Forget Arfield: Electric Rangers beast with 12 duels won stole the show for GVB - opinion

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s sublime start to life in charge of Rangers continued as he led his side to a 1-0 win at Ibrox in the Premiership on Wednesday night.

The Gers beat Livingston in a frustrating match to watch as the away side dug in deep and fought hard in an attempt to come away with a point and a clean sheet.

Scott Arfield came off the bench to win the match as he delightfully lobbed the ball over the Livi goalkeeper from a Borna Barisic cut-back.

Although the Canadian substitute ultimately sealed the three points, the real star of the show for van Bronckhorst was wide attacker Fashion Sakala.

The electric Zambia international was sensational in the absence of Ryan Kent and was unlucky not to end the match with a goal or assist to show for his efforts. He was a constant menace to the Livingston defence and played a huge role in the side’s dominance throughout the game.

Off the ball, he worked his socks off for the team. As per SofaScore, he won a whopping 12 of his 19 ground duels, whilst winning four tackles and only committing two fouls. This shows that he did not shy away from the physical side of the match and was willing to put his body where it hurt to win his individual battles to benefit himself and the team.

Offensively, he was outstanding. Via SofaScore, he managed three shots on target and created an impressive four chances for his teammates – suggesting that those around him let him down as they were unable to tuck away the opportunities he presented them with.

He also completed an exceptional seven of his nine attempted dribbles, showing that he was able to beat the full-back with ease to get fans off their seats and up in excitement.

Therefore, he was the real star of the show for van Bronckhorst