Glasgow Rangers secured all three points against Ross County at Ibrox last night, but truth be told, the evening should have been a lot more comfortable than it was made to be.
The Light Blues took a total of 43 shots, of which 23 were on target, yet only won the game 3-1. A truly remarkable statistic and it proves exactly what area of the team Philippe Clement needs to invest in during the summer.
Cyriel Dessers may have scored a brace, but he also missed three big chances during the clash, and he continues to be a conundrum.
Aside from the missed chances, the vast majority of the starting XI were excellent, notably Todd Cantwell.
Todd Cantwell’s game in numbers vs Ross County
The Englishman was once again deployed in his preferred number ten role, and he excelled during the match, despite not scoring or providing an assist.
He did create two big chances and made four key passes, however, as the attacking midfielder looked to get things going right from the first whistle and his close control was sublime, jinxing through opponents like a knife through butter.
Cantwell also completed 89% of his passes and took 89 touches during the match, showing a desire to be involved constantly, and he came so close to scoring during the second half and a goal would have rounded up his performance nicely.
Rangers TV awarded the former Norwich City ace their Man of the Match award and given how dominant he was at times, there could be no arguments.
James Tavernier was the only player who was better from a statistical point of view, as the captain received an incredible perfect 10 rating from Sofascore for his display.
James Tavernier was excellent vs Ross County
With Dessers opening the scoring in the first five minutes, it looked as though it was going to be a relatively straightforward evening.
The Staggies equalising was not part of the script, but Tavernier kept pushing his men on, and he proved to be the catalyst for the Gers claiming all three points.
Not only did he take 139 touches, but the right-back assisted all three goals, created three big chances, and managed to take six total shots – albeit he failed to get on the scoresheet.
Tavernier also made eight (yes eight) key passes during the whole match as he continued to create chance after chance for the Light Blues on what was becoming a nervy evening in Glasgow.
John Souttar scored in the dying minutes to round off a win and while the captain lost possession a staggering 32 times, it was only because he was intent on bringing the ball deep into opposition territory to generate another barrage on the County backline.
Three points is all that matters, but on an evening where the Ibrox side could have scored ten goals, it will be looked upon as a major missed opportunity for Clement and his side.
The result sees Rangers move level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership table and if they keep on winning, they have an excellent chance of winning league title number 56.