Jose Mourinho says Jack Butland was fantastic for Rangers against Fenerbahce this evening.
The English goalkeeper made a number of crucial saves for the Ibrox club in their memorable 3-1 victory in Istanbul.
While Barry Ferguson's men were in fine fettle in attack, they were equally, for the majority of the match, stout at the back.
The unexpected switch to a back five doubtless proved crucial, with the likes of Leon Balogun and John Souttar standing out.
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Although he collided with Robin Propper in the first half and forced the Dutch central defender off through injury, Butland remained reliable between the sticks.
Post-match, Mourinho outlined how critical the goalkeeper was, as well as reflecting on how his side could have had a spot-kick: "I know that Butland makes three fantastic saves," he said.
"I know that there is, I think, a penalty, but to speak about the referee after this performance, I don’t think is ethical.
"Our performance was bad overall. The chances we had to score, we didn't. The dynamic in midfield was not good. We lost lots of duels. Our passing was not fast.
"Defensively, we made incredible mistakes."
Although his side are two goals down on aggregate, Mourinho refuses to believe that the tie is over: "They [Rangers] deserve the result," he said (TNT).
"But, for me, it's not over. I know it's 3-1, so we are losing 3-1 when the game starts [next week], but it's not over."
Fenerbahce travel to Ibrox for the hotly anticipated second leg next Thursday.
