Rangers win ahead of Old Firm clash

Dundee 0 Rangers 2

Rangers showed Dundee no mercy at Dens Park to move back within eight points of league leaders Celtic, who host the first Old Firm derby of 2004 next week.

The champions had been accused of ruthless off-field treatment to a club that is still threatened by extinction over the sale of Gavin Rae.

Rae, whom Dundee insist is worth twice Rangers’ latest offer of £125,000 (€178,000), took no part in game that was settled by first half goals from Nuno Capucho and Michael Ball.

It was a comfortable, rather than comprehensive, dismissal of a youthful home side, who now find themselves edging ever nearer to a relegation battle.

A nervous start on Dunfermline’s plastic pitch had conspicuously cost Rangers two weeks ago but this time they were full of early enterprise.

David Mackay’s alertness prevented Peter Lovenkrands from opening the scoring in the third minute after the Dane had made rapid progress from the left flank to reach the box via a one-two with the recalled Capucho.

The resulting shot past goalkeeper Julian Speroni was goal-bound but not pacy enough to prevent the young defender from hacking away before it could reach the line.

There was no such reprieve for the home side three minutes later when Chris Burke swung in a cross from the right for Capucho to head home unchallenged from six yards.

Dundee rallied swiftly though and captain Barry Smith operated a shoot on sight policy that forced three first half saves out of Stefan Klos in the Rangers goal, with the middle effort taxing the German the most.

Nacho Novo, a player heavily linked with a move to Ibrox, had been causing the Rangers back line, and Craig Moore in particular, problems with his pace.

Moore was back in the side for the first time since early November, when a hamstring problem had brought him to a halt, and had made a fine penalty box challenge on Smith when the ground had looked impossible to make up.

But Novo, who had received the ball near the halfway line, motored past him with ease to go one-on-one with Klos, who once again came off best.

Lovenkrands suffered the same fate on two occasions before half-time as he demonstrated his pace and Klos was required to make a near post save from Novo before Rangers doubled their lead in the 35th minute.

Mikel Arteta had been tripped 25 yards from goal but the usual set-piece expert left the free-kick to Ball.

It proved to be a good decision as his delivery ended up in the back of the net, possibly off the head of Lee Wilkie.

Wilkie is no stranger to calamity in games against Rangers, having conceded an own goal and two penalties the last time the two sides met at Dens Park but to credit him with this goal would be excessively harsh.

Dundee tried again for the instant response but although Lee Mair’s rasping drive at last had the beating of Klos it cannoned back off the goalkeeper’s left-hand post.

Lovenkrands rattled the same goal frame a couple of minutes after the restart after Arteta had sent him away down the left, with Speroni beaten at his near post.

The second half proved to be less incident packed than the first 45 minutes but that was to Rangers’ liking and with 23 minutes remaining Christian Nerlinger, who had also been out since early November, was brought on in place of Shota Arveladze.

Dundee threw on youngster Duncan McLean, who replaced Brent Sancho in midfield, at the same time.

Rookie striker Bobby Linn did get one close-range chance but could not hit the target on the turn from a tight angle and another period of pressure saw Garry Brady fire over, horribly wide and then against a defender.

Dundee threw men forward but while Rangers responded accordingly, Klos was by no means as busy as he had been before the break.

Speroni saved his side from a heavier defeat at the death with a fine point-blank save from Paolo Vanoli, who had come on for Lovenkrands.

It would have been a controversial strike as Capucho looked offside when Burke sent him through to set up the chance.