Rangers 2-0 Dundee United

 By Clive Lindsay
BBC Scotland
 Highlights - Rangers 2-0 Dundee Utd

Rangers moved four points clear at the top of the table with an impressive win over Dundee United in Walter Smith's last Ibrox game as manager.

Nikica Jelavic headed home from 15 yards after a Steven Whittaker cross on 21 minutes in a fine Rangers start.

Kyle Lafferty, who had already struck a post, fired home after being set up by Steven Naismith four minutes later.

Stuart Armstrong sent a drive against a post late on for a United side who cannot now catch third-top Hearts.

Rangers survived some late nervousness to avoid a repeat of their recent 3-2 defeat at home to the Tannadice side.

And the reigning champions' win means Celtic must now avoid defeat by Hearts on Wednesday if they are to ensure the Scottish Premier League title race goes to the final round of matches on Sunday.

Rangers were unchanged as they looked to continue the form shown in the clinical 4-0 weekend win over Hearts as Smith resisted the temptation to introduce fit-again Scotland midfielder Lee McCulloch.

Jon Daly was dropped to the United bench despite scoring a hat-trick against Motherwell at the weekend, with midfielder David Robertson coming into a more defensive line-up in place of the striker.

If United boss Peter Houston had predicted that his side would have to endure early pressure, he was proved right as Rangers started with great speed and purpose.

United's Keith Watson was the first to threaten with a long-range drive that powered a couple of feet over, but the home side were soon on the offensive.

Naismith looked set to finish off a superb move in which he played successive one-two's before advancing into the penalty box, but team-mate Lafferty took the ball off the Scotland forward's toes and poked a weak shot wide.

Rangers squandered another good chance when Maurice Edu found the unmarked Jelavic with a fine cross, but the striker headed well wide from 14 yards.

Jelavic and Lafferty both scored in the first half at Ibrox

United were having to withstand wave after wave of Rangers attacks and were fortunate to remain on level terms when Lafferty curled an excellent drive off the inside of the far post from the edge of the penalty box.

Jelavic failed to capitalise after making space for himself to collect a clever Steven Davis pass, but the striker soon followed his dipping drive over the bar with the opening goal.

United defender Garry Kenneth was left flat-footed as Jelavic rose to loop a header into the far corner for his eighth goal in 11 games.

Rangers were relentless in the torment being inflicted on the United defence and, when Naismith rolled the ball into Lafferty's path after another incisive break, the Northern Ireland forward's low drive from the edge of the box flew low into the far corner.

United worked themselves into the game, but a deep Watson cross that Allan McGregor palmed away under pressure at the back post was as close as they came to threatening the Rangers goalkeeper.

Daly came on for fellow forward Johnny Russell at half-time, but it was Rangers who continued to be the more dangerous and Lafferty just failed to find a scoring touch on a Jelavic cross that flashed across the face of the United goal.

However, United were now enjoying more possession against a Rangers side who appeared to have already started to think about their final game of the season against Kilmarnock.

Smith's decision to replace young winger Gregg Wylde with experienced holding midfielder McCulloch suggested that the Rangers manager was also out to protect the lead.

Rangers continued to live dangerously and, after McGregor missed his attempt to gather a cross to the back post and Davis was forced to concede a corner, Scott Robertson's head flick forced the goalkeeper into a save.

A powerful Jelavic free-kick curled just over the United crossbar, but it was the visitors who were the more dangerous in the closing stages.

McGregor had to beat away a dipping Daly drive as the striker looked to capitalise on a Madjid Bougherra slip then fellow substitute Armstrong's shot struck the upright.

However, Rangers took the three points to signal tributes from the Ibrox stands for the veteran Smith, who will hand over the manager's chair to assistant Ally McCoist at the end of the season.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Scottish Premier

Final Result Full Time 90:00+2:35 The final whistle goes and the game is over. 89:41 El-Hadji Diouf takes the direct free kick. 89:41 Substitution Kyle Lafferty leaves the field to be replaced by Richard Foster. 89:41 Foul by Morgaro Gomis on Kyle Lafferty, free kick awarded. 89:11 The ball is crossed by Prince Buaben, clearance by Sasa Papac. 87:05 Shot on goal by Lee McCulloch from inside the box goes harmlessly over the target. 86:11 Steven Whittaker takes a shot. Save made by Dusan Pernis. 85:15 Substitution Nikica Jelavic leaves the field to be replaced by El-Hadji Diouf. 85:03 Paul Dixon produces a cross, Sasa Papac makes a clearance. 84:46 The ball is sent over by Keith Watson, Sasa Papac manages to make a clearance. 81:57 Stuart Armstrong has an effort at goal from a long way out hitting the post. 80:45 Jon Daly takes a shot. Allan McGregor makes a save. 79:02 Unfair challenge on Kyle Lafferty by Keith Watson results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Allan McGregor. 78:31 The ball is crossed by Craig Conway, Stuart Armstrong takes a shot. Save made by Allan McGregor. 77:31 Unfair challenge on Lee McCulloch by David Goodwillie results in a free kick. David Weir takes the direct free kick. 75:54 Steven Davis takes the outswinging corner, Nikica Jelavic takes a shot. Comfortable save by Dusan Pernis. 75:48 Centre by Steven Whittaker, blocked by Paul Dixon. 74:06 Substitution Stuart Armstrong replaces David Robertson. 73:55 Morgaro Gomis produces a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty box that misses to the left of the goal. 72:02 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Maurice Edu by Garry Kenneth. Strike on goal comes in from Nikica Jelavic from the free kick. 70:39 Paul Dixon gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Nikica Jelavic. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Madjid Bougherra from right wing, clearance by Keith Watson. 69:47 Substitution Scott Robertson leaves the field to be replaced by Prince Buaben. 69:02 Craig Conway takes a inswinging corner to the near post, Scott Robertson takes a shot. Allan McGregor makes a comfortable save. 68:56 Keith Watson sends in a cross, clearance by Steven Davis. 66:46 Shot by Kyle Lafferty. Save made by Dusan Pernis. 66:38 Centre by Nikica Jelavic, Garry Kenneth makes a clearance. 64:46 Substitution Lee McCulloch replaces Gregg Wylde. 64:14 The ball is sent over by Keith Watson. 62:56 Craig Conway handles the ball and concedes a free kick. Allan McGregor restarts play with the free kick. 62:20 Outswinging corner taken by Craig Conway, Sasa Papac manages to make a clearance. 61:53 Craig Conway takes a outswinging corner from the right by-line played to the near post. 61:02 Keith Watson sends in a cross, clearance by David Weir. 60:55 Keith Watson produces a cross, clearance made by Madjid Bougherra. 60:08 The ball is sent over by Paul Dixon, clearance made by David Weir. 58:41 Free kick awarded for a foul by Kyle Lafferty on Scott Severin. Direct free kick taken by Garry Kenneth. 57:40 Steven Naismith gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Craig Conway. Craig Conway delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from left wing. 56:54 Morgaro Gomis fouled by Sasa Papac, the ref awards a free kick. Garry Kenneth restarts play with the free kick. Correction - 56:18 Craig Conway has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the left-hand upright. 56:18 Craig Conway has an effort at goal from just outside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post. 55:43 The ball is crossed by Craig Conway, David Weir makes a clearance. 55:27 The ball is swung over by Keith Watson, clearance by Madjid Bougherra. 54:35 Shot from 12 yards from Nikica Jelavic. Save made by Dusan Pernis. 52:31 Centre by Nikica Jelavic. 51:03 Foul by Jon Daly on Sasa Papac, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Allan McGregor. 50:40 The ball is delivered by Paul Dixon. 50:25 Free kick awarded for a foul by Madjid Bougherra on Scott Robertson. Morgaro Gomis takes the free kick. 47:55 A cross is delivered by Steven Whittaker. 46:42 Foul by Craig Conway on Steven Naismith, free kick awarded. The free kick is swung in left-footed by Gregg Wylde, save made by Dusan Pernis. 45:01 The second half begins. 45:01 Substitution Jon Daly comes on in place of Johnny Russell. Half Time 45:00+0:10 The match has reached half-time. 45:00 The ball is sent over by Steven Naismith, Dusan Pernis makes a comfortable save. 44:24 The ball is swung over by Keith Watson. 