the first months, we had also a lot of new players, and they had to understand all the principles.

"They had to find this cohesion on the field, to do the right things at the right moment together.

"You see that better and better with the whole squad, even if players have to play different positions.

"So that's better, but the last few away games where we lost points, it was majorly because we were dominating games but we made individual mistakes so we need to take that one out."

West Ham and Villarreal have been keeping a close eye on Vaclav Cerny at Ibrox and would be prepared to outbid Rangers for the on-loan Wolfsburg winger in the summer. (Football Insider), external

Aberdeen have joined Rangers in the race to snap up Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron, with the 22-year-old out of contract this summer. (Daily Mail), external

Nikola Katic is still considering his future at FC Zurich, with Swiss sources talking up a possible return to Rangers for the central defender, (Daily Express, print edition)

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

• Just 28% of Rangers' points in the Scottish Premiership this season have been earned away (13/47), a league-low ratio. Conversely, Dundee United have only picked up 49% of their points at home (18/37), with only St Johnstone (47%) having a lower such share.

• Dundee United are winless in eight league meetings with Rangers (D2 L6) since a 1-0 win in August 2021.

• Rangers have won their past two league visits to Tannadice without conceding; not since April 1978 have they won three such visits in a row while keeping a clean sheet each time.

• Rangers are winless in four away league games (D3 L1), last going longer without winning on their travels within a single league campaign in April 2017 (five).

• Vaclav Cerny's goals have been worth 10 points to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership this season, the most of any player for any side. The Czech international has also created a league-high 56 chances in the competition in 2024-25.

Rangers captain James Tavernier says he "can't fault" Jack Butland's performance against Manchester United, despite the former England goalkeeper scoring a calamitous own goal.

Philippe Clement's side held United until the 52nd minute when Butland punched a corner into his own net for the opener in Rangers' 2-1 defeat.

"I couldn't really see it, he told us it came off his glove as he's tried to punch it," Tavernier said.

"I can't fault him. It's a box full of tall lads, especially in their team, so they take full advantage of Jack coming for the ball, trying to help the team out.

"He's kept us in the game a lot of times, so I can't fault him."

Butland made a few fine saves, blocking a stinging close-range effort from Amad Diallo and a powerful header from Manuel Ugarte.

Rangers looked to have rescued a point with Cyriel Dessers' superb strike in the 88th minute, but Bruno Fernandes pounced for a stoppage-time United winner.

"In a split second, we lose a little bit of concentration, concede, and that is the level of the opposition we're playing - world-class players that can punish you if switch off," Tavernier said.

"These games come down to chance and how clinical you are in the 18-yard box. Ridvan [Yilmaz], Hamza [Igamane] had great chances, Nico [Raskin] had a great chance. They are the small differences. At this level you have to take them."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers defender Robin Propper praised his side's "great mentality" after they nearly snatched a precious Europa League point at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

Despite three key players going off injured and others having to play out of position in Philippe Clement's makeshift backline, it took a stoppage-time winner from Bruno Fernandes to defeat Rangers, who are now guaranteed a play-off spot.

Dutch defender Propper was quick to highlight teenagers Bailey Rice and Findlay Curtis, who both came off the bench in the second half.

"It's amazing how the young guys came in," Propper said. "We did it together with great mentality. A lot of position switching, young guys coming in to these kind of games, that's really good to see.

"It's disappointing we have a lot of injuries and that we have to do that but they did great. In the end, we made it really hard for Man United to win this game."

Leon Balogun, Connor Barron and Vaclav Cerny all came off injured, adding to a casualty list that already includes John Souttar and Neraysho Kasanwirjo.

Rangers finished with a left-back Ridvan Yilmaz playing right-back and captain James Tavernier moving to centre-half, beside Propper.

"You see with his quality and with his experience, he can play everywhere I think," Propper said of Tavernier.

"He's already managed to go to right winger from right full-back and then to central defender so he can play there, he has a lot of experience."

We asked for your views on Rangers' 2-1 defeat against Manchester United in the Europa League.

Here's what some of you said:

Peter: What an enigma Jack Butland is, great vital save when needed, then bang, crazy. I felt we did a good job up to then, we defended well. I felt sorry for Cyriel Dessers, I thought he'd salvaged something for us. You could see him welling up.

Brian C: Credible performance against an average Manchester United team. Bruno Fernandes the only quality player on the pitch. Butland always has a mistake in him - very suspect on crosses - he costs us dearly time and again.

Steven: Gutted. Thought we deserved the draw to be fair. Soft decision to not let United's first goal stand, but to be fair to Robin Propper, this behaviour is seen every week in every league. Butland kept us in it despite his howler and Dessers' goal was so well taken. Concentration for 90 minutes is the message now.

Brian R: Rangers may not have leave Old Trafford with the points but they did leave with respect. Manchester United got their points by two bad mistakes by our defence, that was the difference between them and us. Rangers are losing too many star players covering defensive positions and that's showing in their performances.

Steve: Proud of the performance of a weakened team. I never expected anything from Old Trafford, but scoring so late, it was devastating to lose a point. Worse that we handed it to the millionaires with two errors. Still very proud of the team and optimistic with the young talent we have.

Joseph: Rangers battled well and deserved a draw after Dessers' magnificent equaliser. Good to see a few academy players get a chance even if it was due to injuries. In the past we would have expected a heavy defeat at Old Trafford but we have improved when we are disappointed to lose 2-1 by conceding a late goal.

Manager Philippe Clement says he is "very proud" of his Rangers team after an injury-time strike condemned them to Europa League defeat at Man United.

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• Manchester United have scored four goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Besiktaş (5) and PAOK (5) have scored more in the Europa League this season.

