Meek Rangers stunned by Palazuelos

Scottish Premier
Rangers 2

* Lafferty 9,
* Ferguson 45

Hearts 2

* Karipidis 64,
* Palazuelos 67

* Patrick Glenn
* The Observer, Sunday 22 March 2009

Rangers lost a two-goal lead, two points and possibly the SPL ­championship on a day when their inability to handle a poor Hearts side confirmed the season-long impression that they have neither the class nor the stamina for the long haul.

Having appeared likely to win comfortably with goals from Kyle Lafferty and Barry Ferguson, Rangers succumbed with unseemly meekness to strikes by Christos Karipidis and Ruben Palazuelos. It was a shocking manner in which to concede the points that could allow Celtic to increase their lead to five when they face Dundee United at ­Tannadice this afternoon.

As early as it was, the opener from ­Lafferty after nine minutes had seemed inevitable, as Rangers looked ­unusually comfortable against a team who appeared not to have heard that the home side were supposed to have been left vulnerable because of their makeshift defence. That was to change for one astonishing burst of retaliation in the second half, enough to give the home fans further cause to direct deep hostility at their team.

The suspension of David Weir and injuries to Madjid Bougherra and Kirk Broadfoot denied manager Walter Smith three regulars, and meant that the ­central gap had to be filled by Lee McCulloch, a converted midfielder, and the veteran Christian Dailly. For much of the time, they were rarely tested by visitors who too readily and too frequently ceded possession by passing to opponents long before they reached the vicinity of Allan McGregor in the home goal.

It was from such looseness, indeed, that the goal was scored. David Obua seemed to have an aberration when he sent the ball from wide on the left straight across the field to DaMarcus Beasley. The little American simply slid it into the path of Lafferty, coming in from the right, to allow the Northern Ireland striker to hit the low drive into the far corner of Jamie MacDonald's net.

Rangers were done no favours by the injury to Lafferty, which caused his replacement by Nacho Novo in the 36th minute, as the tall forward had looked likely to bring alarm to the Hearts defence whenever the opportunity arose.

But the Tynecastle side's frailties were exposed in first-half injury-time when Pedro Mendes, having received a clearance on the right from his own corner kick, rolled it to Ferguson, and the captain, utterly isolated 15 yards out, hit a low left-foot drive past MacDonald.

The half-time response to the ­second goal by the Hearts manager, Csaba ­Laszlo, was to bring off midfielder Deividas Cesnauskas and switch to 4-4-2, with substitute Calum Elliot lining up beside Christian Nade in attack. But it was clear that no amount of tactical tinkering was going to change his team's fortunes as long as his players continued to pass the ball as poorly as they had from the start.

The change in their circumstances, therefore, was so sudden and so improbable that the home crowd was dumbfounded. Unsurprisingly, the goal that halved the deficit came from a set piece. Bruno Aguiar's corner from the left was headed across the six-yard box to ­Karipidis, and his header clearly crossed the line before Beasley kicked it clear.

Astonishingly, it was the first proper test of McCulloch and Dailly by outfield play that brought the equaliser three minutes later. Obua's long cross from the right was missed by both of the makeshift central defenders, allowing Elliot to head the ball across to Palazuelos. From the edge of the penalty area, the Spanish midfielder struck his left-foot volley on the turn, the ball hurtling low to the left of McGregor.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer