Rangers player ratings: Gers drop more points in St Mirren stalemate after VAR penalty award

The 1-1 draw in Paisley heaped further pressure on Light Blues boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
James Tavernier rescued a point for Rangers with this late 84th-minute penalty.James Tavernier rescued a point for Rangers with this late 84th-minute penalty.
James Tavernier rescued a point for Rangers with this late 84th-minute penalty.

Rangers came from behind to salvage a draw against St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium - but it allowed Premiership leaders Celtic an opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst cut a dejected figure on the touchline in Paisley at the full-time whistle after watching his side drop more points for the third time in their past five league games to heighten the pressure on the Dutchman.

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Jonah Ayunga ruthlessly punished Leon King’s slack error early in the second half to give the Buddies the lead, but Marcus Fraser’s challenge on Ryan Kent resulted in a penalty to the visitors on 84 minutes following a lenghty VAR review.

Alfredo Morelos' performance was horrendous as he led the line for Rangers.Alfredo Morelos' performance was horrendous as he led the line for Rangers.
Alfredo Morelos' performance was horrendous as he led the line for Rangers.

Captain James Tavernier’s spot-kick had enough power to beat Trevor Carson, despite the Saints goalkeeper getting a hand to his effort. The Light Blues continued to press forward in a desperate pursuit for a late winner with NINE minutes of additional time signalled but Kent’s strike was well saved by Carson in the dying moments.

Rangers latest stumble has opened the door for the reigning champions to open a significant cushion heading into the World Cup break should Celtic beat Ross County at Parkhead.

Here are GlasgowWorld’s player ratings...

ALLAN McGREGOR - 6 - Relatively quiet afternoon between the sticks for the veteran stopper. Didn’t have a whole lot to do other than pick the ball out his net after making a superb initial save. Let down by his outfield players.

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JAMES TAVERNIER - 5 - Converted a crucial spot-kick late on but defensively questionable on occasions. Sucked into a physical battled but stepped up with his team mates needed him to deliver. His delivery into the box was shocking.

LEON KING - 4 - An afternoon to forget. Opted to take a touch rather than immediately clear his lines before allowing Ayunga to nip in and score the opener from close range. Positioning was poor and stretched off with an injury.

JAMES SANDS - 5 - Stepped into centre-back in Davies’ absence and caught out on a couple of occasions. Was given plenty of problems by the physical Saints strike force of Ayunga and Main. Not good enough.

BORNA BARISIC - 4 - Will head to the World Cup on the back off an average showing. Switched off too often and decision-making poor defensively. Lacks consistency.

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GLEN KAMARA - 5 - Returned to the starting line-up for the first time since September and used the ball well. Surprise omission at half-time.

JOHN LUNDSTRAM - 6- Provided the main link between defence and midfield and kept things relatively tidy in possession. A few misplaced passes but steady showing overall.

SCOTT WRIGHT - 6 - Denied the opening goal by a strong save from Saints keeper Trevor Carson but influence faded as the match wore on. Unfortunate with towering header.

MALIK TILLMAN - 5 - A decent threat early on but failed to find the target. Build-up play was good but drifted out of the game after the break.

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RYAN KENT - 7 - Looking to build on a strong second half display against Hearts, the winger looked Rangers chief goal threat. Made a few driving runs into the box and won his side a penalty . Almost found the net with a brilliant solo effort late on.

ALFREDO MORELOS - 3- Dire performance. Opportunity to impress with Colak out injured. First touch let him down more often than not and offered no threat whatsoever. Looked a shadow of the player he once was.

Substitutes:

SCOTT ARFIELD - 5 - On at half-time for Kamara and worked hard off the ball as usual.

RYAN JACK - 3 - Back from injury sooner than expected to replace King. Will take time to get back up to speed.

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ROBBIE URE - 1 - The youngster was brought on for Barisic deep into stoppage time in a last-ditch attempt to salvage a winner, but nothing dropped his way.

Jon McLaughlin (GK), Steven Davis, Rabbi Matondo, Charlie McCann, Adam Devine, Johnny Yfeko

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