Aussie Rose a thorn for Rangers in opening draw
Australia's Lachlan Rose scored the opening goal of the new Scottish Premiership season as Dundee United led Rangers, but the Glasgow giant came back in the second half to secure a 1-1 draw in the first game of the 2026-2027 season.
The first chance fell the way of Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland, who saw his backheel effort from Djeidi Gassama's cross turned behind by Jack Walton in the third minute.
Rose's eyes lit up when he was played through on goal inside the opening 25 minutes, and although he was halted by a brilliant last-ditch challenge from Emmanuel Fernandez, the Australian forward would not be denied before the break.
Jesse Randall burst into the box and fired in a low cross along the edge of the six-yard box, and while Zachary Sapsford was unable to get a touch, Rose managed to poke in off the post on 38 minutes as Ivor Pandur could not react quickly enough.
But Rangers came out strongly in the second half after a rocket from new boss Derek McInnes and some changes to his line-up, bringing on Dan Neil and Youssef Chermitiand, and it was Thelo Aasgaard who smashed home the equaliser on 56 minutes.
Rangers had other slim chances to win it, but it was Dundee United that arguably had the most glaring opportunity to claim all three points when Randall was put clear on the right of the penalty area, but he fluffed his dinked effort, and it was easily gathered by Pandur.
The draw means Rangers has now failed to win any of its past four season-opening fixtures and will be hoping to turn things in a more positive direction quickly after a poor start to last season effectively ended any hope of winning the Scottish Premiership title, which arch rival Celtic claimed again on the last day of the 2025-2026 season.
"I thought we played [only] for 15 or 20 minutes, and that's not enough if you're going to win a game, particularly away from home," McInnes said after the match.
"After we scored the equaliser, I thought we missed the opportunity to really crank it up.
"The desire to get the equaliser was clear, and I’ve got to credit the players with that. Then, I don’t feel we did enough after that, and that’s what’s frustrating me."
McInnes also suggested Rangers is still in the market to beef up its squad before the transfer window closes, with particular focus on an attacking winger to get at opposition full backs while also providing the type of service he says his strikers rely on to score more goals.
"The squad's [still] not exactly where we want it, we're still fighting to get good options in," he said.
"I think the squad will look a lot different once the [transfer] window closes, so we're still working hard to try and get the right additions in, but clearly we do with a wee bit of help in doing that."
Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin felt the draw was a fair result on the balance of play, but felt his side could have earned more than the point it secured.
“I’m obviously very pleased withthe overall performance, I thought the first half was excellent, I thought we were the better team," he said, before lamenting Randall for his key miss late in the game.
“I can’t get away from the fact that we miss that glorious chance at the end where Jesse Randall is through one-on-one and you’re thinking that’s the moment," Goodwin added.
“Poor decision-making from him in that moment. I don’t think he will make that choice the next time that opportunity comes along.
“He’s apologised to the group, but I can’t be over critical of the player; I think he’s had a terrific game. He’s a really, really talented young prospect. His overall performance was excellent, and I’m sure he’ll be thinking about it into the small hours."
