McInnes era begins with a whimper as Rangers held by Dundee United

Derek McInnes endured a low-key start to his tenure as Rangers manager as Dundee United held his new side to a 1-1 draw in the opening fixture of the Scottish Premiership season at Tannadice on Friday night.

Lachlan Rose put the home side ahead before the break to strike the first goal of the new campaign, but Thelo Aasgaard’s fine finish just after the hour mark earned McInnes a share of the spoils on his managerial bow.

Rose gives United the edge before Aasgaard responds

Rangers struggled to establish any control in possession during the first half, with United the more threatening of the two sides. Rose’s opener gave the Tangerines a deserved lead at the interval, with Zac Sapsford also causing problems down the flanks without managing to test United goalkeeper Jack Walton’s opposite number.

McInnes’s side improved markedly after the restart, and their pressure told in the 56th minute when Aasgaard produced a well-taken finish to draw them level. Rangers were unable to kick on from there, however, as United regrouped and shut off the space that had led to the equaliser.

The closest either side came to a winner arrived with eight minutes remaining, when substitute Daniel Bennie’s swerving pass sent Jesse Randall clean through on goal. The New Zealand international, though, lacked conviction in front of goal and dinked his effort straight into the grateful arms of Ivor Pandur.

Debuts and a new captain for McInnes

McInnes handed debuts to Pandur, Ben Godfrey, Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland in his first Rangers team selection, with the former Hearts striker also handed the captain’s armband for his first appearance in Ibrox colours. Youssef Chermiti was named among the substitutes, while Ryan Naderi was deployed on the right of the Rangers attack.

Shankland was one of only two Scots to start the match, alongside United’s Dylan Tait, who wore the armband for the home side. The former Falkirk midfielder led a United team that will feel they should have taken all three points given their late chance through Randall.

Shankland threatened early on with a flick that drew a smart save from Walton, whose only other notable intervention in the first half came when he dealt with a header from Naderi that appeared to be drifting narrowly off target in any case.

What it means for the season ahead

A draw on the opening day is hardly the disaster some Rangers supporters may have feared after a summer of change at Ibrox, but it will do little to quiet questions over how quickly McInnes can get his new-look squad functioning as a cohesive unit. With several new faces integrated in defence and attack, patience may be required before the true shape of his Rangers side becomes clear.

For Dundee United, a point against one of Scottish football’s traditional heavyweights represents a solid start, and manager Jack Walton’s men will take confidence from the way they matched Rangers for long periods at Tannadice.

Sources

• BBC Sport
• The Guardian
• Sky Sports

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.