Michael Beale made it a dozen games unbeaten as Rangers boss but it was anything but delightful as the nervy Ibrox men edged past Ross County.
Malik Tillman gave the hosts the lead after a disjointed first-half show. But when Gers failed to extend their advantage, they left themselves vulnerable to a sucker punch and that’s exactly what they got as Jordan White headed home his fifth goals in his last seven clashes with the club he grew up supporting.
Thankfully for Beale, it did not prove costly as a huge ricochet helped a Borna Barisic free-kick beat Ross Laidlaw but it will not be a performance Beale will be keen to watch back in a hurry.
County weren’t scared to go with two strikers up top and their bold approach of pairing White with Eamonn Brophy very nearly paid dividends early doors.
The Dingwall side also had Yan Dhanda pushing forward and it was the former Liverpool youngster who pounced on a stray John Lundstram pass before slotting in George Harmon.
It took a last-ditch block from James Tavernier to deny the County wideman before Jon McLaughlin pulled off an equally important save to keep out Brophy’s follow up.
An injury to Lundstram meant Tillman was introduced just 11 minutes in and the American almost produced an immediate impact. Ryan Jack’s slide-rule pass sent the Bayern Munich loanee in behind County’s backline.
Jack Baldwin scrambled back in time to foil his shot but only the thickness of the woodwork separate Todd Cantwell’s rebound effort from finding the net as it rebound grazed the bar on the way over. There were growing murmurs of discontent around Ibrox as County were allowed to come close with attempts by Dhanda and Alex Iacovitti.
But bit by bit, Rangers did start to increase the tempo. Barisic whipped in a peach of a cross but Alfredo Morelos could only nod wide as he climbed above Iacovitti. However, they had to wait until first-half stoppage time to find the break through as the Highlanders’ resistance finally gave way.
McKay’s team had been camped inside their own box for a seemingness endless succession of attacking Gers phases when Morelos managed to at last find the space that sent Cantwell to the byline.
The former Norwich attacker’s clipped cross found Tillman, who finished off his Tynecastle goal with another close-range finish as he headed home his eighth strike of the season.
By the time the whistle blew for the break, County were just relieved to be going in only one down, with Gers finding the time to squeeze in another couple of efforts from Fashion Sakala and Morelos.
The second half started with the traffic again heading on one direction only but with no-way through the County log-jam for Gers. But with a hush growing over a rather board Ibrox, the Staggies sensed their chance was coming.
It took a brilliant one-handed stop from McLaughlin to keep out a Nohan Kenneh strike. But when the keeper went missing off his line as White met a Dhanda cross from the right the only noise to be heard was from the roar of delight in the corner as County snatched a shock equaliser.
Beale appealed for calm on the touchline as the Light Blue legions let rip with frustration. There were agonised groans as a dipping Ryan Kent shot clipped the underside of the bar.
But the Rangers support need not have worried and they sealed the points with 16 points left as a Barisic free-kick took a wild deflection off the wall, leaving the unfortunate Ross Laidlaw stranded as the ball bounced in at the back post.
That wasn't quite the end of the anxiety for the Gers fans though as their nervy side were made to scramble their way through to the final whistle by County's brave late push for a point. Here's three talking points from Ibrox.
Bar slips as Gers just about clear County
Michael Beale told his team they had set a standard from which they could not drop after swatting Hearts aside at Tynecastle on Wednesday night. But there was little sign of the intensity, desire and overall quality that contributed to that glorious night in Gorgie.
Malik Tillman got Gers going just before halt-time as the American international demonstrated once again why Beale is so keen to make his Bayern Munich loan a permanent arrangement, heading home from Todd Cantwell’s cross.
But when the hosts failed to build on that lead, it only offered County encouragement and the Highlanders were able to snatch a shock equaliser.
Beale seems to reckon Jon McLaughlin is a safer pair of hands than Allan McGregor when coming up against teams who like to bombard the box with crosses but the Scotland squad stopper looked anything but reliable as he allowed Jordan White to head County level.
Borna Barisic’s defected equaliser got Gers out of jail to ensure his boss’ 12-game unbeaten run goes on but Beale won’t be happy that his side failed to reach the bar set with their performance in Edinburgh.
Rask and you shall receive - eventually
The Ibrox fans turned out hoping to see new boy Nico Raskin in action for the first time but they had to be contented with a brief seven-minute cameo. Beale had hoped to give his £1.75million recruit from Standard Liege a longer run out on his debut but with the result far from certain he opted against throwing the Belgium Under-21 ace on until the final stages.
It obviously wasn’t a long-enough introduction to draw any major conclusions from how the 21-year-old will fit into this Light Blues line-up. But there was a couple of fleeting glances of his quality that should offer encouragement as Raskin finds his feet in Glasgow.
County come up short despite twin peaks
Malkay Mackay knew his side would come under serious pressure in Glasgow but that did not dissuade him from taking a bold approach by fielding two strikers at Ibrox. The presence of White and Eamonn Brophy seemed to disrupt Gers in the opening stages and it was very nearly the visitors who snatched ahead, with McLaughlin forced into an early save from Brophy. White grew up supporting Gers but that has done nothing to limit his desire to perform against his old side. His equaliser was the fifth time he has netted against Rangers in his last seven clashes with the Ibrox side but in the end it was not enough for a point as County’s luck ran out with Barisic’s flukey winner.
