Just a few miles along the road in Paisley, the door had swung open for Rangers when Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts slipped to a surprising defeat against St Mirren on Tuesday evening. With a golden opportunity to close the gap on their title rivals to a mere three points, the expectation was that Rangers would seize the moment at home against a Kilmarnock side deeply embroiled in a relegation battle.
A Night of Contrasts at Ibrox
This expectation grew even stronger when Kilmarnock lost a man in the very early stages, playing almost the entire ninety minutes with ten men following the dismissal of defender Dom Thompson. However, to the astonishment of many, Danny Rohl's Rangers side made exceptionally hard work of what should have been a straightforward task. For the best part of an hour, the home team looked nervy, disjointed, and far from convincing.
Early Promise Fades Quickly
Rangers took an early lead through a penalty from captain James Tavernier, but then proceeded to lose their way completely during the middle portion of the match. Indeed, the Ibrox side had to wait until the final thirty minutes before finally overpowering a resilient Kilmarnock, scoring four more times through Bojan Miovski, Andreas Skov Olsen, Oliver Antman, and the outstanding young talent Mikey Moore.
Was the performance free-flowing or in any way convincing? Most certainly not. Yet, the result moves Rohl's side to within three points of Hearts, having played the same number of games. This marks the closest Rangers have been to the summit of the Scottish Premiership table since the campaign began, and the victory also provided a much-needed boost to their goal difference.
Team Changes and Tactical Shifts
On the back of a particularly insipid display in the 0-0 draw away at Hibernian the previous Sunday, manager Danny Rohl decided to shake things up, making five changes to his starting lineup. Out went Manny Fernandez, Youssef Chermiti, Dujon Sterling, Tochi Chukwuani, and Skov Olsen. In their place came Tavernier, Nasser Djiga, Mohamed Diomande, Bojan Miovski, and Mikey Moore, injecting fresh legs into the side.
New German striker Ryan Naderi, who signed on deadline day from Hansa Rostock for a fee in excess of £4 million, began the match on the substitutes' bench. Following a dismal run of form in recent weeks, Kilmarnock had shown signs of life just days earlier with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Aberdeen at Rugby Park. Boss Neil McCann named an unchanged team from that impressive win, but their night at Ibrox got off to a catastrophic start.
Kilmarnock's Early Setback
With only four minutes on the clock, Kilmarnock found themselves a goal down and reduced to ten men. Mikey Moore weaved his way in from the left wing before sliding a piercing through ball into the path of a teammate. The resulting challenge from defender Dom Thompson was deemed a professional foul, resulting in a clear red card. James Tavernier stepped up calmly to tuck the penalty beyond goalkeeper Kelle Roos.
Only moments later, Mohamed Diomande came close to doubling Rangers' lead, firing a low shot from just outside the box narrowly wide of the post. In the space of the opening ten minutes, Rangers had displayed more urgency and attacking threat than they managed throughout the entire ninety minutes at Easter Road just days prior.
A Struggle Despite Numerical Advantage
Despite being down to ten men, Kilmarnock fashioned a great chance to equalise on the 17-minute mark when Greg Kiltie broke away down the right and picked out Bruce Anderson in the middle. Anderson dragged his shot wide when he really ought to have tested Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland.
When Rangers exited the Europa League in Porto the previous week, young Mikey Moore admitted that his end product needed improvement. The 18-year-old Tottenham loanee has shown flashes of brilliance since moving to Glasgow, albeit mixed with the inconsistency expected of such a young player. His movement and close control were excellent against Kilmarnock, and he was the architect behind most of Rangers' best moments, though he often resembled a one-man band.
Growing Frustration at Ibrox
There was a period midway through the first half when the home side completely lost their way. Their tempo slowed, passes went astray, and the Ibrox crowd grew visibly anxious. For all Kilmarnock's numerical disadvantage, the one-goal lead felt far from comfortable for Rangers, especially as the visitors managed a couple of decent efforts from distance.
A key part of Rangers' problems was the lack of contribution from the attacking players. Striker Bojan Miovski and attacking midfielder Thelo Aasgaard, the No. 9 and No. 10 in Rohl's system, were virtual passengers for large portions of the game. Their overall contribution was abysmal, and despite starting the match so brightly, Rangers left the field at half-time to a smattering of boos from the home support, who recognised this was a chance their team simply could not afford to pass up.
Second-Half Relief and Late Flourish
Rangers squandered several more chances at the start of the second half, most notably when Aasgaard opted to try and square the ball to Miovski when he had a clear sight of goal himself. Both players were fortunate not to have been substituted at the interval. However, with Ibrox growing increasingly agitated, it was Miovski who finally provided some breathing space, firing a low finish into the bottom corner from a Diomande lay-off to make it 2-0.
Credit where it's due, it was a very tidy finish, though Miovski's overall performance in open play remained poor. New signing Ryan Naderi came off the bench to make his debut for the final half-hour alongside Andreas Skov Olsen, as Rohl looked to inject fresh energy into the attack. Belgian left-back Tuur Rommens also got his first taste of action for the club.
Kilmarnock's Spirited Resistance
Kilmarnock had put up an excellent fight. It was far from a mere backs-to-the-wall job, and manager Neil McCann will rue that first-half chance from Bruce Anderson. He will surely take heart from his team's spirit and organisation despite the numerical disadvantage. Andreas Skov Olsen scored his first Rangers goal with a composed finish clipped high into the net, looking far more effective after his introduction from the bench.
The visitors notched a late consolation when Greg Kiltie pounced on a rare blunder from Jack Butland, only for Oliver Antman and Mikey Moore to add a little more gloss to the scoreline for Rangers with late goals. The job was ultimately done, but as the final whistle blew, it was clear that scorelines do not always offer a true reflection of a team's performance. This nervy, fragmented victory was very much a case in point, leaving Rangers with much to ponder despite closing the gap at the top of the table.
