Football: Dijkstra stems Rangers tide

THE DUTCH know a thing or two about defensive barriers, and the appropriately named Sieb Dijkstra constructed one of his own at Ibrox to upset his countryman Dick Advocaat.

Kjell Olofsson's excellent 44th-minute goal may have inflicted the first defeat upon Rangers since that 5-1 hammering by Celtic in November, but it was the Dundee United goalkeeper's impenetrable presence which secured it.

Dijkstra withstood a barrage of pressure as 10-man United clung on and opened up a chink of light in the championship race for the other half of the old firm.

Rangers, as befits a side which had racked up nine straight victories in league and cup since the winter break, were brimming with conviction. The zeal which characterised their early play illustrated that they wanted to add this match quickly to their winning collection. The opening 10 minutes were a blur of attacks, with five good scoring chances created. Only the goalkeeper Dijkstra stood between Dundee United and dismemberment. The 6ft 5in Dutchman thrust out one of his long legs in the fourth minute to deny Jonatan Johannson, blocking the Rangers striker's shot with his boot.

Six minutes later, it was the less trusty boot of Andrei Kanchelskis who maintained parity. True, Dijkstra had incredibly kept out Rod Wallace's header with a one-handed save, but Kanchelskis ought to have buried the loose ball instead of striking it over the bar from point-blank range.

Rangers' movement was so impressive that it seemed only a matter of time until their rampaging midfielders capitalised on the spaces they found behind United's defence. However, gradually that domination evaporated and Dundee United settled. Slowly they pressed the game into Rangers' half and that struck a nervous chord with the league leaders.

Stefan Klos looked anxious in the 27th minute as he watched Kjell Olofsson's 25-yard shot fly just over his bar and three minutes later the German goalkeeper touched Billy Dodds' fine volley over the bar.

Dodds inventiveness in the 43rd minute was squandered when John Eustace seemed perplexed by the striker's dummy, and swiped at fresh air with the goal at his mercy.

However, Eustace atoned just sixty seconds later to allow Olofsson to silence Ibrox. The midfielder on loan from Coventry flicked the ball into the area, Rangers stepped out expecting offside, but Olofsson checked his run and then thumped a right-foot shot into the roof of the net.

Dick Advocaat's response was to replace the defender Scott Wilson with Gabriel Amato, and the Argentinian striker's presence heralded a frenetic second-half for the United defence. Things became even tougher when Magnus Skoldmark was sent off for a second bookable offence after twice bringing down Neil McCann, but Dijkstra then made a vital stop from Amato and the 10 men survived.