Rangers’ demoralising Champions League campaign continued with an Ibrox humbling at the hands of Liverpool and the club’s worst defeat for close to 70 years.
The Gers were resoundingly thumped 7-1 by the Anfield giants as the club’s first half resolve was broken by a mixture of a stirring Liverpool rally and a gutless Rangers collapse.
Regardless of the circumstances, there is no justification for any Rangers team ever losing by such a humiliating margin and the fact this is the club’s WORST EVER Euro result speaks volumes.
It’s also the club’s worst ever defeat at Ibrox.
Oh and it’s also the club’s heaviest defeat since Old Firm rivals Celtic beat the Gers by the same scoreline in the League Cup Final of 1957. No fewer than 65 years ago.
Rangers had started so brightly in the match, even going in front through Scott Arfield to break the club’s goalscoring duck in this season’s competition.
The midfielder showed superb composure to roll the ball past Alisson and into the far corner to have Ibrox erupting and the Rangers support starting to dream.
But after Robert Firmino’s equaliser just before half-time – the Brazilian outleaping a timid James Tavernier and Rangers conceding from yet another set play – Liverpool came out roaring in the second period.
Rangers blown away by Liverpool in Champions League hammering
Rangers were not helped by a terrible injury to centre-back vice-captain Connor Goldson, who has been a man mountain and near ever-present since signing in 2018.
Some suicidal defending and basic defensive errors were once again punished too but as the goals started flying in fingernails were becoming more frayed by the Liverpool attack.
The introduction of Mo Salah – who consequently went on to score the fastest hattrick in Champions League history (6:12) – was a devastating move and Rangers quickly threw in the towel. And not for the first time this season.
Roberto Firmino made it 2-1, Darwin Nunez 3, with Salah’s six-minute hattrick being topped off by Harvey Elliot. It’s all so painful to reflect on.
Now Rangers fans have been left embarrassed and reeling as those questions of mentality in the squad, tepidness in the tactics and negligence in the boardroom once again rear their often ugly heads.
How this team has gone from Europa League Finalists to Champions League Pot 4 fodder in a matter of months is miraculous and even without a point Rangers should’ve at the very least put up a fight.
It could yet get worse in this Champions League campaign – with two games left to play Rangers sit pointless with a GD of -15 with an ominous trip to Napoli looming large before the visit of Ajax.
If the Ibrox side don’t sort themselves out quickly, the Liverpool 7-1 won’t be the only Champions League record that’s broken this season.
Rangers are in the midst of their worst ever campaign at the top level tournament, but plenty are already wondering if by the end of the six-game run it might go down as the worst of any team in Champions League history.
Meanwhile, the worst could yet be to come from the devastating Rangers defeat to Liverpool.
