Emmanuel Fernandez urges Rangers to be more clinical after Motherwell victory

Rangers must improve their finishing despite securing a narrow 1-0 win over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, Nigerian defender Emmanuel Fernandez says.

The result gave Rangers a third successive league victory and extended their winning run to three matches in all competitions as they continue to recover from their slow start to the season.

Rangers dominated possession and created enough opportunities to have won more comfortably, but they were unable to add to the only goal of the game. The Gers recorded 27 shots, although just six were on target, leaving Fernandez convinced there is room for improvement in the final third.

The match was complicated for Rangers early on when striker Lawrence Shankland was forced to leave the field because of injury. His replacement, Ryan Naderi, made an immediate contribution, opening the scoring in the 12th minute.

Naderi took advantage of an error by Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, who was caught out as the Rangers forward finished into an empty net.

Despite failing to build on their early lead, Rangers remained in control for much of the contest and successfully protected their advantage. The victory followed earlier wins against Aberdeen and Falkirk.

The three points lifted Rangers to third place in the Scottish Premiership table. They remain five points behind leaders and reigning champions Celtic.

Fernandez has attracted criticism for some of his performances this season, while Rangers manager Derek McInnes has acknowledged that the defender’s displays have generally fallen below the standards expected at the club.

However, the Super Eagles defender has now helped Rangers keep clean sheets in two consecutive matches as the team’s defensive form continues to improve.

After the win over Motherwell, Fernandez expressed satisfaction with the team’s display but highlighted their lack of efficiency in front of goal as an area that needs attention. Rangers’ high number of attempts produced only one goal, despite the pressure they applied during the match.

The defender has also started to build a new partnership at the heart of the Rangers defence with South African centre-back Olwethu Makhanya, who joined from MLS club Philadelphia Union.

Fernandez and Makhanya combined to help Rangers record another clean sheet against Motherwell, and Fernandez believes their understanding can develop further as the campaign progresses.

Rangers will return to Scottish Premiership action against St Mirren on Wednesday. Fernandez and his team-mates will be aiming to maintain their recent run of results while reducing the gap to Celtic at the top of the table.