Attendance 6,096
Despite the poor performance however, there can be little doubt that key decisions by the incompetent figure of Willie Young as Referee cost Rangers the win.
Livingston made two changes from the side defeated in
Sunday’s Scottish Cup Semi-Final with Jamie McAllister
and David Fernandez replacing Stuart Lovell and Daniel
Pasquinelli while Rangers replaced Craig Moore and
Hamed Namouchi with Zurab Khizanishvili and Ronald De
Boer.
Rangers equally made two changes from the side that
defeated Motherwell ten days ago with Zurab
Khizanishvili and Ronald De Boer replacing Craig Moore
and Hamed Namouchi.
The game kicked off in a ferocious wind with the news
from Spain that Celtic were trailing to Villarreal.
Livvy were first to threaten, Lee Makel’s shot in six
minutes being deflected wide of the target.
Four minutes later David McNamee, recently linked with
a move to Ibrox, dispossessed Paulo Vanoli before
seeing his shot held by Stefan Klos.
The game flared up in twelve minutes when Vanoli took
exception to a late challenge from Derek Lilley, yet
no cards were produced.
Rangers were starting to adapt to the difficult
conditions – Steven Thompson shrugging off Marvin
Andrews (another linked recently with a move to Ibrox)
only to see his weak chip held by home goalkeeper
Roddy McKenzie.
The opening goal arrived soon afterwards – in 23
minutes to be precise when a Gavin Rae cross, headed
down by Thompson, was volleyed home by Michael Mols.
The game might have been settled twelve minutes later
when Thompson, clean through on goal, was hauled down
by McKenzie. It was an absolute stonewall penalty, yet
Referee Willie Young, 75 yards behind play, incredibly
waved play on. The portly official, breathless from
trying to keep up with play, must have been the only
one in the entire stadium not to have spotted the
offence.
Within seconds the stadium erupted with the news that
Celtic were now two down.
“The beach balls have burst,” resounded from the
stands, as the football-loving Light Blue legions
rejoiced in the realisation that the class and skill
of the Spanish side were overcoming the physical
strength and intimidation of Celtic.
Willie Young struck yet again before the interval when
Andrews hauled down Thompson, homing in on a Hutton
pass. The referee – clearly having passed the ‘Cooper
Test’ with flying colours – was if anything even
further behind play than at the penalty and yet again
saw nothing amiss – or more likely saw nothing at all.
Ronald De Boer came close to a second goal in 56
minutes with a twenty-yard free-kick that flashed just
over, but as the second-half developed it was clear
that the home side, with the ferocious wind at their
back, were creping back into the game.
Lee Makel’s cross on the hour found Andrews whose
header flashed just over, then twelve minutes later
Stefan Klos held Scott McLaughlin’s 25-yard shot from
a Jamie McAllister pass.
A Ronald De Boer corner five minutes later produced an
incredible scramble in front of the home goal with
Thompson eventually crowded out, but it was Livvy who
were threatening to equalise rather than falling
further behind.
Burton O’Brien was inches away in 78 minutes with a
header from a Jon McGovern cross, but within seconds
the scores were level when a Fernandez pass found
Colin McMenamin who drilled home the equaliser.
With Chris Burke on for Vanoli, a superb Frank De Boer
pass found Thompson who fed Ronald De Boer only for
the Dutchman’s shot to be blocked, as was a subsequent
effort by Mols.
With the minutes ticking away there was a brief debut
for Charlie Adam who replaced Ronald De Boer, but when
Allan Hutton’s shot from a Burke corner was deflected
over the bar Rangers’ last chance had gone.
Manager Alex McLeish afterwards lamented:
“We controlled the first-half, but took our foot off
the gas thereafter. Two draws at Livingston do not win
titles. We need to add more quality.”
We could have told you that, Alex.
LIVINGSTON McKenzie; Rubio (McGovern 73), Andrews,
Dorado; McNamee, McLaughlin (Brittain 73), Makel,
McGovern, O’Brien; Lilley (McMenamin 28), Fernandez
UNUSED SUBS Creer, Snowdon
RANGERS Klos; Hutton, F. De Boer, Khizanishvili, Ball;
Hughes, R. De Boer (Adam 87), Rae, Vanoli (Burke 81);
Mols, Thompson (Ross 90)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, McCormack
REFEREE Willie Young