Rangers v Dundee extras Joe Aribo masterclass, Leigh Griffiths at centre of angry flare-up and Fashion Sakala smiling through it all

The key points from Ibrox as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men move seven points clear at the top of the Premiership ...
Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo was in fine form during the 3-0 win over Dundee at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo was in fine form during the 3-0 win over Dundee at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)
Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo was in fine form during the 3-0 win over Dundee at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Player of the Match

While he was ably supported in midfield by the composure of Glen Kamara and the industry of Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo was unquestionably the most influential performer in a comfortable victory for Rangers.

The Nigerian international is thriving under new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst and once again he relished the flexibility offered by a role which saw him regularly switching flanks to cause the Dundee defence all kinds of headaches.

Letdown

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It was a disappointing return to Ibrox for former Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam. The Dundee captain has been in fine form recently but his first competitive appearance at the stadium for 13 years saw him unable to exert much influence on proceedings and he cut a dejected figure when he was substituted nine minutes into the second half.

Turning point

Just when an element of frustration may have been starting to creep into Rangers’ play as the scoreline remained blank in the closing stages of the first half despite all of their dominance, a cruel deflection off the foot of Dundee defender Liam Fontaine sent Aribo’s shot beyond the excellent Adam Legzdins for the breakthrough.

Ref watch

An interesting afternoon for Alan Muir who managed to upset both teams and their respective supporters, which perhaps suggests he was doing something right.

He had to warn Dundee ‘keeper Legzdins for time-wasting before even half an hour had passed, such was the containing approach initially adopted by the visitors, while the home fans felt he was overly lenient with the visiting players on several occasions.

Muir stepped in quickly to halt a fracas after a poor foul by Dundee sub Leigh Griffiths on Aribo which angered the Rangers players. Griffiths could count himself fortunate not to get a second yellow for a foul on Calvin Bassey moments later.

Dundee manager James McPake’s displeasure with Muir’s contribution also saw him receive a caution.

Gave us a giggle

Fashion Sakala’s sunny disposition seems utterly unshakable. This was a hugely frustrating afternoon for the Zambian striker, whose display merited a goal. But his infectious smile was never far from his face, even when he returned to the field patched up with a Terry Butcher-style bandage following a clash of heads with Cammy Kerr.

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