ALL Michael Beale wanted for Christmas after back-to-back five goal thrillers against Hibernian and Aberdeen was a nice uneventful cinch Premiership win over Ross County in Dingwall.
Beale got the third straight Rangers victory that he craved this evening thanks to a well-taken John Lundstram goal in the first-half.
But the Ibrox club lacked a spark in the final third and failed to kill off their redoubtable hosts.
Their manager and the travelling supporters in the 6,501-strong crowd had to endure a fair few anxious moments before referee Don Robertson blew the final whistle.
Beale made three changes to the side that had performed so poorly at Pittodrie on Tuesday night and left it so late to clinch a narrow triumph.
Scott Arfield, who had come off the bench in the north-east and scored two injury-time goals, was one of those who came in to the starting line-up.
But the presence of the midfielder on the park did not ensure it was a less nerve-wracking evening for the Glasgow giants even if they did head back down the road with all three points.
County manager Malky Mackay brought in Connor Randall and Keith Watson for Jack Baldwin and Callum Johnson in defence while David Cancola returned from suspension and Kazeem Olaigbe dropped to the bench.
His charges made life difficult for their opponents until they switched off defensively and allowed Lundstram to net from just outside their penalty box in the 35th minute.
Rangers reduced the lead that Celtic hold at the top of the Premiership table – at least until their city rivals take on St Johnstone at Parkhead tomorrow afternoon – to six points with the hard-fought result.
But much work clearly remains for Beale to do. County, meanwhile, are still just three points off bottom spot after their second consecutive defeat. Here are five things we learned from events at the Global Energy Stadium?
MCLAUGHLIN CHANCE
Allan McGregor’s positioning for the free-kick that Aberdeen forward Duk had fired past him at Pittodrie on Tuesday night had not gone unnoticed by Rangers supporters.
There were many among them who felt that he had been at fault for the equaliser which the visitors had conceded just before half-time and some who even wanted to see the 40-year-old dropped.
McGregor was absent from the squad in Dingwall – but not because his manager Beale had punished him for his momentary lapse in concentration. The former Scotland internationalist was ruled out by the sickness bug that had swept through the squad in the build-up to the game.
McLaughlin, dropped in September following back-to-back 4-0 losses to Celtic and Ajax, came in for his first start since the League Cup win over Dundee in October.
He did superbly to keep Rangers on level terms in the first-half when he kept a George Harmon header out with his left leg.
That save proved to be vital – it allowed his side to take the lead through Lundstram – and will have given his confidence levels a much-needed lift.
McGregor is likely to reclaim his place when he regains full fitness – but he has a more-than-able deputy waiting to step into his berth if he slips up again.
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Rangers centre backs Ben Davies and Connor Goldson started a match together for the first time since the Champions League match against Liverpool in Govan back in October.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side had crashed to a record 7-1 loss at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s superstars on that fateful night.
Davies and Goldson, though, had actually performed well together during the 45 minutes that the latter had spent on the park. The score had been 1-1 at half-time.
Could the duo pick up where they left off up in the Highlands?
On paper, it is the strongest and most experienced centre half partnership that Beale has available to him.
Aside from the Harmon chance that McLaughlin dealt with, Rangers never looked like conceding during the 90 minutes.
Keeping a clean sheet was encouraging for Davies and Goldson and for their manager.
DEVINE DANGER
Adam Devine, the teenage left back who has been starting for Rangers due to the absence of Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz, caused the County defence all kinds of problems in the first-half.
The Auchenhowie graduate was sent racing down his flank on several occasions by penetrating long balls forward from Davies and Goldson.
He exploited the space which Owura Edwards left when he pushed upfield effectively.
The kid was one of Rangers’ brightest performers. He is doing his chances of being involved with Barisic and Yilmaz return no harm at all with his mature displays.
FOLLOW FOLLOWER OF FASHION
With Alfredo Morelos rested after “playing through the pain barrier” in midweek and Antonio Colak still sidelined by a calf injury, Beale had to deploy Fashion Sakala in attack.
The Zambian had started out wide in the first two games of the Englishman’s reign and had netted on both occasions.
His preferred position is up front. Could he show that he deserves a run at striker?
Sakala supplied Lundstram before the midfielder’s goal. He forced a save from Ross Laidlaw earlier in the second-half. But that aside he failed to make a significant impact.
Morelos, who replaced him in the 58th minute, should take over for the visit of Motherwell next Wednesday.
LUNDSTRAM LIFT
The English midfielder became a darling of the Rangers support last season during their run to the Europa League final.
But this season he has, along with a fair few of his team mates, struggled to hit the same heights both at home and abroad.
The ex-Sheffield United man was given acres of space and loads of time to get his shot away by the County defence. Still, it was a fine strike. Bagging his fifth goal of the 2022/23 campaign will have given him a much-needed lift.
