Dejan Kulusevski's strike was enough to earn Tottenham Hotspur a point away at Rangers in a heavyweight Europa League clash that was a great advert for British football.
Rangers welcomed back a former foe in Ange Postecoglou, with this fixture marking his first competitive return to the Ibrox since he was in charge of their Scottish rivals, Celtic, back in 2023. Spurs entered the contest winless in their last four matches in all competitions, and dealing with a plethora of injuries, while Rangers are in fine form, having not lost since the end of October (six wins, two draws).
The Battle of Britain got off to a raucous start with both sides seeing early chances present themselves, but it was Rangers who started the brightest, exploiting Spurs' defensive woes and looking to get in behind. However, they failed to take advantage, missing a few glorious chances, and the tempo quickly ramped up, with it turning into a very open affair with both sides making unforced errors.
With Rangers in firm control of the match, and looking the most likely to break the deadlock, they were forced into a substitution at the half-hour mark, with John Souttar going down with a non-contact injury, handing a much-needed break to Tottenham. But, with the half-time whistle approaching, it was the Scottish side who once again stepped up a gear, with Hamza Igamane pulling off a beautiful sequence of play, nutmegging two Spur players on his way to creating an effort, though to no avail.
Entering the second-half having put up a combined 15 attempts, it seemed only a matter of time before the match brought a goal. Fans had to wait just one more minute, with the man in form, Igamane scoring with a first-time effort after an excellent delivery from James Tavernier - a very fine, technical finish.
With Spurs conceding again, Rangers continued to pile on the pressure with the visitors unable to get out of their own half. This forced Postecoglou to make a triple-change with the hope they could build some momentum.
While they struggled to get past the Rangers threat, in one lapse of judgement, it was the substitutes who combined for the equaliser, with Dominic Solanke's hold-up play allowing him to put the ball across the box, which was dummied by James Maddison, and latched onto by Kulusevski, who slotted it past Jack Butland.
Cyriel Dessers thought he had scored the winner for the home side after he used his clever footwork to create the space for a 1v1 shot on goal, but Forster came up trumps, making a stellar save. He did find the back of the net just a few minutes later, but he was miles offside. Solanke had a chance at the other end in the closing stages, but his header was a tame one, and the points were shared.
Match Highlights
Rangers Player Ratings
GK - Jack Butland - 6/10
Played a few nervy balls out with his feet that almost led to Spurs chances. Made some vital saves but could have done better in dealing with Kulusevski's strike.
RB - James Tavernier - 7.5/10
Tavernier dealt well with the Spurs attack out wide, but it was his play in attack which was superior. His cross into the box evaded the Tottenham defence and was hit with pinpoint accuracy for Igamane to latch onto.
CB - John Souttar - 6/10
Defended solidly, though he had little to do. Was substituted at the half-hour mark after picking up what looked to be a groin injury after playing a pass forward.
CB - Robin Propper - 7/10
Stout in defence, keeping Spurs' attackers very quiet indeed. Didn't see as much action as he perhaps expected, with his midfielders in front of him preventing Spurs from getting forward often.
LB - Ridvan Yilmaz - 7/10
Was interchangeable with Jefte down the left flank, providing a little bit of unpredictability to Spurs' defence. Looked very dangerous bursting forward, getting into central areas and creating a few key chances for his teammates.
CM - Nicolas Raskin - 7/10
Very solid in the midfield, playing passes with a high degree of accuracy. Always looked to play long balls over the top, which yielded success. Did the dirty work defensively, putting his body in front of the ball by any means necessary.
CM - Mohamed Diomande - 7/10
Got needlessly booked after a deliberate handball, meaning he will be unavailable for their fixture against Man United in the new year. Was a threat going forward, and was crucial in some of Rangers' attacks, making quite a few key passes.
CM - Nedim Bajrami - 7/10
Was a bit of a nightmare for Spurs to deal with at times, keen on venturing forward. Caught out in possession on a few occasions, but his pressing was decent.
RW - Vackav Cerny - 8/10
Bright throughout, especially in the first half, where he was the liveliest player on the pitch. If Rangers were going to score in that first period, Cerny was going to play some role in it. Fizzled out slightly in the second-half and was subbed with 20 minutes left to play.
ST - Hamza Igamane - 8/10
Was a menace to Spurs' makeshift centre-back pairing from the jump, and his dazzling footwork was on full display, with him nutmegging two Spurs players in one sequence. His second-half goal was thoroughly deserved, and the strike was a piece of technical brilliance.