43:36 The offside flag is raised against Nikica Jelavic. Scott Severin restarts play with the free kick. 43:11 Free kick awarded for a foul by David Goodwillie on Madjid Bougherra. Madjid Bougherra takes the direct free kick. 43:03 Keith Watson crosses the ball, Allan McGregor makes a save. 42:52 The ball is delivered by Craig Conway, David Weir makes a clearance. 42:03 Paul Dixon delivers the ball. 39:53 Craig Conway crosses the ball. 39:46 Craig Conway produces a cross, blocked by Steven Whittaker. 39:15 Garry Kenneth produces a drilled right-footed shot from 25 yards. Blocked by Steven Davis. 37:51 The ball is sent over by Nikica Jelavic, Paul Dixon manages to make a clearance. 37:23 David Robertson fouled by Steven Naismith, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by David Robertson. 36:30 Corner taken left-footed by Gregg Wylde, Paul Dixon makes a clearance. 36:24 Gregg Wylde produces a cross, Paul Dixon makes a clearance. 34:14 Garry Kenneth concedes a free kick for a foul on Nikica Jelavic. Steven Davis crosses the ball in from the free kick, Garry Kenneth manages to make a clearance. 32:05 Craig Conway produces a cross, Sasa Papac manages to make a clearance. 30:54 Craig Conway delivers the ball, David Weir manages to make a clearance. 28:54 Free kick awarded for a foul by Johnny Russell on David Weir. Free kick taken by David Weir. 28:18 The ball is crossed by Kyle Lafferty, clearance made by Scott Severin. 27:51 Keith Watson produces a cross, blocked by Steven Naismith. 27:04 Steven Davis sends in a cross, Garry Kenneth manages to make a clearance. 26:16 Johnny Russell sends in a cross. 25:49 Foul by Steven Whittaker on Craig Conway, free kick awarded. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Craig Conway. 24:20 Assist by Steven Naismith. 24:20 GOAL - Kyle Lafferty:Rangers 2 - 0 Dundee Utd Kyle Lafferty gets on the score sheet with a goal from deep inside the penalty box to the bottom left corner of the goal. Rangers 2-0 Dundee Utd. 22:43 Keith Watson delivers the ball, David Weir manages to make a clearance. 22:29 Paul Dixon sends in a cross, Sasa Papac makes a clearance. 20:45 The assist for the goal came from Steven Whittaker. 20:45 GOAL - Nikica Jelavic:Rangers 1 - 0 Dundee Utd Nikica Jelavic grabs a headed goal from inside the penalty area. Rangers 1-0 Dundee Utd. 20:42 Centre by Steven Whittaker, 19:25 Effort on goal by Nikica Jelavic from just inside the penalty area goes harmlessly over the target. 17:35 Steven Whittaker gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Paul Dixon. Paul Dixon takes the direct free kick. 16:31 Centre by Gregg Wylde. Gregg Wylde crosses the ball. 16:00 Centre by Craig Conway, Steven Davis gets a block in. 15:34 Gregg Wylde sends in a cross, blocked by Johnny Russell. 15:00 Effort from just inside the box by Kyle Lafferty strikes the post. Correction - 14:01 The ball is delivered by Maurice Edu, Headed effort from inside the box by Nikica Jelavic misses to the right of the target. 14:01 Maurice Edu delivers the ball, Headed effort from inside the box by Nikica Jelavic misses to the right of the target. 13:18 A cross is delivered by Nikica Jelavic, save by Allan McGregor. 11:54 The ball is crossed by Steven Davis. 11:21 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Steven Davis, Dusan Pernis makes a save. 10:26 The assistant referee signals for offside against Craig Conway. Indirect free kick taken by Allan McGregor. 10:06 Steven Whittaker gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Scott Robertson. Garry Kenneth takes the free kick. 8:00 The referee blows for offside. Dusan Pernis takes the free kick. 6:50 Nikica Jelavic takes a shot. Save by Dusan Pernis. 6:46 Effort from 25 yards by Steven Whittaker. Keith Watson gets a block in. 6:21 Inswinging corner taken by Steven Davis, Garry Kenneth manages to make a clearance. 5:58 Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Gregg Wylde from the right by-line, clearance by Paul Dixon. Correction - 5:18 Foul by Scott Severin on Kyle Lafferty, free kick awarded. Steven Davis crosses the ball from the free kick right-footed from left channel, save by Dusan Pernis. 5:18 Scott Severin challenges Kyle Lafferty unfairly and gives away a free kick. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Steven Davis, save by Dusan Pernis. 3:48 Corner taken right-footed by Craig Conway, clearance made by David Weir. 3:30 Foul by Steven Naismith on Craig Conway, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Scott Severin. 3:16 The ball is crossed by Nikica Jelavic, clearance made by Garry Kenneth. 2:11 Kyle Lafferty crosses the ball, save made by Dusan Pernis. 1:50 Effort on goal by Keith Watson from outside the penalty box goes harmlessly over the bar. 0:42 A cross is delivered by Sasa Papac, Paul Dixon makes a clearance. 0:00 The match begins. Live text and data provided by The Press Association.

