“So far away from how I want it to look and so far away from how I need it to look."

The opinion of Steven Gerrard on Rangers entering half-time against Alashkert 0-0 and a man down was likely echoed by every supporter at Ibrox last night.

The script said it was supposed to be a routine game against an opposition well below Rangers in the rankings – it became a night that was all about recovering a potentially dire situation.

Few supporters would have bitten your hand off for a 1-0 win pre-game but after an underwhelming first-half was bookended by a John Lundstrum red card – that result was welcomed at the final whistle.

The visitors defended well but Rangers created the scene for their own downfall with an apathetic opening 45 – they equally showed resolve to recover a game that would have caused crisis if lost.

There wasn’t the mixture of palpable novelty and anticipation that had been present in the air before kick-off against Malmo – the Champions League has faded from the horizon but regardless, this was a European play-off and a tie the club needed to win.

It felt like a game in which an early goal would have eased everyone’s nerves, but none were forthcoming. It was all very flat on the pitch. The home side persisted to go round and round the opposition instead of trying to cut through them. This is a team that is built to create central overloads with two 10s, but there was little incision on display.

Given the expectation that this should be a comfortable win, without that early momentum the game started to feel like a lose-lose. Alashkert had after all started their campaign in the Armenian top flight with a 2-0 and a 3-0 defeat - they should have been well beaten at Ibrox.

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As such, every frustration was magnified and the atmosphere became increasingly jittery – it all boiled over when Lundstrum was shown red two minutes before half-time. He has endured a difficult start to his Rangers career and after making two fouls in the middle of the pitch, he walked down the tunnel without so much of a sidewards glance from his manager.

To press pause, how had Rangers got to this point? Three weeks ago the mood couldn’t have been more optimistic at the club – now a packed Ibrox was watching a team in Alashkert who have never made a European group stage enter half-time with more than a realistic chance of victory.

In equal measure to the potential catastrophe was a chance to change the narrative. Gerrard’s side had been dealt the man advantage card last week and failed to take advantage – what better way to rescind noise than reverse the feat.

Scott Wright replaced a lacklustre Ryan Kent and the team were roared back onto the pitch by an Ibrox support who would help win the second half.

Immediately, the former Aberdeen man injected more pace and intention into the front line and Ianis Hagi was inches away from finishing a cross he provided.

There wasn’t a period of pressure from the visitors, who only had one shot off target throughout the game.

Because Rangers don’t rely on their forwards to track back but instead block lanes and force the ball around, they didn’t really suffer a man disadvantage without possession and were able to retain a high line. On this, Gerrard said the players had listened and carried out the information given to them at the break.

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Frustration had started to seep out as the Armenian team enjoyed spells of possession after an early flurry of noise – an away goal at that point would have been disastrous.

Then a switch flicked.

So much of the attacking play had been outside of Alashkert but as a little more space was afforded, three successive balls were whipped in between the lines. 

The support responded to some offensive encouragement by generating a wonderful atmosphere. The mood lifted and the momentum shifted.

Alfredo Morelos had been quiet to that point but predictably rose to the occasion and delivered as he so often has. Latching onto a James Tavernier ball over the top on 67 minutes, he took time to finish through the legs of Cancarevic.

Few could have envisioned that the opener on the night would provoke such scenes of celebration, this felt like an important goal for the team. They were able to change the mood and lift themselves – which was an encouragement given the tone going in at the break.

Calvin Bassey, Ianis Hagi and Scott Wright were all immense, while Joe Aribo and Steven Davis performed admirably in midfield. Hagi pulled up with cramp in injury time but still found it within himself to track back and intercept a ball, Bassey was a warrior all game and Wright earned special praise from his manager.

Speaking to RangersTV post-match, Gerrard said: “I thought he was outstanding. I thought his effort was superhuman.

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“That’s what gets this crowd to take to you. I’m sure the fans when they think of Scott Wright tonight, they’ll be ever so proud.”

Continuing, Gerrard reflected: “In terms of our performance collectively, it was so far away from how I wanted it to look in the first 45 it’s difficult for me to say.

“Second half the fans stayed with us. I thought their performance was superb and we showed fight, we showed desire and we showed that we wanted to play here in front of a superb crowd.”

It’s obvious that some scar tissue remains from days gone by on nights like this – but in equal measure, it doesn’t get much worse than the state the hosts found themselves in going in at the break. They were able to recover and reset which is a positive - ensuring they travel to Armenia with a lead next week.

“Moving forwards it needs to come from within the dressing room now,” Gerrard added.

“I’ve told them how I feel and what I see. I’ve been as honest as I can with them. Where we are right now we need it to come from within the dressing room.”

The manager recognises that some big performances are needed.

Progression in Armenia and an Old Firm win would recover the pre-season anticipation that has been somewhat diluted in recent matches.