MATCH REPORT: YOUTHFUL UNITED UNDONE BY PENALTY AT IBROX

United were on the road for the last time in 2021 as Tam Courts led his side south to take on league leaders Rangers. The Terrors are the only side to defeat the Govan outfit in the league this season, Jamie Robson’s half-volley at Tannadice securing Courts’ first league victory of his United tenure.
 
Due to a COVID outbreak within the camp, United made six enforced changes to the starting line-up, four of those being academy graduates in Archie Meekison, Darren Watson, Chris Mochrie, and debutant Craig Moore – just 16 years old. More experienced travellers Adrian Spörle and Trevor Carson also claimed a place in the XI.
 
Despite their conservative set-up of a 5-3-1-1, United started brightly and registered the first shot on target through Nicky Clark. Spörle left James Tavernier for dead and darted towards the 18-yard box before rolling the ball into the feet of his colleague who struck his relatively tame effort straight at Alan McGregor.
 
A mere 60 seconds later, Spörle was once again involved as United fashioned another good opportunity to take the lead. The Argentine’s cross skimmed off the head of Clark and landed at the feet of makeshift wing-back Watson who picked out Mochrie advancing into the box, his right-footed shot blocked by Calvin Bassey at the last second
 
Following a couple of early scares, Rangers began to assert their dominance, doubling up in the wide areas and firing crosses into the United area, most of which were dealt with expertly by Ryan Edwards and Charlie Mulgrew at the heart of the defence though. John Lundstram sat at the base of the midfield, looking to break the lines into the feet of Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield in the half-spaces. However, United also came up with a solution to this problem as Mochrie, Meekison and Moore stayed compact and forced multiple turnovers, frustrating the 49,000 Gers fans inside Ibrox.
 
United were almost architects of their own downfall on the 16th minute when Carson inadvertently threw the ball straight to Ianis Hagi. He looked up and put Alfredo Morelos through one-on-one with the United stopper, but Carson spread himself well to put his opposite number off, Morelos pulling his shot well wide of the target.
 
Tavernier became the main source of danger for the hosts around the half-hour mark when he managed to squirm away from Spörle 30 yards from goal and blast his strike into the stand before he was presented with a more clear-cut chance soon after. Bassey flicked Hagi’s corner on at the front post and Tavernier arrived on the scene to volley the ball over the bar once more.
 
United enjoyed a period of complete control following these chances, Meekison and Moore heavily involved as they stroked the ball from left to right around the Rangers area, probing for a way through. Declan Glass made it into the wider regions to deliver a cross after being found by Meekison, but his low cross evaded all the white shirts in the middle.
 
Carson pulled off a fabulous save on the stroke of half-time when Hagi made it to the by-line and clipped the ball into the area. Morelos met the cross with a powerful header but the Northern Ireland international stood firm to paw his effort behind for a corner.
 
After the break, the run of play flowed heavily towards the United box, aside from a surging run from Mochrie which saw the 18-year-old carry the ball 50 yards towards the hosts’ net. Unfortunately though, his weak effort was smothered by Conor Goldson.
 
Scott McMann looked to be shepherding a lost cause out before being dragged to the ground by substitute Scott Wright, no foul according to Alan Muir. The former Dee then had time to cut the ball back to the unmarked Morelos who wastefully struck the ball over the bar from just behind the penalty spot.
 
Wright was then denied sensationally by Moore and Carson on the 65th minute after he combined effectively with both Hagi and Morelos, the United duo pulling off a heroic tackle and save respectively.
 
The penalty spot proved to be the source of the opening goal for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, Wright’s cross from the right of the box striking the trailing arm of McMann and Muir hesitated before pointing to the spot. Rangers skipper Tavernier stepped up and whipped the ball into the side-netting as Ibrox erupted into a cauldron of noise.
 
Ryan Kent looked most likely to double his side’s advantage twice cutting in from the left to cause United problems. First, he twisted away from Watson and dragged his shot wide of the near-post and then skipped past substitute Kerr Smith and teed up Morelos, his shot striking teammate Hagi in an offside position.
 
Morelos had the ball in the net with ten to play but the linesman’s flag cut Rangers’ celebrations short. The Columbian also flicked a volley over the bar after Goldson kept a deep corner alive at the back stick.
 
United’s chance to take a point back to Dundee came at the death when Louis Apperé’s cross took a deflection off Tavernier and looped into the sky. Goldson took a fresh-air swipe at the ball, presenting Watson with a free header which seemed to take an age to drop and smacked the top of McGregor’s crossbar.
 
The last action saw Mulgrew come to the rescue as he thwarted Morelos and Joe Aribo’s two-on-one, deflecting the shot wide to safety
 
A battling performance from a youthful Terrors side which Arabs can take pride in despite the disappointing outcome. Next up, Hibernian travel to Tannadice on Boxing Day as we look to end our run of four straight defeats.