Rangers 1-1 Motherwell: Motherwell dent Gers' title hopes

Steelmen hand Celtic initiative in title race as Ibrox side's week goes from bad to worse

Motherwell 1

Porter 50

Rangers 1

Dailly 29

FOR Rangers, doomsday would appear to be nigh. Further life drained out of them yesterday, further misery heaped upon the disappointment and the mortification of their Manchester experience on Wednesday night.

The Rangers we saw here were a despairing crew, pushing forlornly at the end for a winner that would never come, that never really looked like coming despite caution being thrown to the wind.

Long ball followed long ball. Striker followed striker off the substitutes bench. Frustration piled on top of frustration and finally the whistle went and their whole sorry nightmare was halted.

This game turned on a few moments early in the second half when Rangers looked like going two goals clear one minute and then lost their one goal advantage the next.

With such unpredictability afoot maybe this remarkable SPL title race will twist again in the coming days. After all, it wasn't that long ago when this thing was considered done and dusted, the blue ribbons practically attached to the trophy. It wasn't that long ago either since the last few minutes of the last day of the season saw the world turn and Rangers declared champions. Things happen.

Rangers will attempt to console themselves with such talk while accepting the grim reality that their destiny is not in their hands any longer.

Craig Levein's Dundee United may have the last word in all of this when they host Celtic on Thursday night.

A draw or a home win there and it's Rangers' title as long as they do what needs to be done in their own games, against St Mirren on Monday and Aberdeen on judgment day.

A win for Celtic and Rangers need a goal-spree of fairly seismic proportions. Currently they trail their rivals by seven. It could yet come down to that. First things first, though: they need to give St Mirren a spanking on Monday. Carlos Cuellar is suspended for that one.

Here, it was a tale of woe for Rangers and a story of defiance from Motherwell. Rangers made five changes to the team that started the UEFA Cup final, Smith launching Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin and Nacho Novo into a three-man attack, and replacing Kevin Thomson (suspended) and Steven Davis with Christian Dailly and Charlie Adam in the midfield, but the longer it went on it was the Motherwell players, having suffered a volley of abuse from their manager at half-time, that stood out.

Rangers hoofed it high and long all day; Motherwell sought to get it down and pass it. Stephen Hughes was exceptional. Keith Lasley was not far behind. Defensively they were never stronger than when repelling Rangers at 1-1.

Even when Smith sent Jean-Claude Darcheville and Kris Boyd into the action they hardly had a chance between them.

It was frantic stuff. The tempo was set at fast forward from the first whistle and that is how it stayed. Rangers had the best of it in the first half, pinging crosses and corners into Graeme Smith's air space, knowing only too well that Motherwell are never more jumpy than when high balls are falling from the sky.

The visitors stuck steadfastly to that game-plan and eventually it paid off.

Novo and McCulloch had gone close before Dailly scored. The goal, when it came, was another of those Groundhog Day moments that must be driving Mark McGhee potty at this stage. It was the same old story, only the names that changed.

A few weeks back, when Celtic were presented with their victory by big defenders who appear to have a chronic aversion to crosses and corners, it was Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras that benefited.

This time it was Dailly. A long ball into the box by Kirk Broadfoot, a brainless dash from his goal by Smith and a simple nod into an empty net from the slightly stunned but hugely grateful Rangers player.

There were vastly conflicting moods in the dressing-rooms at the break. With his team in control, Smith would have been calm enough.

McGhee, meanwhile, was in a rage. His team responded to his message by almost falling two goals behind through an error every bit as slapstick as the one that saw Dailly put Rangers in front in the first place.

This time, Mark Reynolds was the culprit. Reynolds played well overall but when he was robbed of possession by Cousin, it looked like curtains for Motherwell. Cousin galloped on towards goal and only a smart block from Smith denied him.

These were the crucial moments for a few minutes later, Motherwell equalised. Out of the blue, they suckered Rangers.

The splendid Hughes began it all by swinging in a cross from wide on the right that landed on the head of David Clarkson. His header went across Neil Alexander and slapped off his left hand post and out. There would be no escape for Rangers, however.

Darren Smith put the ball straight back in the mixer, Brian McLean helped it on with a flick and Chris Porter stabbed it home. Now Rangers were in trouble. Adam sent a free-kick just wide and Smith saved from the same player soon after.

Midway through the half, Stephen Craigan, already on a yellow, fouled Cousin. It was another yellow. Or should have been. Play was waved on and to Walter Smith's credit he made little of this apparent injustice afterwards.

In their desperation for a goal, Rangers went from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 to 4-2-1-3. Nothing was working. High balls were gobbled up by Craigan and McLean and Reynolds and when it came in low they were equal to that too.

Long before the end Rangers ran out of ideas. They'll need to gather themselves quickly now. Five days ago they were dreaming of four trophies and of history.

They now have only a tentative hope of a treble. They will not be sorry to see the back of this horrendous week.