A James Tavernier free-kick helped Rangers on their way to a win over Livingston at the Tony Macaroni.
His strike doubled the Light Blues lead as Livingston went down to 10 men with Stephane Omeonga sent off after a soft foul on Kemar Roofe. Michael Beale handed a first Scottish Premiership start to Nicolas Raskin, and the Belgian grasped his opportunity with a controlled display ahead of next weeks huge League Cup final clash with Celtic.
Raskin joined Glen Kamara and Todd Cantwell in midfield. But the Standard Liege man pulled the strings whilst dropping deep and dictating the play. Rangers started the match bright and Fashion Sakala should have put his side one up but was caught offside after mistiming his run. A VAR call then awarded Rangers a penalty after a tug on Morelos' jersey. Up stepped skipper Tavernier to score from the spot.
READ MORE: Why Michael Beale savaged Chris Sutton as 'comedy act' as Celtic hero's Rangers jibe sparked fury
Into the second 45 Rangers struggled to find that killer second. But the welcome introduction of Roofe was the bench provided an instant spark. Tavernier's free kick darted into the top corner with the hitman then wrapping up the points with a tenacious finish. Here are three things we learned as Beale's unbeaten record continued.
Raskin the question
Nicolas Raskin was handed his first Premiership start by Beale ahead of next week’s huge Old Firm League Cup final.
The January signing from Standard Liege has had very little time to state his claim for a starting berth in that huge Hampden showdown.
Today was a perfect taste of an away day in the top flight and Raskin was fearless in his approach.
But after an impressive and controlled display he may well have played himself into the starting XI for next week's huge derby clash.
Another win on the road
It wasn’t a classic, but neither was Ross County or Kilmarnock away.
Rangers escaped the Lions den with another three points and Michael Beale’s incredible record intact.
That's now 13 wins from 14 games at Ibrox helm, with his Rangers side still undefeated. If it wasn't for the nine point gap, this kind of form would be giving rivals Celtic a serious challenge.
Roofe's Back (Again)
Kemar Roofe made a welcome return to the fold after more injury woes.
The Jamaican striker leapt off the bench today to make an instant impact in a game that was starting to stale.
Just like his introduction at Hampden for the clash against Aberdeen, the forward has the ability to change games and today was no different.
First he went down under Omeonga's challenge to win the match-winning free kick. He then popped up to completely kill the contest moments later.
You get the feeling if he can stay fit, he'll have a big say in events from now until the end of the season.
READ NEXT:
- Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos Rangers future latest as Michael Beale opens up on key Ibrox duo
- Scott Brown's Celtic or Rangers decision and 'one place I wanted to go' response after Hoops chat
- Pedro Mendes on whirlwind Rangers transfer as he joked 'don't kill me' on first team night out
