Derby County concluded their pre-season preparations with a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox Stadium against Rangers.
It was largely a defensive test for Phillip Cocu’s side with Kelle Roos being called upon to make a handful of brilliant saves until Nikola Katic broke the deadlock in the final minutes by heading in at the back post form a corner.
It was the fifth and final pre-season friendly for the Rams who will kick-start their Sky Bet Championship campaign under the lights next Monday when they travel to Huddersfield Town.
A quiet opening 15 minutes was played out at Ibrox with neither side making much of a threat on goal.
Tom Lawrence was the first to have a shot after being fed by Martyn Waghorn, but the wideman sent his effort wide. Greg Docherty then had a pair of low shots saved by Roos within a ten-minute period.
First, on the 19-minute mark, a quick manoeuvring round the left side of the area by the home side ended with Docherty who drew a comfortable save by the Rams’ stopper. His second effort came when he intercepted the ball from high up, but it was another easy stop by Roos.
Moments later the stopper was called into action again to make an instinctive block from Jordan Jones’ close-range effort. The ball returned to Rangers however and Jermain Defoe found space to send an effort hurtling towards the bottom left corner that was matched by Roos’ dive.
Gerrard’s side were on top as the half built, giving Cocu’s side a defensive test. Richard Keogh blocked an effort by Scott Arfield before Glen Kamara fired over to relive the pressure.
Roos was there to keep the score even again just before the break with a brilliant tip over from Filip Herlander’s powerful strike from close range.
The Rams came quickly out the box with Waghorn bursting through on goal battling two markers and ran out of space.
Roos continued with more heroics in the second half, denying Defoe at the near post before batting away a 20-yar effort by Kamara that was heading for the top left corner.
The home side took the lead with seven minutes left to play. After another great save by Roos to knock a shot out. However, Katic headed in the resulting corner.
Rangers: Foderingham; Tavernier (C), Helander (Goldson, 64), Katic, Barisic (Flanagan, 64); Davies (Aribo, 64) (Polster, 64), Kamara; Docherty, Jones (Ojo, 60), Arfield; Defoe (Morelos, 71)
Unused Subs: Firth, Edmundson, Halliday,
Derby County: Roos; Bogle, Keogh (C), Evans (Buchanan, 84), Malone (Lowe, 84); Dowell (Shinnie, 84), Huddlestone, Bennett (Whittaker, 69); Lawrence, Waghorn, Jozefzoon (Anya, 69)
Unused Subs: Mitchell, Martin, Davies, Sibley, Bird