Rangers defied a night of delays, disruptions and dismal conditions to not only earn a win against Dundee but do so in some style.

Philippe Clement’s side ended the game with 5.59xG and could have scored more than the five goals they did manage. Danilo, as already covered this morning by the Rangers Review, excelled up top and although more than one goal could’ve followed, the Brazilian’s all-around game set the tempo and provided the template that the visitors required in possession.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of this performance was its continuity. There were few dips, no drop-off after the break or believing in a false sense of security and holding to a two-goal lead.

“The first half was OK but not good enough. I missed the ambition in the team to play faster, our tempo was too low,” Clement said after the match.

“We didn’t create enough with the qualities we have. But I’m much more satisfied with the second half.

“I told them I was still in this observation period to see how they were mentally individually but also as a team. But I expect a team that’s always ready no matter what happens, even if they say we have to play in the car park.

“We need to be ready because we play this game to win, so we must always be ready to adapt to the situations. They showed a really good thing in that way and that’s something we need to keep.”

As demonstrated in the xG Racechart, Rangers amassed 2.1xG by half-time and, including their penalty, bettered that total after the break. For a team that’s often shown a tendency to slow down when one is up there was to be no let-up at Dens.

Clement’s team set up in a similar fashion to wins over Hearts and Hibs with some minor alterations. John Lundstram was situated on the left of centre-midfield rather than the right and, as Dundee often tried to show play that way and grant Leon Balogon time on the ball, the veteran centre-back took advantage - carrying forward for the first goal and creating the opening that started the scoring. Ridvan and James Tavernier were wide but Rangers’ use of these areas proved far more dynamic than the weekend, able to find Abdallah Sima moving off or in behind in the left channel and access Scott Wright as a narrow option on the right.

The away side took 31 shots throughout and unlike in some previous games this season, quality was not traded off for quantity. Danilo had eight efforts (1.89xG), Sam Lammers five (0.47xG), Sima four (0.46xG) and Cyriel Dessers three from the bench (0.87xG).

At the other end, Dundee did manage to fashion a few decent openings with 0.8xG overall.

Their best chance fell to Amadou Bakayoko (0.51xG) which accounted for a healthy percentage of that overall chance value. But, with the game still in something of a vulnerable position at 2-0, Jack Butland was alert and ready to take action - getting up quickly following an initial shot to smother and stop Bakayoko on the rebound.

READ MORE: Analysing Danilo at Dens: Link-up play, movement and more to come

What else stood out when looking at the raw numbers? Balogun was successful with 97 percent of his caries (highlighted in red) as he routinely exploited the home side’s marking scheme. Playing on a yellow for much of the game, this was a solid return to the starting 11.

Clement spoke about his side “keeping their structure” after the game and plenty of that owed to Lundstram. His 22 ball recoveries, more than any other Rangers player, are shown below.

Lammers had an up-and-down game until his stunning finish, which showed off his technical quality. He topped the xGChain - underlining his involvement in the attack. Incidentally, Balogun was third, a testament to his proclivity to join the attack.

The Dutchman’s strike from the edge of the area was stunning.

Dessers also scored from the bench with a composed finish while Danilo took his opportunity at the start of the second half.

 

Lastly, the game showed a few more glimpses of the patterns of play Clement is clearly working on in the final third to move defences and create high-quality chances.

In recent matches, we’ve witnessed a few more obvious vertical movements and rotations - most notably shown at Danilo’s second goal.

It was a performance to encourage and excite as Rangers continue to build their momentum under the new manager.