Philippe Clement wants to see a ruthless Rangers side following their narrow and nervy 1-0 cinch Premiership win over Hearts at Tynecastle.
Abdallah Sima, on loan from Brighton, scored the crucial goal after 34 minutes – his 12th of the season – but also missed a chance with striker Danilo and left-back Ridvan Yilmaz, among others, wasting opportunities.
The Light Blues remain eight points behind leaders Celtic having played a game less and the Belgian has now gone 11 matches unbeaten since becoming boss but noted the possibility of a Jambos equaliser.
“For sure it’s a very important win,” said Clement, who revealed midfielder Tom Lawrence will be assessed on Thursday morning due to a muscle injury.
“We created a lot of chances but that’s still a working point.
“We need to be more clinical. We need to kill off the game if we can and get the second goal, it would have been a different end to the game because it allowed Hearts to stay in the game and with every long ball or long throw, they were looking for the chance that drops to someone’s feet to finish off.
“We had five big chances but for me, with our qualities, it should be at least three goals. So more things to work on.”
Left-back Borna Barisic missed the game with a muscle problem and after losing Lawrence again, Clement was bemoaning the injury problems which have concerned him since taking over as Rangers boss.
He said: “We need to assess that (Lawrence) tomorrow, that’s the downside.
“It’s not good to change players in the first half. We’ve lost Borna before this game. It’s difficult more me in this moment because I have never had it in a team that I worked with, that so many players fall out injured.
“We also don’t have the time to train them and make them stronger because we have game by game by game. We need a lot of good work until January, until then we need to puzzle every time to find the best 11 for that game and make the right changes.
“Borna is a small muscle problem so I don’t know how long he will be out. Tom is also a muscle problem, we will see tomorrow if it is bad or not.”
It was a third defeat by Rangers inside six weeks and Hearts boss Steven Naismith was left ruing missed chances which proved more costly.
He said: “It turned out a tight game. We started OK, when we moved the ball we did all right but at times we either took too long or made too safe a pass.
“We had the biggest chance with Alex (Cochrane) which came from a good move. It doesn’t go in and then we lose a really poor goal.
“For them to have a throw-in in their defensive third and within a few passes they get a chance, we didn’t cover ourselves in glory with that.
“It’s important in those moments that you don’t unravel like you’ve seen probably over the years. We managed to stay in the game. We changed the shape.
“Rangers had a few chances but we defended well. They missed the chances and Zander (Clark) came up with a couple of good saves.
“I think the change of shape helped us. We had more of an attacking threat and then we had a couple of chances towards the end. I’m disappointed not to take anything from the game.”
Milan 3-3 Genoa: Thiaw own goal denies Rossoneri in six-goal thriller
Milan were pegged back to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Genoa in Serie A on Sunday.
Second-half goals from Matteo Gabbia and Olivier Giroud put Milan on course for victory, but a late own goal from Malick Thiaw rescued a point for the visitors.
Genoa's Mateo Retegui converted a penalty five minutes in, but Milan equalised just before half-time through an Alessandro Florenzi header.
The visitors regained the lead three minutes into the second half, however, when Caleb Ekuban sent a towering header home.
Milan turned the game around in three minutes, as Gabbia headed home in the 72nd and Giroud scored the hosts' third of the match with a volley from an acute angle.
Yet Genoa continued to push and a cross into the Milan box was inadvertently turned into his own net by defender Thiaw.
Second-placed Milan have 71 points, six ahead of Juventus who play later on Sunday. Genoa are 12th with 43 points.
Data Debrief: Like a fine wine
Age really is just a number for Milan's veteran campaigner Giroud, who has scored 14 goals in Serie A this season.
It is his highest tally in a single league campaign since netting 16 for Arsenal in the Premier League in 2015-16.
Reggae Girlz forward Jody Brown graduates from Florida State University
Reggae Girl and Florida State University soccer star Jody Brown celebrated a significant milestone this past weekend as she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities. At just 22 years old, Brown has achieved remarkable success both on the soccer field and in her academic pursuits.
Brown was among 101 student-athletes who graduated from FSU between last Friday and Saturday.
During her time at Florida State, Brown played a pivotal role in securing two National Division 1 Soccer titles in 2021 and 2023, adding to her impressive list of accolades. She was also part of four ACC Division One championship-winning teams in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, highlighting her exceptional talent and contribution to collegiate soccer.
Brown's impact extended beyond the field, as she excelled academically, culminating in her graduation this year. Reflecting on her university experience, Brown took to Instagram to express her gratitude and nostalgia: "Four years of unforgettable memories, lessons, and lifelong friendships. Thank you Florida State University."
Her Instagram post garnered warm congratulations from fellow Reggae Girlz teammates, including Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, Kiki van Zanten, and Tiffany Cameron. Jamaican track and field icon Veronica Campbell Brown, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 200m, also joined in celebrating Brown's achievement.
Brown's journey from representing Jamaica at the age of 16 to competing in the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019 and 2023 underscores her dedication and talent both on and off the field. As she embarks on the next chapter of her career, Brown's achievements serve as an inspiration to aspiring athletes and scholars alike, demonstrating the power of determination, resilience, and academic excellence in pursuit of one's goals.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Bayer Leverkusen: Alonso's champions roll on
Bayer Leverkusen extended their unbeaten streak as they secured a 5-1 away victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
The result leaves champions Leverkusen at the summit with 84 points, while Frankfurt sit sixth with 45.
Leverkusen's record unbeaten run, meanwhile, has now extended to 48 matches across all competitions.
Xabi Alonso's team opened the scoring through Granit Xhaka's bending strike from outside the box after 12 minutes.
Hugo Ekitike's perfectly timed header restored parity just after the half-hour mark, however.
Leverkusen retook the lead just before half-time through Patrik Schick's towering header.
It was 3-1 in the 58th minute, Exequiel Palacios converting a penalty after Niels Nkounkou pulled Nathan Tella by the shirt.
Jeremie Frimpong added a fourth for the visitors with 13 minutes remaining, tapping in from short distance, before the wing-back played a key role in Leverkusen's fifth, winning a penalty which was put away by Victor Boniface.
Data Debrief: Club history for free-scoring Leverkusen
Leverkusen have now scored 82 goals in this Bundesliga season, a new season record for the Werkself in the top flight.
They also lead the Bundesliga for the most goals from long-distance (11), most goals from set-pieces (23) and most goals in the final 15 minutes of matches (19).
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