On Baseball: Rangers Move On And Fire Away Without Lee

The Yankees stashed Phil Hughes on the disabled list, essentially because of a sudden inability to throw hard. Their rookie right-hander, Ivan Nova, then failed to complete five innings for the second start in a row. In one night, two rotation spots looked fragile.

The Rangers, meanwhile, lined up three pitchers who did not start in their run to the World Series last fall. The Rangers had hoped to start the season with the injured right-handers Tommy Hunter and Brandon Webb in the rotation, and strongly considered shifting closer Neftali Feliz. Yet they started Saturday with a 2.50 earned run average, the lowest in the majors.

Matt Harrison lasted eight innings in a victory on Friday, and Derek Holland went seven and two-thirds innings in a 5-2 loss on Saturday. Alexi Ogando, who faces C. C. Sabathia on Sunday night, has won twice this season, allowing no runs.

“They have great stuff and they’re young,” said the left-hander C. J. Wilson, who started on opening day. “That’s the thing, people always discount guys that haven’t done it yet, but nobody has until they do it. So you have to look at the guys who have potential to do it.”

Holland, another left-hander, said he talked much more with Wilson than he did with Lee, who arrived last July with the Rangers comfortably in first place. Lee helped the team immensely in the playoffs, but not so much in the regular season; the Rangers won just 6 of his 15 starts.

The Yankees, who never had Lee, probably needed him more, especially after Andy Pettitte retired. They were smart to sign the veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, though their upside is limited. Hughes, 24, was supposed to be embarking on his prime, but for now he is lost, a slide that began well before the Rangers thrashed him twice in the American League Championship Series.

Hughes looked terrific last April, the way the Rangers’ pitchers look now. A lot can change in a long season. But Ron Washington, the Texas manager, said he sensed that Harrison, 25, and Holland, 24, had matured.

“When you’ve got youth, you never know when there’s going to be that hiccup,” Washington said. “In the first inning last night, when Harrison came out and threw all those balls?

“Last year, that would have snowballed. When he got into the fifth inning and couldn’t find the strike zone? That would have snowballed. When he got into the eighth inning and they started rattling him? That would have snowballed. But he stopped every threat.”

Holland, who beat the Yankees in relief in the playoffs, matched his career high with 118 pitches Saturday. Washington said he liked the matchups in the eighth inning, and Holland still seemed strong. With Nolan Ryan atop the organization and Mike Maddux guiding the pitchers, the Rangers preach endurance from their starters.

Wilson switched to the rotation from the bullpen last season and worked 204 innings, going 15-8. A hamstring injury slowed him this spring, but he has pitched well enough so far and sees a side benefit to his lighter workload in camp.

“I feel like, physically, it’ll allow me to maybe peak a little bit later this year,” Wilson said.

The Rangers, who sat out the playoffs in the first decade of the 2000s, can think confidently now about the postseason. The A.L. West is challenging, loaded with dominant starters. But the Rangers — who salute good plays with claw-and-antler hand motions — play with an endearing style.

“I saw it last year, with the claw and all that stuff,” said catcher Mike Napoli, a former Angel.

“You can always tell when teams have fun, and they’re loose and they go out and play hard. We didn’t like it because they were our rivals in the division. But I’m glad I’m a part of it now.”

The engine of the Rangers’ offense is Josh Hamilton, last season’s A.L. most valuable player, who could miss the next two months after breaking a bone in his right arm on a headfirst slide at the plate last Tuesday.

But the Rangers lost Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler for long stretches last season, and still wound up in the World Series.

Cruz and Kinsler are healthy now, and Michael Young — who had asked to be traded after the signing of Adrian Beltre bumped him off third base — is hitting .339. If their pitchers keep performing, the Rangers could stay in first place for a while.

