Rangers secured a convincing victory over Ross County, narrowing the gap to second-placed Aberdeen to just two points in the Scottish Premiership.
Hamza Igamane opened the scoring with a thunderous strike that deflected over goalkeeper Jack Hamilton, giving Rangers an early advantage.
Danilo capitalized on an error by Hamilton later in the first half, intercepting the County goalkeeper’s heavy touch to tap in the visitors’ second goal.
In the second half, Akil Wright came close twice with headers for Ross County, but Rangers remained in control. James Tavernier sealed the win with a late, swerving strike after a defensive lapse from the hosts.
Under manager Philippe Clement, Rangers have clawed back from being nine points behind Aberdeen a month ago and now have a game in hand over the Dons. However, they remain 11 points adrift of league leaders Celtic, their next domestic opponent.
Ross County, currently sitting eighth, are three points behind St Mirren.
The match highlighted contrasting performances from the goalkeepers. Rangers’ Jack Butland overcame an early stumble to deliver key saves, including a deflected effort from Noah Chilvers and Wright’s second header.
Meanwhile, County’s stand-in goalkeeper Jack Hamilton, filling in for the injured Ross Laidlaw, had a mixed outing.
Though he made solid saves to deny Vaclav Cerny and Nedim Bajrami, his costly error gifted Danilo a goal, and he was left helpless against Igamane’s looping strike and Tavernier’s late effort.
Rangers’ dominant display leaves them in strong form heading into their crucial clash with Celtic.
And his manager Don Cowie said afterwards: “Jack had done really well up until that point in the game. Maybe he just got caught out slightly in terms of the tempo of the game. We’re not going to get caught too much up in it. For the majority of today, he did really well.”
Igamane leading Rangers recovery
Earlier in the season, Philippe Clement had confidently stated that Rangers fans would see the best of his team by October or November. While that timeline faced criticism when it didn’t fully materialize, it now appears the Belgian manager’s vision was only slightly delayed. Rangers are beginning to rediscover the form they showcased under his guidance last season.
Vaclav Cerny continues to provide a reliable attacking outlet, while Danilo and Ianis Hagi are making increasing contributions as their fitness improves. Captain James Tavernier and full-back Jefte have also impressed with their attacking forays.
However, the standout performer has been Hamza Igamane. The Moroccan international not only delivered a vital goal but also excelled in his link-up play. With four goals in his last four games—all of which Rangers have won—he has been instrumental in their recent resurgence ahead of a pivotal week.
Rangers now turn their attention to two crucial fixtures. On Thursday, they host former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League (20:00). Just days later, they face their Glasgow rivals Celtic in the League Cup final on Sunday (15:30), aiming to defend their title and secure their first victory over Celtic since May 2023.
County cannot repeat April heroics
After beating Rangers for the first time in their history at the same ground in April, County sent a couple of early warnings to their visitors with long-range Alex Samuel and Ronan Hale efforts off target – both the result of counter attacks.
It was a tempo they could not maintain and Cowie’s side struggled to cope with Rangers’ movement – but, credit to County, their heads did not go down after the Danilo goal.
Either of the Wright headers could have reduced the deficit, his first deflected wide and the second only stopped by Butland’s prowess.
Next for Cowie’s side is a Premiership trip to Hibernian on Saturday (15:00).
What they said
Ross County manager Don Cowie: “We recognise we’re playing a very good team. At 1-0, I was content. We were still in the game. We gift them a second goal and that makes it really difficult. The timing of it wasn’t ideal.
“Akil gets a really good opportunity from the corner, which he believes he should score. Those are the moments you have to take when you’re playing against a really good team.”
Rangers manager Philippe Clement: “It’s what I wanted to see but of course I’m very pleased because this is a really hard place to show that. To win in that way, it’s even better then.
“I’m very pleased about our domination, about how we controlled the game but with the intention to score more goals, how we kept our organisation, concentration also not to become sloppy and to give things away and to keep a clean sheet and three goals at Ross County, it’s a really huge performance.”
“Our squad is starting to recognise what to do when. It’s hard work. It’s about getting experience together, getting connections between players together, communication on the pitch, the right timings.”