Teenager Matthew Wright saves a dramatic point for Ross County with last gasp equaliser against Rangers in the Scottish Premiership
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Ross County 3 (White, Charles-Cook, Wright)
Rangers 3 (Diallo, Tavernier, Goldson)
Youngster Matthew Wright was the hero for Ross County as they salvaged a late point against Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
It was the visitors who had gone ahead early on through the debuting Amad Diallo, but Jordan White and Regan Charles-Cook turned the game around before half time.
Rangers came back strongly in the second half with goals from James Tavernier and Connor Goldson, but it was teenager Wright who had the last laugh – scoring five minutes into injury time to ensure that County would be rewarded for their efforts with something against the defending champions.
Malky Mackay made four changes to his starting line-up, with Blair Spittal out of the squad completely and Connor Randall, Declan Drysdale and Dominic Samuel dropping to the bench with Jack Baldwin, Kayne Ramsay, Jordan Tillson and Joe Hungbo all coming into the side.
Much of the attention centred around a change for Rangers, though, as Amad Diallo made his debut for the club after signing on loan from Manchester United.
He got off to the dream start to life in Scotland too as he scored in just the fourth minute.
Rangers worked the ball down the left-hand side, and Joe Aribo was the man to send a low cross towards the far post, leaving the Ivory Coast international with a simple tap in to open his account for the defending champions.
Aribo was running the show, also creating a chance for Scott Arfield that Ashley Maynard-Brewer had to make the save for.
Little by little, though, County grew into the game. When they got the ball down and were able to play, they looked like they had the potential to trouble the visitors in Dingwall – they just opted to go for the long ball that did not come off for them too often.
One of those situations where they tried to work the ball into the middle presented them with a chance to equalise. Hungbo whipped the ball in towards Jordan White, and although it looked like it should be a simple take for Allan McGregor the Rangers keeper spilled the ball at White's feet, allowing him to roll in to an empty net to level the scores.
Another mistake allowed the Staggies to take the lead just before the half hour mark.
A mix up between Borna Barisic and Calvin Bassey sent the Premiership's top scorer Regan Charles-Cook through on goal, and with the form he has been in this season he was never going to make any mistake as he netted his 10th goal of the campaign to put County 2–1 ahead.
Rangers attempted to respond, and Maynard-Brewer had to make further saves from Glenn Kamara, James Tavernier and Arfield again before the half was up to preserve County's advantage going into the break.
As it turned out, that was a sign of things to come, as Rangers would ramp up the pressure again after the restart.
Arfield stung Maynard-Brewer's gloves, before a similar shot moments later from Diallo was parried, and not cleared by the County defence, which gave Tavernier the time to make it 2–2 with a simple finish.
Rangers continued to bear down on County's goal after drawing level, and it took various different moments of desperate defending from County to not concede again.
The Staggies resistance could not last forever, though, and Connor Goldson put Rangers back in front in the 75th minute.
Rangers had kept the pressure on after a corner came to nothing, but while Maynard-Brewer made a good save with his feet to deny Arfield, he could do nothing about Connor Goldson's follow up header into the back of the net.
Going behind almost seemed to spur County back in to life. For the first time in the second half they went forward in response to Goldson's goal and won a corner, which Hungbo sent towards Keith Watson at the back post – only for County's captain to miss the target.
They were very nearly made to pay when Kemar Roofe hit the woodwork at the other end, and similarly when Fashion Sakala was played through on the counter attack only to be denied by Maynard-Brewer, either of which most likely would have sealed the points for Rangers in the final 15 minutes if they had gone in.
Seven minutes of added time gave County every chance to get back into it, and they did find an equaliser deep into the added period. Hungbo's corner was not dealt with, and after a couple of swipes at the ball from County players, it fell to Matthew Wright to finish at the back post in dramatic fashion.
With very little time for either side to find a winner, Rangers and Ross County had to settle for a point each – which with St Johnstone and Dundee's matches getting called off moves the Staggies a point further clear of the relegation zone.
Ross County: Maynard-Brewer, Vokins (Watson 64), Baldwin, H. Paton (Samuel 57), Callachan (Burroughs 83), Iacovitti, Charles-Cook, Ramsay, Tillson, Hungbo, White (Wright 83).
Subs not used: Laidlaw, Randall, Drysdale, B Paton, MacKinnon.
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Bassey, Goldson, Diallo (Sakala 65), Itten (Roofe 59), Kent, Aribo, Kamara, Barisic, Arfield (Lundstram 89).
Subs not used: McLaughlin, Jack, Sands, Wright, Lowry, King.
Referee: Nick Walsh
Yellow cards: Ross County – Vokins (6), Baldwin (13), Samuel (70).
