Rangers took a step closer to the Europa League group stages with a comfortable 2-0 win over Progres Niederkorn – and went a long way to banishing the ghost of defeat by the minnows two years ago.
The Gers made six changes to the side that lined up against St. Joseph’s a week ago as Gerrard continued to make full use of his squad.
Rangers were keen to open the scoring right from the first whistle and ha a number of chances to get the first goal but couldn’t quite find a way past the keeper.
It didn’t take long before they finally did though as Joe Aribo opened the scoring after 20 minutes with an exquisite finish to make the Gers’ dominance count.
The midfielder collected a pass from Scott Arfield before curling a low shot into the bottom corner.
It should have been two right on half-time when Sheyi Ojo’s strike was wrongly judged to have been offside.
The hosts enjoyed the overwhelming majority of the ball but struggled to get that second goal in the early stages of the second half with Arfield and Morelos both denied.
Ojo eventually hit the net after being denied earlier with another delightful finish from the edge of the area to send Ibrox into raptures.
Gerrard’s side still had the bit between their teeth and substitute Jordan Jones made an immediate impact when he won a penalty but Tavernier uncharacteristically hit the post.
The Gers kept pushing on in search of a third goal and Ryan Jack was next to have the ball in the net but, like Ojo, his strike was flagged by the assistant.
Progres were reduced to 10 men in the final few minutes when Tom Laterza was dismissed for picking up his second booking.
Despite going down to ten, the minnows somehow managed to keep the gap at two as the Gers failed to kill the game off completely.
Rangers will now be looking forward to travelling to Luxembourg next week and finishing the tie off and booking a trip to Denmark to face FC Midtjylland.
Here’s how Steven Gerrard’s side performed against Progres:
Allan McGregor – 7
Barely involved in the first 45 as the minnows failed to get out their own half for long spells. One big save late in the second half as he had a bit more to do but an easy night,
James Tavernier – 8
Captain worked hard down the right to create chances as Rangers kept trying their luck. Missed a second-half penalty as he hit the post from 12 yards as the Gers looked for a third goal.
Connor Goldson – 7
Could’ve stayed at home. Very little do and poses more of an attacking threat in these games than he’s needed defensively.
George Edmundson – 7
Surprise starter but impressed at the heart of defence on the odd occasion he was needed defensively. Looking to be a real bargain. Won’t play every week but appears to be a solid option to have.
Andy Halliday – 8
Ran himself into the ground. If Borna Barisic’s future is still up in the air then Halliday is a consistent deputy. Always puts in a power of work.
Ryan Jack – 7
Often does the stuff that goes unappreciated by fans and put in another hard-working shift against the minnows. He’s going to be a constant in Gerrard’s side this season. Saw a goal disallowed in the second half.
Steven Davis – 8
Veteran’s class shone through as he dictated the tempo for Gerrard’s side and sprayed passes around with ease.
Joe Aribo – 9
Fantastic strike to open to scoring and the midfielder looked really impressive again in midfield. The midfielder’s touch and intelligence are a class apart at times and he’s going to have Premier League clubs sniffing around in no time.
Scott Arfield – 7
First competitive start of the season and played in a more advanced role. Caused problems constantly for the Progres defence as he looked to exploit gaps. Replaced by Jordan Jones.
Sheyi Ojo – 8
Unfortunate to see a strike ruled out for offside before eventually getting his goal. On-loan Liverpool man put in another impressive performance and took his goal really well.
Alfredo Morelos – 7
Worked hard and will have been disappointed to have been denied at times as he looked to add to his four goals this season. Done lots of impressive work but couldn’t get the bit of luck needed. Replaced by Defoe for the final 15 minutes.
Substitutes: Jordan Jones (7), Greg Stewart (6), Jermain Defoe (6)
