Yesterday, due to the nature of the game, the Man of the Match award wasn’t even announced by the club. There weren’t many candidates unfortunately. The loss of Jack in the first half impacted upon the performance of the entire team. Let’s consider the only three I felt were realistic options.
Daniel Candeias yet again looked good for the 45 minutes he played. Set up the opening goal with his precise free-kick, and his crossing caused problems beyond that. Worked really hard, and was one of many Rangers players harshly booked by the referee. It was a shame he had to be sacrificed at halftime, as I feel he would have had a real influence on the whole game had we not went down to 10 men.
James Tavernier was unfortunate in the game with his own-goal. He worked really hard, especially in the second half when asked to do the job of two players. His goal was well taken, but his celebration muted. I suspect this was due to how the game had went, and his tiredness from all the running. We would have been very happy with his contribution in a match not as mired in controversy.
Man of the Match, however, goes to Alfredo Morelos. He worked hard for the entire time he was on the pitch, looking pretty tired before his 65th minute substitution. Opened the scoring with a header from some good movement, and caused the Hibs defence a lot of problems. His strength meant that they had to foul him a lot, but the poor refereeing meant we rarely got the fouls. Morelos was also very unlucky with a chance in the second half which would have brought the game to 2-2, a last-ditch block from a Hibs defender denying him the goal.
Morelos looks to have played his way into the team, and will hopefully start next week against Hearts. He has plenty to work on, as you’d expect from a 21 year old forward, but his all-round play is better than would have been expected by most. If he’s able to get a run of games, it seems he has a number of goals in him. He’s very good at finding space in the box to get shots away, and if he sharpens up his link up play he’ll be a very good signing.
Did anyone else deserve a shout for Man of the Match? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!