Glasgow Rangers continued their excellent start under Philippe Clement as they delivered a five-star show against Dundee at Dens Park last night.
The kick-off was delayed until 8.30pm due to traffic issues in the area and after only eight minutes of the match, the players trudged off the pitch due to a fire alarm being set off following a stunning pyrotechnic display by the away support.
The Gers soon started to cause plenty of problems to the home side, taking a single-goal lead into the halftime break in what was a controlled performance.
Four more goals followed in a wonderful second-half display and Clement will be buoyed by how well his starting XI performed, especially Danilo, who made his first start since September.
Danilo’s statistics vs Dundee
The Brazilian hitman netted a last-minute winner against Hearts last weekend and despite still recovering from his fractured cheekbone suffered a couple of months ago, he was given a start by the Belgian last night.
It proved to be an inspired move as the striker took nine shots in total during the tie, looking like a real livewire leading the line.
He did miss four chances, yet the former Feyenoord forward got on the scoresheet in the second half, and he also set up Sam Lammers for his goal.
He lost possession just three times and managed to make four key passes during his time on the pitch and his display proves that he should be Clement’s number one option to lead the line going forward.
It was Lammers who looked like a man reborn however, and he put in arguably his finest performance last night for the Light Blues.
Sam Lammers stats vs Dundee
Starting the match just behind Danilo, the Dutchman did link up rather well during a first half which promised much but delivered just one goal.
He came to life in the second half and like Danilo, he grabbed a goal and an assist, while taking 57 touches during his spell on the pitch.
His goal was wonderfully taken and was praised by Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie, who said: “What a finish from Sam Lammers - stunning finish from range.
“He’s had a tough time as of late but that was a great moment. Turns his man, moves onto his left and finds the net spectacularly.”
Lammers also succeeded with two out of three attempted dribbles along with creating one big chance and playing one key pass, a decent return for a player who has struggled immensely this season.
His display was promising, and hopefully it allows him to click into gear and start producing the goods on a regular basis for Clement during this new era at Ibrox.
While one good performance won't completely eradicate the scrutiny that has come his way since he joined in the summer, it may well be the catalyst to salvaging his career in Scotland.
It was a solid away result by the Gers and game by game they are showing big improvements. With a tie against Hearts on Sunday for a place in the League Cup final, Clement will need his players to play exactly like they did last night.