If Rangers had continued their first half display against Motherwell on Saturday, there would be no need for a man of the match article. Every single player struggled to make an impact in that first 45 minutes, and it was potentially the worst they’ve been all season. The turnaround in the second half, though, led to a couple of decent overall performances. In my opinion, two players were in line for man of the match for Rangers.
Jamie Murphy scored an excellent goal, and looked really good in the second half. He stretched the Motherwell defence, often finding space as both sides looked to win the match. His link up with Declan John and Josh Windass created a number of openings, and could have led to better reward. Even in the first half, he showed a little quality, unlike any other player for Rangers.
For his goal, the run is one we’ve seen numerous times from him. He has a real knack for beating players without doing very much. It looked like he’d taken one touch too many, but his shot was a strong one. It’s a difficult technique to keep the ball down on that type of run. To also find the bottom corner so accurately, through so many players, was very impressive.
Man of the match for me, though, and he just edged it over Murphy, was Alfredo Morelos. His first half display was one of frustration. After the third time of not getting a free-kick when he should have, he was booked for dissent. At that point, Rangers fans were worried he would be sent off. He didn’t change his style at all and was involved in a few fouls.
For the second half, his decision to do that was more than justified. He had more support up front, and that led to him pretty much bullying the Motherwell defence. He used his body excellently to hold the ball up. His link up play improved, as he had easier options to find. It was his strength, desire and composure which led to Murphy’s goal. He never really had many chances himself at a shot, and that led to a frustrating moment towards the end of the match, where he hit a poor shot when something across goal would have seemed to be the better choice. Despite that, on what was a day where frustration could have seem him sent off, he showed a level of maturity and an ability to affect the match even when not scoring.
Do you agree that Morelos was our best player on the day overall? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!