Dundee United 0 Rangers 2 – Sakala & Tillman strike as Michael Beale maintains undefeated start as Light Blues boss
FROM the finesse of a panel beater one minute.
To the finish of a world beater the next.
Fashion Sakala could barely put one foot in front of the other without falling over onto his backside in the first-half at Tannadice.
But soon the Rangers frontman was scoring one of the best goals you’ll see all season.
Controlling the ball with his right foot. Volleying it high into the net with his left foot with his second.
Sakala’s strike to fire the visitors ahead on Tayside showed just why Michael Beale believes in the effervescent little Zambian so much.
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It’s three goals he’s scored now since the new Ibrox boss took charge. With another two assists thrown in for good measure.
Sakala’s wonder strike paved the way for this victory before Malik Tillman made it 2-0 seconds later, while the Dundee United players were still scratching their heads at the first.
Who knows where Sakala fits into the bigger picture with new signings on their way.
You can’t help think he could be one of the men who makes way if bigger and better players are brought to the club in the coming weeks.
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But for now Sakala can’t give much more in a light blue jersey than he’s giving.
This was a well earned win for Rangers in a venue that’s not always been an easy one for them in recent years.
The first-half came and went with moments of quality few and far between.
It really wasn’t a great advert for Scottish football at all.
Maybe the pitch didn’t help.
If we’re looking to cut the players some slack the bobbly surface certainly didn’t do any of them any favours,
But that’s probably letting them off the hook.
For United it was all about being well organised defensively and getting the ball forward to striker Steven Fletcher at every opportunity.
At 35 the former Scotland star’s best days are behind him.
But the big man can still play alright and he more than justified his manager’s decision to pitch him straight back into the side after missing out last week through injury.
That would have been tough to take for Tony Watt, left out here despite his match-winner against Motherwell a week ago.
Another reason why his days at Tannadice appear to be numbered now.
But Fletcher’s ability to take the ball in and hold it up was vital to how United tried to go about things.
He wasn’t the one who had the home side’s best chance of the first-half, mind.
Maybe if it had done it may have resulted in a goal.
But as it was defender Liam Smith was the man who burst forward into a great position in 41 minutes only to drag his effort wide.
There was also a shout from the home support for a penalty midway through the half.
And it involved Connor Goldson, of all people.
Just like at Ibrox in last week’s Old Firm derby, the ball definitely struck the Rangers defender on the hand inside his own box.
And once again the referee wasn’t invited by VAR to have another look at it.
In all fairness, Goldson didn’t seem to know anything about it and had Steven McLean penalised Goldson it would have been incredibly harsh.
In terms of Rangers’ opportunities before the break, there weren’t many.
Sakala was bright and lively but his energy and enthusiasm was let down by some poor decision making at the vital moment.
Antonio Colak had their best effort early on but hit his shot straight at keeper Mark Birighitti.
Other than that it was a frustrating 45 minutes for the striker making his first appearance since Beale’s appointment as boss.
As his luck would have it, another calf injury saw him fail to reappear after the break.
Alfredo Morelos was stripped for action and thrown on with Beale wasting no time to make a relatively big call.
If nothing else, it showed his intent on being positive before it was too late.
Beale has to take huge credit for that.
Whatever he said at the break in last week’s clash with Celtic worked - and it did here too.
Rangers looked a completely different side in the second half.
Morelos wasn’t directly involved in the two Rangers goals at the start of the second-half.
But there was suddenly a more threatening look to the visitor’s line-up.
It was Sakala who grabbed the crucial opener and it was a real stunner.
Borna Barisic played a ball down the left channel which was touched into the frontman’s path by Ryan Jack.
Sakala still had plenty to do to beat the United keeper.
But after taking a great touch with his right foot to set himself up, he rifled home with his left without breaking stride.
It really was a sensational finish.
Fox had to hope his men would regroup instantly and keep themselves ion the game.
But one of the reasons United are down in the bottom half of the table has been their inability to do that.
It was bad enough for them to lose one goal so early in the second half.
To concede a second - within just two more minutes - was unforgivable.
This time a poor ball poor out from the back from Smith invited Rangers to attack.
And after Sakala had a shot blocked Tillman found himself in the right place at the right time to make it 2-0.
It was game over there and then.
The hundreds of Arabs who started streaming towards the exits at that moment knew there was no way back.
Rangers were able to relax after that.
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Beale was even able to give Kemar Roofe his first outing in three months off the bench.
By time up the away fans were in full voice to salute their team off the pitch as Beale’s unbeaten run continues.
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