Livingston1 (Sylla 67) Rangers 2 (Tavernier 22, Aarons 90)
Rangers finally secured their first League win of the new campaign with a 2-1 success at the ‘Set Fare Arena’, Livingston, courtesy of a late goal from Max Aarons – although this was a game where the Ibrox men have been out of sight by half-time.
Russell Martin made three changes from Thursday evening with Oliver Antman, Connor Barron and Bojan Miovski coming in for Mikey Moore, Mohammed Diomande and Youssef Chermiti.
Most Read on FollowFollow.com Russell Martin’s Waterloo – Rangers 0-1 Genk Alex McLeish – from Govan to Genk
Rangers – wearing all-blue – have never found the Livingston ground a particularly comfortable venue.
Livi – captained by former Ranger Danny Wilson – were first to threaten on the hated artificial surface when Lewis Smith’s twenty-yard shot flew wide of the target.
Bojan Miovski had a great chance to open the scoring in the twelfth minute as he broke through on a Nico Raskin pass only to fire over the bar.
They were soon in better spirits however when the deadlock was broken seven minutes later when James Tavernier hooked the ball home after a Djeidi Gassama cross from the left had been played back across goal by Antman.
The Ibrox skipper had a great chance to double his tally in the 22nd minute from the penalty spot following a VAR review by Referee John Beaton (for Stevie May’s foul on Nico Raskin), only to see his powerful spot-kick strike the foot of home ‘keeper Jerome Prior.
Rangers shrugged off that miss and were soon beating a constant path towards the home goal – a low twenty-yard Barron drive from a Gassama opening producing a superb one-handed save from Prior.
With the interval fast approaching the Light Blues continued to press for a second goal – from a Tavernier corner, Thelo Aasgaard’s volley was blocked by Prior, then on 43 minutes, this time from a ‘Tav’ free-kick, Derek Cornelius rifled the ball home only for VAR to rule out the strike due to handball.
Rangers must have wondered how on earth their lead at the interval was just that solitary goal – the main reason of course being the outstanding Prior in the home goal.
The second-half however would be an entirely different story – the first suggestion to that effect coming just after the hour when Stevie May’s shot was turned over by Jack Butland,
Midway through the second-half the scores were levelled when Mo Sylla rose unchallenged to head home from an Adam Montgomery cross
With the minutes ticking away, a plethora of substitutions saw Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell and Chermiti come on for Cornelius, Aasgaard and Antman in the 72nd minute and both Nedim Bajrami and Moore coming on for Barron and Meghoma as Russell Martin changed formation to a back three.
Rangers were pouring forward, searching for the winner that their first-half performance undoubtedly deserved as a share of the points loomed large on the horizon.
A pinpoint 89th minute cross from Rothwell found Miovski, whose header appeared bound for the back of the net only for that man Prior to turn it over.
The Ibrox men kept fighting to the end however – and halfway through an additional eight minutes of stoppage time from yet another Tavernier corner, the ball was flicked across goal by Moore for Aarons to rifle home at the back post.
The points were secured – and a first League win of the season duly chalked up.
Livingston: Prior; Finlayson (Blaney 64), Sylla, Wilson, Montgomery; Smith (Carey 87), Susoho (Yengi 87), Pittman, Tait, Winter (McLennan 64); May (Bokila 72)
Unused Subs: Hamilton, Muirhead, Robinson, Shinnie
Rangers: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Cornelius (Aarons 72), Meghoma (Moore 80); Antman (Youssef Chermiti 72), Barron (Bajrami 80), Raskin, Aasgaard (Rothwell 72), Gassama; Miovski
Unused Subs: Diomande, Kelly, Djiga, Curtis
Referee: John Beaton
By Robert McElroy
