Rangers fight back to see off Motherwell to set up cup final date with Celtic

Rangers fought back from a goal down to defeat Motherwell 2-1 at Hampden and reach the Premier Sports Cup final.

Under-fire manager Philippe Clement has led his side to the final against Celtic, where they will look to successfully defend the trophy they won at the national stadium last year.

Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrami scored the vital goals after Andy Halliday had put Motherwell in front, easing the pressure on the manager and the team after their midweek defeat to Aberdeen.

Rangers dominated in the early stages but couldn’t find a way to goal and they were stunned when Motherwell did just that on a rare foray upfield in the 27th minute.

Steve Seddon ran up the left flank and had time to swing in a deep cross. Halliday had made a lung-bursting run to get into the box and he met the cross to poke the ball past Jack Butland and into the net. The former Ibrox man didn’t celebrate wildly but Motherwell fans were joyous at taking the lead against the run of play.

Rangers looked rocked but instantly pushed forward, with Tom Lawrence trying his luck from distance but the creative midfielder was soon forced off through injury and was replaced by Mohamed Diomande.

Just before half-time Dessers had a golden opportunity to draw Rangers level. Diomande’s shot was palmed by Aston Oxborough and Dessers was perfectly placed to knock in the rebound but fired wide of the post.

Rangers fans made their displeasure known at the half-time whistle and Clement’s side needed a response. They found it four minutes after the restart.

Connor Barron carried the ball into the penalty area and then slid it across to Dessers who made no mistake this time, tucking his finish inside the post to make it 1-1.

Rangers were on the front foot again and James Tavernier put a chance over the bar just after the hour mark.

Vaclav Cerny then had two good opportunities to take the lead as Motherwell were forced further back.

With ten minutes to go, Rangers found the goal they needed. Cerny, who was a constant thorn in Motherwell’s side, cut inside from the right side and picked out Bajrami. The attacker’s shot took a deflection off Kofi Balmer, arced over Oxborough and bounced over the line to make it 2-1.

Motherwell threw themselves forward in search of an equaliser but Rangers kept their cool and saw out the remaining time and six minutes of stoppage time to ensure progress to the final.

After a rocky start to the season, they’ll now face their rivals in December with the first silverware of the season on the line.