Rangers haunted by star return of Academy graduate almost six years on from exit

The 28-year-old Scotland goalkeeper has been Motherwell‘s top player since 2021 after leaving Ibrox in 2018. Liam Kelly’s valor and the Rangers’ carelessness in front of goal combined to produce an incredible performance in Glasgow that resulted in a shocking loss. Although Rangers’ finishing has been the subject of some inquiry in the post-match aftermath, Liam Kelly deserves praise for sending a message in this Scottish Premiership drama.

Liam Kelly’s Motherwell heroics

Liam Kelly came very close to winning Man of the Match in the Rangers vs. Motherwell match, according to FootMob. Blair Spittal was given an 8.6, Liam Kelly’s heroics in goal got an 8.5, and the statistics support what was an outstanding showing. Liam Kelly made an amazing nine saves during the game, including four diving saves, four box saves, and eleven recoveries.

A crucial part of the game was stopping the careless Cyriel Dessers in the first half and making an outstanding double save with Motherwell up 2-1 in the second. Reaching down to block a shot from Ridvan Yilmaz, the save gave Motherwell the advantage and demonstrated the Steelemen’s team’s dedication as they won at Ibrox.

Rangers sent Scottish Premiership warning

After the game, Rangers manager Philippe Clement discussed his team’s subpar performance and claimed that the team’s xG of 3.71 should have been enough to win. Simultaneously, Motherwell’s xG of 0.99 essentially depicts the tale of an inefficient game that could have been extremely expensive in the race for the top spot.

Rangers were ultimately exonerated following Hearts’ victory over Celtic at Tynecastle, but the Ibrox team was undoubtedly given a warning. The Motherwell goalie isn’t the only one to put up a strong performance at Ibrox this season; Liam Kelly may have needed to be at the top of his game to defeat Rangers. The goalkeeper spent time on loan at East Fife and Livingston before moving to the Tony Macaroni in 2018. Despite passing the Ibrox Academy, the goalie did not play a single game for the Rangers.

Although it didn’t help, Philip Clement, the manager of the Gers, lost his first game at Ibrox because of Alan Muir’s refusal to substitute Dan Casey. Brendan Rodgers’ choice to single out John Beaton for criticism sets a risky precedent. The SFA may be calling the Celtic manager because of his outburst with Rangers great Kris Boyd over the hypocrisy in the situation.

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