LW - Jefte - 6/10
Played both as a left-winger and left-back in the contest, and while it was a solid outing, he had one nervy moment when his header back to his goalkeeper almost went past him.
Sub - Leon Balogun - 7/10
Played an hour after being needed in the first half after an injury to Souttar. A like-for-like replacement, he was strong both in aerial, and ground, duels. Barely touched the ball, though.
Sub - Connor Barrow - 5/10
Barely saw the ball in his half-hour stint, touching it just single-digit times.
Sub - Dujon Sterling - 5/10
Made just three passes in 20 minutes, completing just one of them. Like Barrow, he was a virtual non-factor.
Sub - Cyriel Dessers - 7/10
Thought he had scored the winner, but he was quite a way offside. Looked very lively in the closing stages of the contest, keeping Spurs' back-line both busy, and nervous.
Sub - Robbie Fraser - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK - Fraser Forster - 6/10
The former Celtic keeper was met with a round of boos every time he received the ball. While his ball distribution was questionable, he did keep his side in it in the first half, blocking the flurry of chances that came his way.
RB - Pedro Porro - 4/10
Looked a threat going forward, but was cheap in possession and struggled tracking back, which saw Rangers always look to play the ball - and with success - down that vacant side.
CB - Radu Dragusin - 6/10
Played on his unfavoured side of the left of the defence. Defended well at times, and had to be assertive as the only recognised centre-back on the pitch. But his passes forward were poor, often making unforced errors when Spurs needed to build momentum and go on the attack.
CB - Archie Gray - 6.5/10
The teenager found himself in a new position in Spurs' backline, partnering Dragusin in central defence due to the club's onslaught of defensive injuries. Showed composure under pressure, and did well all things considered.
LB - Destiny Udogie - 5/10
Looked a threat in attack down the left flank, but struggled to deal with the livewire that was Cerny. Grew into the game as time passed.
CM - Rodrigo Bentancur - 5/10
With no domestic football due to his ban, it is unsurprising that he looked slightly off the pace. There were times he could have advanced the ball forward, but opted to take the safe option, slowing down the play and passing the ball backwards. This didn't bode well as it allowed Rangers to gain control of the pace.
CM - Yves Bissouma - 4/10
The Mali international was a non-factor against the dominant Rangers midfield trio, struggling both in and out of possession. Barely touched the ball by his usual standards and was one of the three to make way in Spurs' triple-substitution.
CM - James Maddison - 6/10
Still looks as though he is playing to prove himself to the manager, but he created very little despite always looking to play the ball forward. His best contribution was his dummy over the ball in the build-up to Kulusevski's equalising goal.
RW - Brennan Johnson - 5/10
One of his poorer outings in what has been a very good season for the Welshman. Struggled to create anything noteworthy and was subbed on the hour mark.
ST - Heung-min Son - 6/10
Didn't hold up the play very well, which is to be expected for someone who isn't a natural No. 9. Moved into his more favourable position when Solanke came on in the second half, and when Spurs were able to get the ball in attacking areas, they looked a bigger threat.
LW - Timo Werner - 4/10
The German winger just looks devoid of all confidence. Didn't look as though he believed he would score when good chances presented themselves to him. Did do the hard yards tracking back, though his first touch let him down on multiple occasions. Unsurprising that he was subbed off at the half.
Sub - Dejan Kulusevski - 7/10
Was introduced perhaps a little earlier than Postecoglou would have liked, but needs must. He was energetic down the right-flank and made a perfect run centrally to ensure he was in the right position to receive the ball and slot home the equaliser.
Sub - Dominic Solanke - 7/10
His hold-up play was something that Spurs were missing before he came on, and it was that which ultimately allowed Spurs to get a foot back in the game.
Sub - Pape Matar Sarr - 6/10
Much calmer in the midfield, and saw the ball often. Balanced out the midfield that had struggled so much in the first half.
Sub - Lucas Bergvall - 7/10
Had a shot with his first touch of the game, but it was well wide. Looked very confident in his 20-minute cameo, looking to make adventurous passes forward to keep his team on the attack.
Man of the Match
Hamza Igamane (Rangers)
Igamane's majestic footwork was on full display tonight. He ran the Spurs defence riot for 90 minutes, and he made them look silly on multiple occasions, at one point, nutmegging two players in a row.
While the 22-year-old's superb strike at the start of the second-half wasn't enough to earn Rangers all three points, he was a threat all game long. The Moroccan's attacking offering is surely enough to see a bigger club come in for him later on in his career, sooner if not later.
