Rangers beat Kilmarnock 3-0 at Ibrox on Saturday, with Michael O’Halloran starring.
Pundits Michael Stewart and Steven Thompson have told BBC Sport’s Sportscene that they felt Michael O’Halloran was the difference for Rangers against Kilmarnock on Saturday.
After a 1-0 defeat to Celtic and a disappointing 1-1 draw with St. Johnstone, Rangers went into Saturday’s home game with Kilmarnock in desperate need of three points.
Manager Mark Warburton got just that, as Lee Wallace, Andy Halliday and Joe Garner all struck to hand Rangers a 3-0 victory at Ibrox, taking them up to second in the Scottish Premiership table.
Rangers’ Michael O’Halloran shoots
This was Rangers back to their best under Warburton; 64% of possession, 24 shots on goal and conceding just one shot on target, this is how Rangers fans envisaged their team would be playing upon their return to the top flight.
Going forward, Rangers looked more dangerous than they have in recent weeks, and some have pointed to the inclusion of Michael O’Halloran as a reason for that.
O’Halloran, 25, starred for St. Johnstone with 17 goals in 90 games before joining Rangers in January, where he has been in and out of the team having failed to nail down a starting role, becoming something of a fringe player under Warburton.
Michael O’Halloran celebrates scoring for St Johnstone
On Saturday, O’Halloran started out wide and gave Rangers the injection of pace they have been lacking, causing mayhem for the Kilmarnock defence down the right hand side.
After the game, pundit Michael Stewart told BBC’s Sportscene that O’Halloran was the difference for Rangers due to his pace, and whilst he can be inconsistent with his end product, Stewart feels that O’Halloran brings balance to the Rangers side as nobody else in the squad can match his pace.
Steven Thompson added that he thinks O’Halloran now needs a run in the side having played his best football when featuring regularly for St. Johnstone, with both pundits – who had spells at Ibrox as players – raving about his performance on Saturday afternoon.
Rangers’ Michael O’Halloran (R) in action with St Mirren’s Kyle McAllister
“The big difference was that they had Michael O’Halloran in the side,” said Stewart. “He brought real, genuine pace to the team, and he made a huge difference. At times he can be inconsistent, but [on Saturday], he’s got one thought in his mind, and that’s to get to get the byline and cause the Kilmarnock defence real problems.”
“All day, Michael O’Halloran got the ball and he just went and took the Kilmarnock defence on. He gives a good balance to the Rangers side – there’s nobody else in the team that has got that raw pace. At times when you watch Rangers, they’ve been too slow in their attack, but he brought a real pace to the attack that caused Kilmarnock problems right throughout the afternoon.”
Thompson added: “I think that’s what he needs – a run in the team, to get consistency. When he was playing his best football with St. Johnstone, he was playing every single week. I think he needs a good run in the side.”
What did you think of O’Halloran’s performance on Saturday?
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