Rangers must raise quality level quickly

Motherwell 1 Rangers 1

Terry Butcher found more than a few chinks in Rangers' armour yesterday that may be punished ruthlessly by Manchester United on Wednesday night, as his young Motherwell team hounded the Scottish champions into dropping two points at Fir Park.

Had Stefan Klos not made a desperate save from David Clarkson near the end, Alex McLeish's team could have been going into the Champions' League game at Ibrox on the back of a numbing defeat.

Indeed, the Rangers manager admitted later that "there is plenty of work to be done". His old boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, had watched Rangers put under intense pressure by Butcher's side, and McLeish said: "He will be going home thinking that if we play like that, then Manchester United will have a comfortable time at Ibrox.

"But we have a lot more in the team than we showed today and the players know they have to raise their game on Wednesday night," he added. "We need to do a bit of work between now and Wednesday to make sure that we do a whole lot better."

Yet Rangers got off to the start they wanted when Shota Arveladze fired them ahead after 14 minutes, latching on to a sublime chip from Zurab Khizanishvili and lobbing Gordon Marshall.

However, 10 minutes later Motherwell were level. Steven Craig's cross was met by Stephen Pearson, who went wide of Klos and drove a right-foot shot through a ruck of defenders.

Mols then allowed Steven Craigan to clear his shots off the line twice, while Keith Lasley failed to convert a point-blank chance just after the hour that would have killed Rangers off.

Goals: Arveladze (15) 0-1; Pearson (25) 1-1.

Motherwell (4-4-2) Marshall; Corrigan, Craigan, Partridge, Hammell; Lasley, Leitch, Adams, Pearson; Clarkson, Craig (Dair, 79). Substitutes not used: Corr (gk), MacDonald, Fagan, Wright.

Rangers (4-3-3): Klos; Ricksen (Capucho, 79), Moore, Berg, Ball; Emerson (Ostenstad, 60), Arteta, Khizanishvili; Arveladze, Mols, Lovenkrands (Vanoli, 68). Substitutes not used: McGregor (gk), Hughes.

Referee: D McDonald.

Booked: Rangers: Moore, Ricksen, Khizanishvili.

Man of the match: Clarkson.

Attendance: 10,824.