Manchester United vs Rangers – with progression in the UEFA Europa League on the line – always felt like the sort of game that would be decided by tight margins.
A Man United side with a baffling habit of following up one bold step forward – see those wins at Manchester City and Arsenal, the draw at Liverpool – with one calamitous stumble in the other direction.
Sunday’s 3-1 home hammering by Brighton and Hove Albion, for instance.
And a Rangers exit which, while trailing in Celtic’s wake domestically, have accumulated a pretty enviable collection of European scalps over the years.
As Cyriel Dessers drew Rangers level at Old Trafford with 88 minutes on the clock, a typically feverish visiting support – including some camped cheekily in the home end – would have dreamt of adding Man United to Porto, Feyenoord, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and co in another famous continental triumph.
In the end, the final say would go to United, and their captain marvel Bruno Fernandes.
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Jefte blamed as Manchester United strike late to beat Rangers
A gorgeous Lisandro Martinez pass, and an emphatic Fernandes finish.
Dessers left it until the brink of stoppage time as he embarrassed Harry Maguire before fizzing past Altay Bayindir, but that only laid the foundations for Fernandes to arrive fashionably late at the far post and break Rangers hearts four minutes later.
“When Dessers scores that goal, that’s dream stuff,” former Ibrox favourite Neil McCann sighs, speaking to BBC Sport. “For Rangers to go to Old Trafford and pick up such a valuable point…”
One point became none, however, as Fernandes stabbed past Jack Butland.
And while the Rangers goalkeeper will take his share of the blame – it was his bizarre own goal which gifted Man United the lead on the night – McCann cannot help but ask why in-form left-back Jefte picked the worst possible time to suffer a nasty case of footballing narcolepsy.
“All Jefte needs to do is be aware of the situation. He switches off,” McCann adds, Fernandes ghosting in behind to finish. “That is a sucker punch right at the death to rob Rangers of what would have been a brilliant point.”
Jefte ‘fell asleep’ but Rangers remain in Europa League contention
Alan Hutton, a full-back who graduated from the Gers academy, knows all too well the importance of checking your shoulder, tracking runs, and staying alert at these most decisive of moments.
“At this level, it’s small margins,” Hutton tells TNT Sports. “Defensively, you have to be switched on 100 per cent of the time. And, unfortunately, Rangers weren’t.
“Jefte fell asleep at the back post.”
After a fine run of performances – Gordon Dalziel rolled back on his early criticism of Jefte this month while labelling the £400,000 signing a ‘brilliant’ addition to Philippe Clement’s squad – this most untimely of slip-ups was a brutal reminder of how far the 21-year-old youngster still has to go.
Rangers remain well placed to secure qualification for the knockout stages, at least.
A top eight place is not out of the question yet, either, with a home clash with Union Saint Gilloise certainly a winnable one for a Gers side boasting a better goal difference than the likes of high-flying Anderlecht and FCSB.
