Rangers are made to work

Rangers 4 Motherwell 3

As Tom Jones might say, it was a case of history repeating at Hampden Park yesterday, though not in the way everyone predicted. Rangers might have reached their 48th Scottish Cup final, but they had to delve into their locker just as they did 27 years ago.

The holders required a comeback, as they did when these side met in the semi-finals in 1976, to prevent Terry Butcher's young side from stealing their place in the final back at the national stadium on 31 May.

Two goals in as many minutes from Michael Mols and Lorenzo Amoruso turned the game completely for the holders, who had almost been swept off the pitch by Motherwell's vigour in the first half.

Butcher can be proud of his team. The Motherwell manager saw his drive mirrored in the faces of players who were barely born when he captained England in the 1986 World Cup finals, before he completed a ground-breaking move to Rangers. Indeed, the praise that came later from the current Ibrox captain spoke volumes. "We're just glad to be in the final, but Motherwell were the better team," Barry Ferguson acknowledged.

Motherwell even recovered from the loss of an early goal as Bert Konterman put Rangers in front after less than two minutes. Ferguson was allowed space to turn near the corner flag, and his cutback was not blocked by Derek Adams, which allowed Konterman to measure a 20-yard right-foot shot that flew past the goalkeeper, François Dubourdeau.

Game over? No, game on. Motherwell took a quarter of an hour to gather their fluent passing game together and equalised through Steven Craig, after Martyn Corrigan's weighted pass was gathered by James McFadden, who clipped a teasing ball across the face of goal for Craig to beat Stefan Klos with a close-range finish.

McFadden has everything in his game, as he proved in the 26th minute when he put Motherwell ahead. The teenage Scotland player benefited from a delightful exchange of passing between Corrigan, Craig and Steven Pearson. The ball broke into McFadden's path and he curled a left-foot shot into the roof of the net from 16 yards.

Motherwell's other teenage striker, David Clarkson, could have finished the game before half-time. McFadden seized on a blunder by Amoruso and crossed for Clarkson, but the 17-year-old slashed his volley wide of an open goal. It was to be a pivotal moment.

Mols restored parity in the 56th minute when Steven Thompson broke and delivered a pass into his path that the Dutchman crisply drove beyond Dubourdeau. Before Motherwell could gather their composure, Amoruso strode forward to meet a Fernando Ricksen free-kick and head Rangers in front.

Then David Partridge headed an own goal in the 72nd minute, from Kevin Muscat's cross, to seal the contest, but Motherwell refused to lie down and Adams struck in stoppage time, with a hook shot from six yards, to restore a measure of pride.

Rangers 4
Konterman 2, Mols 56, Amoruso 60, Partridge og 73

Motherwell 3
Craig 15, McFadden 27, Adams 90

Half-time: 1-2 Attendance: 29,352