Diomandé's Decisive Strike Rescues Rangers
Rangers secured a vital three points in the Scottish Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Livingston, though the performance revealed significant concerns following the international break. Philippe Clement's side appeared disjointed throughout much of the contest at Ibrox, struggling to find their rhythm against a determined Livingston outfit.
Injury Crisis Impacts Home Side
The match began under a cloud of injury concerns for Rangers, with John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, Mikey Moore and Youssef Chermiti all ruled out after picking up knocks while representing their countries. This defensive crisis presented an opportunity for summer signing Emmanuel Fernandez, who made only his third start since arriving from Peterborough.
The 24-year-old centre-back made an immediate impact, breaking the deadlock after just nine minutes with a powerful header that sent the home fans into early celebration. However, Rangers' advantage proved short-lived as Livingston's Australian striker Tete Yengi capitalised on some sloppy defending to equalise after 18 minutes.
Second Half Revival Secures Points
As the match progressed, Rangers' play became increasingly fragmented, lacking both urgency and creativity in the final third. The home supporters grew restless as their team struggled to break down a resolute Livingston defence that grew in confidence as the clock ticked down.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 78th minute when Mohamed Diomandé found himself in the perfect position to tap into an empty net after Bojan Miovski's clever assist. The goal marked Diomandé's first of the season and provided Rangers with a crucial winner that spared their blushes.
Elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership
Meanwhile, Hibernian enjoyed a more comfortable afternoon, securing a 2-0 victory over Dundee at Easter Road. The match saw Kieron Bowie deliver an impressive performance, breaking the deadlock on the half-hour mark with a well-taken effort before providing the assist for Jamie McGrath to seal the three points.
In one of the day's surprise results, Falkirk produced a stunning 3-0 victory away at Dundee United. The visitors took control early through Calvin Miller's opener and doubled their advantage before halftime courtesy of an unfortunate own goal from United goalkeeper Yevhenii Kucherenko. Brian Graham completed the scoring in the second half, with the comprehensive scoreline accurately reflecting Falkirk's dominance throughout the contest.
Attention now turns to Saturday's late fixture where Celtic travel to face St Mirren as the Scottish Premiership season continues to deliver drama and unexpected results.
