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Steven Gerrard hailed Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor after he impressed in the club’s Europa League win over Dutch side Willem II on Thursday night.
The Gers dispatched their opponents 4-0 away from home in the Europa League third round qualifier and played some eye-catching football in a pivotal game of the season.
That means the Scottish giants face Galatasaray next in the final round of Europa League qualifiers at Ibrox and the winner will enter the group stages of the competition.
James Tavernier, Ryan Kent, Filip Helander and Connor Goldson were all on the scoresheet for Rangers in a match they flexed their attacking muscles.
But they did have to withstand a tough test defensively at times too, especially in the first-half when the hosts had plenty of chances on goal.
McGregor, 38, was recalled to the starting XI by the manager in place of regular number one Jon McLaughlin and the veteran goalkeeper earned his clean sheet after a busy performance.
The shot-stopper made a string of excellent saves in the European contest, including a crucial block near the end of the first-half.
Rangers boss Gerrard singled out the senior player for his latest display and admitted he’s not surprised by the level of performance.
“A lot of positives to take and again another top, top show from our goalkeeper. It’s no surprise, it’s the reason why I picked him,”
“I knew that at times against this team we would’ve maybe been in one-on-one situations, we would’ve needed him to make big stops. We certainly got that decision right, but Allan deserves the credit it was a superb showing.”
TBR’s View:
Rangers will now turn their attention to Sunday’s league trip to Motherwell and of course it’s vital they try win three points to keep themselves at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, albeit Celtic are just a point behind having played a game less.
But it’s hard to not start thinking about next Thursday’s European showdown with Galatasaray, as it’s a game that is going to shape the rest of the season.
They looked one of the toughest draws on paper that Rangers could face for the final Europa League qualifier and there is no doubt they will need to be on the top of their game to progress.
Despite the fact it could possibly help their league aspirations, it would be a huge letdown if Rangers weren’t playing European football for the remainder of the season.