• Rangers have scored in all seven games in the Europa League this season, their longest stretch of matches with a goal in the competition since a run of eight from 21 October 2021 to 17 March 2022.

• Manchester United scored a 90th-minute winning goal for the eighth time in major European competition, more often than any other English side (Arsenal and Chelsea – seven each).

• James Tavernier has assisted two goals in the Europa League this season (one in this game), no Rangers player has more.

• Cyriel Dessers scored Rangers' first competitive goal against Manchester United with their 49th shot against the Red Devils in major European competition.

• In Bailey Rice (18y 11d) and Findlay Curtis (18y 114d), two players aged 18 or under appeared in the same game for Rangers in major European competition for the first time since November 2009, when Danny Wilson and John Fleck played for against Stuttgart in the Champions League.

Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo's proposed loan move to Coventry City has broken down after the clubs were unable to agree on the bonuses involved as part of the deal for the 24-year-old Wales international. (Sky Sports), external

Atletico Madrid are keen on striking a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva in the summer transfer window with the Portuguese starring on loan to Las Palmas following a disappointing spell last season with Rangers. (TeamTalk), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Rangers' fans were still celebrating what they thought was a famous draw after Cyriel Dessers had brilliantly levelled United's opener with an 88th-minute drive into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

But Fernandes cut those celebrations short when he got on the end of Lisandro Martinez's angled cross to the far post and drove a first-time shot through Jack Butland's legs.

From his seat in the directors' box, legendary United boss and former Rangers striker Sir Alex Ferguson could only shake his head in wonderment at the drama of it all.

At least the ending meant the game was not known purely for Butland's terrible own goal, when he came to clear Christian Eriksen's 52nd-minute corner and succeeded only in punching the ball into his own net.

United's character shone through just four days after head coach Ruben Amorim had stated his side were "maybe the worst team in Manchester United history".

For Rangers, it was a cruel way to extend a run in which Philippe Clement's side have not won away from Ibrox since 8 December.

They drop into the play-off places in 13th and need to beat Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on home soil next week and hope other results go their way to gain automatic passage into the last 16.

Rangers fans, were you in Manchester or following the action from home? Have your say on the game, external.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "Everybody is disappointed that we lost after playing that kind of game so I am also.

"You want to win, you want to take the points that you deserve. I'm also very proud of what the team did today, following the tactics all the way, two changes at half-time, putting players in different positions. There were so many circumstances but the team stayed compact, I think in the first half we had the best chances to take the lead.

"We didn't stop believing in the second half even when we went behind, so it's really disappointing to concede the second goal. There's lots of positives in this young group, giving everything for the colours of this club.

"For the youngsters to come on this stage and be brave, a lot of congratulations to them and also the staff who have prepared them over the last weeks, months years. To come on the pitch and not be afraid, feel they are helped, secured, coached by the others - it's a massive experience for them.

"To get into the top eight we need to win again Union Saint-Gilloise and get luck in other results. To get in top 24, which was the ambition, we are very close but we are not there yet.

"It is about doing the things we have to do for this club and that is being ambitious."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Given no Scottish side had ever won at Old Trafford, and Rangers had not scored in their two previous visits, their noisy following did not seem too downhearted at the outcome as they were held in the stadium on safety grounds long after the final whistle.

They are all too aware of the huge gulf in finances that exists between the Premier League and Scotland's Old Firm.

Rangers did give a very positive account of themselves though.

In addition to Nicolas Raskin's early opportunity Cyriel Dessers hit the post late on, although TV replays showed the Nigerian may have just been offside.

Hamza Igamane worked tirelessly up front and created the opportunity Jefte drilled straight at Altay Bayindir and 18-year-old Findlay Curtis also tested United's goalkeeper.

But when James Tavernier launched a long ball over the home defence and Dessers outmanoeuvered Harry Maguire and finished brilliantly, it looked certain Rangers had given their supporters a brilliant story to nurse them on their journey back to Glasgow.

Sadly for them, Fernandes had other ideas.

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Former Rangers winger Jamie Murphy says Philippe Clement's side have the chance to "put their name on the world stage" against Man United.

The Ibrox club are at Old Trafford for a massive Europa League clash against the ailing English giants on Thursday night.

"It's special," Murphy told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"There will be boys in that team more excited about this game than any other, particularly the boys from down in England.

"But they're a worldwide club, Manchester United, so to be able to go to Old Trafford and play, they'll just be hoping they perform.

"Are they going to come out with a win? I think it'll be very difficult with the players that they have missing. But it's a chance for them to go and put their name on the world stage."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Why is Rangers captain James Tavernier extra determined to win at Old Trafford?

"It would definitely be special, especially being a Leeds fan playing against Man Utd," said Tavernier.

"I've got a lot of friends and family coming here but everyone's sorted [for tickets]."

The right-back is relishing the Europa League trip to the Theatre of Dreams, where his only previous appearance was as a Newcastle United youngster in 2012.

"It was in the Capital One Cup and I lost – so I'd like to come here and get a good win. I'm really excited," Tavernier said.

"The only thing I remember was that Wayne Rooney was in centre midfield and was running the show.

"I was young and it was obviously a little bit daunting coming to Man United. I'm well experienced now so you sort of block a lot more noise out and just focus on the game.

"I know everyone in the team has that in them because they mostly all been involved in big games."

Rangers are well placed to qualify for the Europa League knockout stage and Tavernier feels their good form in that competition has helped them through domestic difficulties.

"We've lacked consistency this season but I feel that in Europe we've handled ourselves really well," he added.

"This competition has always been good for us, rising to big challenges. Obviously, what United have done lately in conceding early, we're just going to stick to our gameplan and try to get right in their faces, try to get after them."