St Johnstone 0 - 3 Rangers: How the players rated on each side

Ratings out of ten for the players on both sides after Rangers defeated St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

St Johnstone and Rangers players clash after an altercation between Paul Paton (far left) and Graham Dorrans (second right). Picture: SNS

ST JOHNSTONE

Alan Mannus - 6

Managed to deny Alfredo Morelos when the striker had a close range chance, but in all honesty he didn’t know much about it and didn’t make any other stops except the routine.

Aaron Cromie - 5

Got caught out at Carlos Pena’s second as he allowed the Mexican to rise above him and head Rangers into a two-goal advantage.

Joe Shaughnessy - 6

Won his fair share of headers in the back-line but was guilty of switching off on occasion.

Steven Anderson - 3

A night to forget for the captain. His failure to clear the cross, having left Carlos Pena unmarked to challenge for it, gift-wrapped the opening goal for Rangers. Had another couple of shaky defensive moments before getting booked for an altercation with Bruno Alves, and finally receiving his marching orders for bringing down Alfredo Morelos on a Rangers counter-attack.

Brian Easton - 6

Did a decent job keeping Daniel Candeias quiet on the right-hand side. Got forward to support the left-midfielder, but didn’t do much of note in the opposing half.

Stefan Scougall - 7

The majority of St Johnstone’s threatening attacks went through the diminutive playmaker. His range of passing helped keep St Johnstone well in the match until Anderson’s red.

Chris Millar - 5

Brought into the starting line-up for the first-time this league season but the game largely passed him by.

Murray Davidson - 6

Started well, throwing his body about and making a couple of excellent challenges in the first half. Became less effective as the game went on.

David Wotherspoon - 5

Got into some promising positions but often couldn’t produce the kind of final ball required to unlock the Rangers defence. Also culpable at the opening goal where he allowed Tavernier to swing in a cross too easily.

Graham Cummins - 6

Threw himself about and generally made a nuisance of himself in attack, but passed up a couple of good chances to draw St Johnstone level.

Steven MacLean - 6

Did his usual job of dropping deep, scrapping to keep possession and linking with those around him. Tired in the second half and was hooked late on.

SUBS

Paul Paton - 5 - Did nothing of note other than get into an altercation with Graham Dorrans.

Craig Thomson - 6 - Added a bit of enthusiasm to the attack and almost scored with a shot at the back post.

Denny Johnstone - n/a - No time

RANGERS

Wes Foderingham - 6

Looked shaky on a couple of occasions when rushing from his line. Settled down in the latter stages and commanded his six-yard box well to preserve the clean sheet.

James Tavernier - 9

Excellent performance from the right back who bagged himself a couple of assists with a pair of wicked deliveries for Pena to score and, for a change, didn’t blot his copybook with errors in defence.

Bruno Alves - 8

Towering display from the returning Portuguese centre-back who rose to the challenge of battling Cummins and MacLean in the air.

Fabio Cardoso - 6

Looked solid for the most part but still suffered a rush of blood to the head on occasion, making challenges he didn’t necessarily have to and giving away cheap fouls.

Declan John - 8

In addition to being a full-back who gets forward with real zest, John is a really good passer of the ball. Against Saints he showed off impressive range, switching the play effortlessly on more than one occasion.

Jason Holt - 7

Tasked with the Ryan Jack role of staying deep and linking the play, he may not have done it as effectively as his absent team-mate but the pint-sized midfielder battled well and got himself an assist with the late pass for Dorrans.

Graham Dorrans - 8

Another in the Rangers side who showed an ability to ping the ball around the park with accuracy. After going close with a thunderous shot which cannoned off the bar, he eventually got his goal with a smart finish.

Daniel Candeias - 6

A little quiet compared to what we’re used to seeing from the Portuguese wide man. Did have one excellent give-and-go with Tavernier in the second half which led to a chance for Pena.

Carlos Pena - 8

As a midfielder there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done with the Mexican. However, as an extra attacker in the penalty area he’s proving himself to be such a destructive weapon. Scored twice and could easily have had a couple more.

Josh Windass - 6

Showed some flashes in the first half, where he wasn’t shy about drifting over to the centre or even the right to help Rangers overload St Johnstone in key areas. Drifted out of the game in the second half.

Alfredo Morelos - 7

Battled hard as the team’s lone striker and was unlucky to see his instinctive finish come off the heel of Mannus and bounce wide for a corner.

SUBS

Ross McCrorie - n/a - No time.

Eduardo Herrera - n/a - No time.

Aaron Nemane - n/a - Almost literally no time.