Sport

Penalties the difference as Dundee see red

Dundee Utd 0 Rangers 4: FOLLOWERS OF the Old Firm are about to discover the merits or otherwise of points on the board in relation…

EWAN MURRAY At Tannadice Park
Wed Apr 20 2011 - 01:00

Dundee Utd 0 Rangers 4:FOLLOWERS OF the Old Firm are about to discover the merits or otherwise of points on the board in relation to games in hand.

Rangers go into Sunday’s final Glasgow derby of the season four points clear of their oldest foes. Celtic have played two games fewer than Rangers, rendering it difficult to decipher who holds momentum ahead of the Ibrox encounter.

At Tannadice last night Rangers easily defeated eight-man and aggrieved Dundee United, the visitors scoring two out of three penalties awarded to them.

Earlier this month United recovered from being behind twice to beat Rangers 3-2 in Glasgow.

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Steven Naismith last night almost settled any Rangers trepidation early but was instead booked for hands before he slotted the ball into the net with 15 minutes played.

Naismith was again involved when Rangers took the lead. Mihael Kovacevic was adjudged to have fouled the striker as the pair looked to pounce on Dusan Pernis’ spillage of a Kyle Lafferty shot. While the penalty award looked legitimate, the red card issued to Kovacevic was less so.

Steven Whittaker sent Rangers in front from 12 yards.

The start of the second period followed the pattern set immediately after Kovacevic’s departure, with Rangers in the ascendancy. The lack of a second goal would have concerned the visitors.

Another penalty and another red card eased those worries. This time controversy arose because Sean Dillon’s foul on Nikica Jelavic took place outside rather than inside the box. Dillon headed for an early bath as Whittaker supplied a low finish.

Jelavic notched the third and there remained time for Whittaker to have his third chance from the spot, which he blazed wide; United’s Morgaro Gomis was harshly dismissed for the nudge on El Hadji Diouf.

Instead Lafferty made it four, with a shot from 19 yards.

DUNDEE UTD: Pernis, Kovacevic, Severin, Kenneth, Dillon, Swanson (Buaben 65), Scott Robertson, David Robertson (Douglas 24), Gomis, Goodwillie (van der Meulen 62), Russell. Subs not used: Banks, Conway, Daly, Shala. Booked: van der Meulen.

RANGERS: McGregor, Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Edu, Davis, Hutton (Diouf 34), Lafferty, Naismith (Fleck 62), Jelavic (Healy 79). Subs not used: Alexander, Foster, Kerkar, Wylde. Booked: Naismith, Hutton.

Referee: William Collum (Scotland).