Naderi's late winner sends Rangers into League Cup final as McInnes demands more

Rangers are one game away from their first major trophy under Derek McInnes after Ryan Naderi's late goal beat Aberdeen 1-0 in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden.

Naderi tapped in from close range with seven minutes left to break the deadlock in a match Rangers dominated. They will face either Hearts or Hibernian, who meet in the other semi-final today, in the final in December.

'Not good enough'

Rangers had 74% of the ball and 25 shots, but only five were on target before Naderi's winner. McInnes said the job was to get the club into a final and it had been done by hook or by crook, but that the shooting statistics were not good enough and reflected bad decision-making.

He said there had to be an obligation on everyone to improve before the final.

Unbeaten run

The win extends Rangers' unbeaten run to 11 games, with seven clean sheets, built on the consistent form of centre-half Olwethu Makhanya.

McInnes has managed more than 800 matches but won only one major trophy. He is now chasing a second, at the first attempt in charge at Ibrox. Rangers have won just three trophies since 2012.

Naderi's transformation

Naderi, signed from the German third tier in February, struggled to convince last season, but now has eight goals, including the winner in Rangers' 1-0 league victory at Celtic Park. With Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti injured, the Czech forward has led the line.

McInnes described him as a bit of a parasite who thrives on service, and said the team needed to give him more quality crosses. Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday said Naderi was completely transformed.

McInnes said reaching finals should be the norm at Rangers, and that winning the semi-final kept the feel-good factor and the noise quiet.