“A standout”, “out of his depth” – who were these in Rangers’ player ratings v Celtic

Following yet another bad result in an Old Firm, Ibrox Noise will try to put together some player ratings. See how many you agree with.

Allan McGregor:

Silly kick out at Ajer aside, a fantastic display from McGregor which stopped a potential rout. Not that the competition was strong but Rangers’ best player by a mile and made a lot of important stops and catches. 8

James Tavernier:

Didn’t make enough runs forward and when he did his (rare) crossing let him down – sat back too much as well and Tierney often had the beating him of him anyway. 5

Connor Goldson:

After a slightly shaky start he grew into the match and defended pretty well. Read the game impressively and had a number of good aerial clearances but we still can’t shake that feeling he’s not been quite the same player since Killie. 7

Nikola Katic:

Tough as an ox at the back and worked as hard as anyone. Even started getting forward as the game grew. Didn’t let anyone down. 7

Borna Barisic:

Inconsistent afternoon – some good crossing but some wild attempts, while occasional touch of defending was reasonable but wasn’t in the game enough to have any kind of real influence. 6

Ryan Jack:

A slightly inconspicuous match for Jack – didn’t get the foothold into the midfield the way he has previously, and if anything looked a bit tired. 6

Ovie Ejaria:

A few nice occasional touches but mostly gave the ball away and looked out of his depth. 4

Scott Arfield:

The best midfielder by a mile, Arfield was a class above his central team mates and his touch, use of the ball and work rate were to be admired, if not absolutely perfect. 7

Kyle Lafferty:

Tried hard, but absolutely nothing came off for him – supported Morelos best he could but it wasn’t his day. 6

Ryan Kent:

Surprisingly good display from this lad – had the beating of Lustig a few times and defended very well too. Worked like a dog and was a standout. 7

Alfredo Morelos:

We’re utterly frustrated by this kid. Often he shows hard work, good team play, and gets goals. Others, like today (and in Russia) he just doesn’t deliver on any level and while he doesn’t hide, he just doesn’t seem to be focused. In his defence he was a bit isolated which didn’t help, but this was a weak and uninspired display from Alf. 5

Steven Gerrard:

He’s done a lot right, but while Motherwell was his first blip, today was just a complete dud. The common feeling among fans is there appeared to be absolutely no gameplan – and it’s true – the players didn’t press, sat in deep, rarely went forward and the possession was completely non-existent. The formation up didn’t suit Lafferty, and we’re not even clear if it was 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 or what. His utter lack of changing shape at half time or making any substitutions was an indictment of his inexperience at this level and the appalling attacking options on the bench. 4

We’re not going to be too brutal on Gerrard. He’s still a rookie and he’s still learning. But anyone thinking the gap to Celtic had closed hugely only needed to watch today’s rather meagre offering.

There has been improvement, for sure. Getting to UEL group stage was colossal. But Rangers’ bread and butter is the SPL and at that level, incredible to say it, but we’re not doing anywhere well enough.

Much to ponder!