Rangers manager Derek McInnes stands a final away from delivering a first major trophy in charge at Ibrox, at the first time of asking, after Ryan Naderi's late winner overcame stubborn Aberdeen at Hampden Park. Either Hearts or Hibernian will be the opponents come December as the former Hearts, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen boss seeks just his second major trophy after over 800 matches in various dugouts. Yet, overseeing a turnaround in form that has culminated in an 11-game unbeaten run doesn't seem to have left McInnes completely content as he called for more from his side despite taking another significant step in a season that offers increasing promise.
It's perhaps a measure of what he sees is required to succeed at a club so starved of consistent silverware. A reminder that standards aren't where he wants them to be. Naderi goal puts Rangers into League Cup final at expense of Aberdeen The Ibrox side have enjoyed an impressive seven clean sheets during this unbeaten run.
That's been the bedrock, with Olwethu Makhanya performing consistently at centre-half. Another shutout against Aberdeen went a long way given their inability to convert chances. Rangers had 74% possession in their semi-final win.
They had 25 shots on goal but just five on target until Naderi tapped home on 83 minutes. "The job was to get the team and the club into a cup final and it's job done by hook or by crook," McInnes told BBC Scotland. "The stats will show possession, 25 shots, but to only have five shots on target isn't good enough.
"Those stats are similar to what we see most weeks in terms of not enough shots on target and it's bad decision-making. "It's such an important goal for us to get into the final but we do need to improve. "Hopefully between now and then [the final] we can keep winning games but there has to be an obligation from all of us to try and get better performances." Arriving from the German third tier in February, Naderi cut an unconvincing figure last season with many doubting his credentials to lead the line for Rangers.
His Hampden winner adds to his collection of vital goals, having scored in the 1-0 league win at Celtic Park. His tally of eight goals is a good return but also his impact overall, in the absence of Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti, has contributed significantly to Rangers' rise. "Naderi is just a man that is completely transformed this season," former Ibrox midfielder Andy Halliday insisted.
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