Rangers turned in a dominant display at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon and even now will be sitting there wondering how exactly they allowed a poor Crystal Palace side a share of the spoils. The game should have been out of site when Morrison scored and had it not been for some superb keeping, it would have been. 

After the Coventry game which resembled the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan De Canio had no choice but to change his team, he also plumped for a change in formation, switching to a 4-4-1-1. Camp was in goal behind Mancienne, Stewart, Timoska and Barker. Rowlands, Leigertwood, Bolder and Sinclair were in midfield with Buzsaky playing off of lone striker Vine. 

Rangers started the game in fine style and they seemed to take to the new formation like the proverbial ducks to water. Buzsaky was getting plenty of the ball and he was drifting into areas that make it tricky for the defence and midfield to decide who should be getting hold of him. The game had yet to reach ten minutes when the Hungarian opened up the Palace defence with a lovely ball to Vine. The striker held off a challenge and crashed in a fierce shot that was pushed behind by Speroni. 

The ball was getting popped about in midfield and Palace were chasing shadows in the first twenty minutes. Vine was working like a dog up front, chasing any ball that was pumped long and showing for any ball that a midfielder might be able to thread through. Palace managed to force the odd chance themselves. Paul Ifill headed over when well placed when he really should have tested Camp from ten yards. 

The home side managed to win a couple of corners to give themselves some respite but from one of these Rangers almost opened the scoring. There was some frustration at Rangers dragging everyone back but once one was cleared the charge was on. Sinclair had the ball slipped to him wide and he roared away from the covering Matt Lawrence. He steadied himself before whipping a great ball through the six yard box that somehow managed to evade the various feet being waved at it. Sinclair’s pace is astounding, he just gallops away from people at will and it is no surprise that in both of his games he has found himself double marked most of the time. 

Finally the home side managed a sustained spell of pressure after Rangers had failed to make the most of their early dominance. Ifill had another effort, this time he did force Camp into action. Then the ever present threat of Kennedy carved out a chance for scourge of Rangers, Clinton Morrison but he hammered his shot high over the bar. 

The former Republic of Ireland striker had a go at some comedy play acting when trying to win a pen from Mancienne but luckily referee Walton wasn’t having it. He should know that he doesn’t give penalties for anything less than manslaughter. Just as it seemed that the teams would go in on level terms, Rangers grabbed the advantage. 

A corner was won on the right and Rowlands’ kick ended up back with him. His cross was partially cleared as far as Buzsaky and he wasted no time in sending a lovely ball in to the near post. Scott Sinclair arrived bang on cue and glanced a superb header past Speroni into the far corner for his first for the club. 

Palace emerged in the second half looking like a different side. Warnock had clearly torn a strip off them at the break, and I fancy he also had a word in referee Walton’s shell like but more on that later. They could have been back on terms almost immediately when a corner wasn’t cleared properly and the ball fell at the feet of Ifill. His effort at goal was weak and Bolder was able to clear off of the line quite comfortably.  

Morrison then did manage to fire the ball home but he had failed to spot the linesman’s reconditioned flag fluttering away for offside. Panic stations appeared to have set in at the back for Rangers with balls being hacked anywhere up field rather than the defenders looking for a midfielder to start another slick passing move.  

Once the opening Palace barrage was over though normal service was resumed, the ball was re-introduced to the grass and Rangers were playing again. A different dimension this half was runners breaking from central areas to support the willing runners in Vine and Sinclair. Bolder was presented with a great chance after some slick play and he went one on one with Speroni. He looked like he tried to give him the eyes and go near post but his shot was (adopt best Trevor Brooking nasal tone) a nice height for the keeper and he pushed it to safety. A low strike would surely have yielded a second goal and that would have seen Palace implode. 

Only a few minutes later and Palace were cut to ribbons again. Buzsaky was once again the man with the killer ball as he sent Sinclair charging goalward. The Chelsea youngster took the ball in his stride, steadied himself and shot only to see Speroni dive low and deny him. The ball bounced back to Sinclair but he followed up with a wild lash over the top. Perhaps we had just seen why a promising youth team striker is now deployed in a wide role? 

Play had barely resumed when Rangers were in again, this time Vine was bearing down on the overworked Argentine keeper. Once again though, the man with the same hair cut as Norman Bates as his Mother, was equal to the task, producing probably his best save of the afternoon. 

Warnock decided to abandon his one up top formation and sent former R’s reserve teamer Dougie Freedman on to partner Morrison. He also then found a willing ally in Palace twelfth man, referee Walton. I am not sure what set him off, perhaps Warnock revealed a picture of him in fishnets with a snooker ball in his mouth and threatened to release it to the gutter press, but all of a sudden Rangers couldn’t buy a decision and Palace barely had time to take all of the free kicks he was awarding them.   

Bizarre decision followed bizarre decision as Rangers attacks were halted with cynical, unpunished fouls and the slightest contact on a Palace player was rewarded with a blast on the whistle. Vine was felled by Fonte; Fonte then tripped over the prone striker and got the decision! Buzsaky was flattened on the edge of the area, well within his striking range, but yet again no free kick came. 

Then, with two minutes left on the clock Walton plucked a free kick out of fresh air to allow Palace to load the box. Rangers have been shaky from corners and wide free kicks for the past couple of seasons and no manager has been able to fix the problem. Kennedy dummied to take and the marking went to pot. He then floated his ball in; Morrison got hold of the otherwise imperious Timoska and dumped the defender on his backside. Stewart tried to get there but couldn’t and Morrison planted a free header past Camp to send Selhurst Park wild.  

There was still time for more late drama though as a ball into the box came to Freedman in acres of space. It seemed nailed on that he would complete one of the most undeserved victories of all time but he contrived to drag a left footed shot miles wide.

The final whistle came and the overriding feeling amongst the R’s fans and players was that we had been mugged. The fact is though that the game should have been over with twenty five minutes left and the players will have learned a harsh lesson. Pretty football is great if you come through with the end product and they didn’t.  

The next two weeks will be great for Gigi. The difference he has made to the style of the team in the short time he has been here has been marked. Now he has two solid weeks in which to craft them further still, get the defensive side of the game tightened up still further and find that cutting edge. Things are certainly on an upward curve though. 

Man of the Match – Akos Buzsaky. Buzsaky was quiet against Coventry, a stunning goal aside, but in this one he was a menace. Palace never worked out how to close him down and he pulled them to pieces with some superbly incisive passing.

simon@qprnet.com