Just over a week ago, the prospect of Rangers mounting a serious challenge for the Scottish Premiership title seemed a distant dream. A 2-1 loss to league leaders Hearts at Tynecastle had left Danny Rohl's squad a daunting 12 points adrift, with their campaign appearing all but over.
A Dramatic Shift in Fortunes
What a remarkable difference a week can make. In the space of just nine days, Rangers have spectacularly revived their season, halving the deficit to Hearts to just six points. This resurgence was capped with a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over St Mirren at Ibrox on a bitterly cold night.
The turnaround was compounded by Celtic's surprising 1-0 defeat away at Motherwell. This result means Rangers now trail their arch-rivals by only three points as they head into this weekend's pivotal Old Firm clash at Celtic Park. A title race that looked like a two-horse contest is now a compelling three-way battle.
Ibrox Victory Built on Key Contributions
Rangers secured the crucial three points against St Mirren thanks to goals from Thelo Aasgaard and Manny Fernandez. Aasgaard, who also scored the winner against Motherwell the previous weekend, continued his fine form by glancing in a header from a Jayden Meghoma cross in the first half.
Fernandez doubled the lead early in the second half, capitalising on a cross from Youssef Chermiti, who enjoyed his most impressive performance in a Rangers shirt. The visitors set up a tense finale when Mikael Mandron scored late on, but Rangers held firm for a vital win.
Manager Danny Rohl will be encouraged by the momentum building within his squad. The return of John Souttar from a muscle injury for his first start since early November provided a boost, while the form of Aasgaard is a significant positive.
The Stage is Set for Celtic Park
All focus now shifts to Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Celtic Park. Rangers, once written off, now travel across Glasgow with genuine belief that they can upset the odds and further close the gap at the top.
The match was preceded by a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Ibrox disaster of January 2, 1971, which was impeccably observed by the vast majority of the crowd. On the pitch, Rangers' ability to consistently grind out results means they can no longer be discounted from the championship conversation. The most remarkable of Scottish Premiership seasons has taken another dramatic twist.
