Rangers manager Derek McInnes last night warned his side they have to ramp up the killer instinct in front of goal after branding their attacking stats in the one-goal Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen ‘embarrassing’.

The Ibrox outfit had 25 shots on goal with only five on target at the end of a Hampden tussle settled by a close-range finish from striker Ryan Naderi with just seven minutes left to play.

McInnes feels his players are making too many bad decisions in the final third of the field and has told wide men such as Badredine Bouanani and Kim Min-su, who has yet to record an assist or goal this term, that they need to start pitching in with better figures.

He accepts there is a lack of top-level experience among a group of attackers notable for their youth, but knows there must be improvements in the quest for silverware.

‘We came with the intention of making sure we got the club into a cup final by hook or by crook, and we’ve done the job, so I am really pleased and delighted with the players, in the main, for their perseverance, for keeping going,’ said McInnes.

‘Semi-finals aren’t easy to get through, particularly when you play the way we did in the first half.

‘We were ponderous when we needed to be quicker. When we needed to be calm in the final bit, we snatched and made poor decisions.

‘In terms of the stats, it is actually embarrassing we have had 25 shots and only five on target. It says a lot about the inexperience at the top end of the pitch.

‘That’s for another day. Today was just all about getting through. It’s so important for the club and the supporters to look forward to a cup final.

‘We need to keep arriving in cup finals and get the job done to win trophies.

‘I always feel there’s goals in us,’ said the Ibrox boss. ‘Equally, I was still a bit concerned on counter-attacks. Aberdeen had a couple of moments that gave them oxygen and belief that maybe they could get in the final, but the better team won.

‘Naderi, like all good strikers, is going that way when the defenders are on their heels and he gets these scruffy goals that you want your striker to score.

‘He’s always in the middle of the goal when the ball gets into good areas, but a lot of the time we don’t feed him enough. We make too many bad decisions.

‘Some of the stats that we’re seeing more or less every week at the minute, it’s like making poor decisions, snatching at things, rushing crosses, not making the right pass, not putting the extra pass in. I’m going to keep saying that we’re a young team up there and it’s hard sometimes.

‘You need an old man up there, an old head, nous, who knows just how to bring a bit of savvy and calmness to it.

‘Thankfully, we had that with the goal today, but there were so many other times where we could, if we just take more care, be less rushed and stay calm in those moments, create better opportunities rather than just 25 shots and 20 of them flying over the bar.

‘Those shots on target become double, triple more of what we get, and it’s those wee bits that we need to sharpen up if we’re going to be successful this season.’

Asked if he felt there would be more goals in man-of-the-match Bouanani, McInnes replied: ‘There had better! The wide players need to start scoring goals.

‘Min-su needs to get that demand on himself, Gassama. Bouanani’s got so much quality.

‘The thing with Bouanani is, as soon as he steps on the pitch on that left side, 25 yards out, you think it’s in the net because he does it time and time again in training. If he keeps chapping at the door, I’m sure the goals will come.

‘I’d like to have enjoyed this a wee bit more. Enjoyment comes now, a wee bit of satisfaction when I see the lads in the dressing room celebrating together, but the job now is to go and win the thing.

‘We’ll get six weeks now between now and then where we need to get better at things I just spoke about.

‘We’re on a really strong run just now in terms of wins and being unbeaten over a period of time, but we know we’re not perfect. It’s important that we keep searching for those improvements.’

Naderi lapped up his eighth goal of the season and insisted the right team won.

‘It was wonderful. I am so happy. It was a wonderful second half and we deserved it. It was just a question of time until we scored,’ said Naderi.

‘We had so many corners back-to-back, so much pressure, so many shots on target.’

Captain-for-the-night Nico Raskin, meanwhile, agreed with McInnes’ view that the team has to become more ruthless in front of goal.

‘Their goalkeeper made loads of saves and we could maybe have been a bit more calm in front of goal, but I am just so happy for Ryan and the team we got the goal,’ he said.

‘It is about trying to be more clinical now and enjoying the game more as it is always tense at 0-0 or 1-0. We want to come back to Hampden and win the cup now.’