Rampant Rangers — with ropey ref’s help
 Rangers 3 - Dundee Utd 1
By Ron Scott at Ibrox
 For a game Rangers did not want to play, they adopted a strange way of showing it.
Rather than try to save themselves for Wednesday’s UEFA Cup Final, Rangers performed like men possessed.
This was their final home game of a long season and they may have kept the best for last.
Blessing
Although they wanted a free Saturday to prepare for Zenit St Petersburg, it may prove a blessing in disguise Rangers were forced to play.
This all-action performance means they head south to Manchester on a huge high knowing the Quadruple remains very much on.
Manager Walter Smith revealed there has been no time to even think about their first European Final for 36 years, so hectic have things been recently.
Certainly it appeared the players had nothing else in mind other than to close the gap on Celtic at the top of the League.
With a raucous crowd in party mood, this game was played at a cracking tempo in which United more than played their part.
Rangers won in the end, although they had to survive a frantic second-half onslaught from United.
Disallowed
The visitors had a blatant penalty appeal rejected and a good-looking goal disallowed for offside.
No wonder United were furious as they left Ibrox.
A rapid Nacho Novo double looked to have put the Light Blues on easy street.
However, with United going for a UEFA Cup spot they, too, had plenty to play for.
In fact, even before Novo scored the opener, the visitors should have been ahead after Noel Hunt headed past following a cross from Mihael Kovacevic when he should have scored.
Two minutes later, the net did bulge, but at the other end.
After Mark Kerr had brought down Novo, the victim got on the end of Kevin Thomson’s free-kick ahead of Danny Grainger to head past Lukasz
Zaluska.
With Rangers really fired-up and the tackles flying in thick and fast, the home side doubled their lead not long afterwards.
Daniel Cousin headed on a Neil Alexander goal-kick and, with Kovacevic caught in two minds, Novo got in behind to delightfully volley the ball high over Zaluska into the top corner.
Shooting
With skipper Barry Ferguson orchestrating things and Novo on fire, the home striker should have had a hat-trick soon after, but he mis-controlled the ball and ended up shooting wide.
United refused to bow to the inevitable, though, and gradually worked their way back into the game.
They used the ball well from defence and David Robertson’s late runs meant he was rarely picked up.
Just before half-time, David Weir headed off the line from Robertson then, with the last of the half’s action, Mark de Vries shot too close to Alexander after Lee Wilkie sent him clear.
United restarted in similar mode and Hunt was furious with referee Mike McCurry at no penalty being awarded when he was grounded by Weir.
It’s an old adage in football that the next goal is vital when someone is two ahead. Both sides realised this and went all out to ensure it was they who scored next.
Wasted
Novo wasted another chance to claim a hat-trick before Christian Dailly hit the bar.
At the other end, linesman Stuart Macaulay incredibly flagged Robertson offside after Danny Swanson’s shot had quite clearly been diverted into his own net by Weir.
After these two let-offs you would have thought it was Weir’s birthday — and it was! He was 38 yesterday.
United manager Craig Levein was forced to urge his players to calm down following these two dreadful decisions, but only after a long talk with
McCurry.
De Vries did finally score for United when he headed in a Grainger cross, but, deep in injury time, Jean-Claude Darcheville made the points safe for Rangers when he converted a Ferguson cross.
The way this game unfolded will only provide more theories for those with conspiracy in mind. Although the breaks did not go United’s way, I still felt Rangers just deserved to win.
In a game which never let up, Flood was booked for a late tackle on Papac, De Vries for dissent, along with Wilkie and Cousin following a flare-up.
Man of the match —
Nacho Novo’s two early goals set the tone for this cracker.
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