Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has heaped praise on both Connor Goldson and Filip Helander following Sunday’s win over Livingston, as quoted by Rangers.co.uk.
The Gers triumphed 2-0 at the Tony Macaroni Arena courtesy of strikes from Joe Aribo and Alfredo Morelos.
It means Livi have failed to win any of their last five matches, but considering Celtic suffered a 2-0 defeat there last month, the significance of keeping a clean sheet shouldn’t be underestimated.
Lyndon Dykes wreaked havoc amongst the Hoops defence in October, but barely got a kick against the Gers.
Unsurprisingly, then, the performance of the defensive unit was highlighted by the manager.
“I thought the back four were magnificent,” said Gerrard, as quoted by Rangers.co.uk. “Borna – I mean, he is in some place and he needs to continue and come back in that place.”
“I thought the two centre-halves were so dominant on the floor, in the air and the midfield again were top, Glen Kamara, especially.”
Verdict
The reactions of supporters to Borna Barisic’s outstanding display have already been covered, but it’s important to recognise the contributions of Goldson and Helander.
This was the sixth game in a row that the two players have been partnered together at the back, and the Gers have conceded just twice in that time.
Goldson was superb against Porto on Thursday night and continued in the same vein today, while Helander was much improved compared to his previous outing in West Lothian back in September.
It didn’t look as though either player was troubled across the 90 minutes, but that’s a testament to how efficiently they defended.
Livi’s direct and physical approach which has brought them plenty of results over the last season and a bit, proved to be ineffective.
What’s more, both players were keen to initiate attacks for their side, with Goldson’s distribution showing further signs of improvement.
This settled back four keeps on producing for Steven Gerrard and long may it continue following the international break.