“Character- and makeup-wise, this group’s off the charts,” Young said. “It’s a great group to be around every day, and I think it’s just the way every guy’s wired here. When you have 25 guys who are the same way, we feel like we can overcome a lot of things.”

 

Yankees 5, Rangers 2: Savvy Start by Garcia Helps Yanks Fill a Void

For as much concern that exists about Phil Hughes and his missing velocity — and rightfully so — Garcia issued a reminder that succeeding without a big fastball is possible. He used to have one, back when he pitched for Seattle, where Alex Rodriguez loved playing behind him. Eleven years later, Garcia’s style has changed, but Rodriguez’s sentiment has not.

“He understands what the hitters are looking for,” said Rodriguez, who hoped he could play Sunday after a stiff right oblique muscle forced him out after six innings.

“He knows how to run away from the barrel.”

For any pitcher, keeping pitches away from the sweet spot of a bat is critical, but even more so for Garcia. If hitters can square up his mid-80s fastball, it often travels a long way. The key, as Garcia has learned, is to keep them guessing, deploying all five of his pitches to induce awkward swings and weak contact. Of his 84 pitches, Garcia fired only 33 fastballs. Of the 21 hitters he faced, just three reached base, on two singles and a walk.

“He stayed off the inside part of the plate, stayed down and away, elevated — he pitched,” Rangers Manager Ron Washington said. “You’ve got to give him credit. He always had the split, and he always had the breaking stuff. You just don’t see the power fastball. But he’s smart in the way that he uses his fastball. He’ll run it way in on you, he’ll spot it down and away.”

All of this was considered by the Yankees in the off-season, when they signed Garcia to a minor league deal. His experience pitching in the American League — most recently in Chicago, where he went 12-6 last season with a 4.64 earned run average over 157 innings for the White Sox — cast him as a favorite for one of two vacant spots in their rotation, and he seized it simply by staying healthy.

It had been 18 days since Garcia, who had pitched an inning of relief against the Boston Red Sox last Sunday, had started a game (the exhibition finale on March 29), and the miserable forecast Saturday threatened to delay him further. Rain had postponed his starting debut, originally set for April 6, and pushed it back again after Tuesday’s game was postponed. This time, Garcia viewed it as a good omen — or at least not a bad one.

“I knew I had to work quick,” Garcia said.

And that efficiency, in turn, endeared Garcia to his teammates, especially Mark Teixeira, who hit a two-run homer in the first and drove in the Yankees’ first three runs. “I love a pitcher that can go out there and throw strikes, work quickly, keep us on our toes — especially when it’s so cold and miserable out there,” Teixeira said. “By the mid-innings, you can’t feel your hands and feet.”

By the mid-innings, Garcia had fallen into a nice rhythm with his catcher, Gustavo Molina, who had been the last player on the opening day roster to appear in a game. He joked about the circumstances Saturday morning, saying, with a laugh: “You’re still in the big leagues, but, you know, every day you’re thinking, when, when? It’s been two weeks.”

Molina had known for a few days that he would start Saturday, and that Russell Martin would be rested. A bunch of Molina’s relatives were gathering back home in Venezuela to watch him catch the first start for the Yankees by a Venezuela-born pitcher, and he did not want to disappoint.

To prepare he watched videotape, did extra work with the catching instructor, Tony Pena, and caught Garcia in the bullpen. The Rangers put runners on first and second with no outs in the second, but Garcia set down the next three hitters, and six more in a row after that, before David Murphy led off the fifth with a single. Molina kept calling for off-speed pitches — changeups, sliders, slow curves — and Garcia jogged off the mound after six innings, the rain pelting his face, his day done, only because his stamina had diminished after such a long layoff.

In the clubhouse, he inhaled sharply as Adrian Beltre’s long fly with two on in the eighth curled foul, and exhaled when Mariano Rivera sealed Garcia’s first victory in pinstripes. Garcia should be stronger in his next start, though not enough to throw 95 with a devastating splitter, as he did a decade ago. Asked what Garcia’s performance signified, Manager Joe Girardi played the role of apt pupil.

“You have to locate, change speeds, move the ball around and not give up free passes,” Girardi said. “That’s the lesson to be learned.”

INSIDE PITCH

The pitching coach Larry Rothschild said Phil Hughes, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with what the Yankees called a dead arm, will begin a strenuous long-toss program Sunday that is intended to strengthen his arm and restore the velocity missing on his fastball.