Rangers 1
Dundee Utd 4
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

United travelled to Glasgow to face Rangers having lost 19 of their previous 25 visits to Ibrox. Originally scheduled for December but postponed due to United’s participation in the League Cup Final, United made two changes from the weekends win over Partick, with Derek Stark and Paul Sturrock coming into the side with Frank Kopel and Willie Pettigrew dropping to the bench.

United got onto the front foot straight away in the cold, snowy conditions and had to good chances after only five minutes with keeper Jim Stewart twice denying the ever-dangerous Ralph Milne. Rangers only real threat in the opening stages was a strike from Ian Redford which was dealt with easily by McAlpine. United took a deserved lead in the 19th minute when Alex Miller was unable to clear a Ralph Milne cross and Billy Kirkwood made no mistake in firing home from 12 yards out. The away side continued to mount pressure on the Rangers goal and went close twice with Stewart pulling off good saves to deny Bannon and then Dodds. The aforementioned Dodds then had to be substituted after a dangerous challenge from Gregor Stevens, with Willie Pettigrew coming on. From the resulting free-kick United doubled their lead. Set-piece expert Eamonn Bannon fired low past the wall and into the back of the net. Pettigrew went close to notching a third only minutes later but his header from six yards went wide. Shortly before half time, Rangers pulled a goal back against the run of play: Colin McAdam getting on the end of punt up the field from Jim Bett to poke the ball past McAlpine to bring the home side right back into the game. Stevens was involved again just before the break, with a brutal challenge on Ralph Milne, and the United man had to be replaced by Frank Kopel.

United continued to dominate proceedings and on 58 minutes United scored a killer third goal. Paul Sturrock with an unstoppable run from inside his own half, danced through the Rangers defence before firing low past Stewart. Three minutes later Eamonn Bannon received the ball from Willie Pettigrew and fired into the net from the edge of the box – his second of the game and United’s fourth. Having already force two United players off injured, Stevens was finally red carded after a disgraceful foul on Sturrock which led to yet another player being carried off. As United had already used both substitutions, they were also forced to finish the game with 10 men. The Terrors continued to attack the Rangers goal and were unlucky not to score a fifth with Holt and Pettigrew both going close. In the end however the match finished 4-1 to United which reflected their total dominance of the game from start to finish.