A late intervention from Bojan Miovski proved decisive as Rangers edged past St Mirren to preserve their unbeaten record heading into a crucial week of Old Firm fixtures. The narrow victory means Derek McInnes' side remain within touching distance of Celtic at the top of the Premiership table, avoiding what could have been a damaging seven-point gap just six matches into the campaign.
Celtic also won by the same scoreline away at St Johnstone in Perth, extending their own perfect start to the season. But Rangers' win takes on added significance given the fixtures that follow - a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Martin O'Neill's Celtic on Sunday, followed by a league trip to Celtic Park just a week later.
The result stretched Rangers' unbeaten run at Ibrox to five matches, with four consecutive wins since a defeat to Hibernian last month that had heaped early scrutiny on McInnes following the club's exit from Europe. Speaking after the match, McInnes pointed to the underlying numbers as evidence of progress. "If you strip it back, six wins out of seven, four straight wins," he said, adding that his side had "not lost a goal apart from an own goal."
Since a 5-1 League Cup rout of holders St Mirren at Ibrox a month prior, Rangers' subsequent four victories have all come by a single-goal margin, a pattern McInnes acknowledges reflects a squad still finding its identity. "I thought we got what we deserved, granted St Mirren had a 20-minute period in the second half when they were better than us," McInnes told BBC Scotland. "They played with a bit more belief and came after us and we were guilty of so many poor decisions. But I thought the performance for the first hour was really strong, particularly the first half, where we absolutely battered St Mirren."
He added that despite the scare, the manner of the win offered reassurance. "I was really pleased with the performance, but at 0-0, as an opposition manager, when you've been put through the ringer and you know you haven't been punished for it, it does give you power and belief that you can get something from it."
McInnes also defended his players' animated reaction to the late winner. "Last-minute winners are great for players, coaches and fans," he said. "We'd rather not be in that position, but credit to the players for keeping going. There are obviously loads we have to improve on, but we have to meanwhile keep winning and we have to keep improving if we are to achieve anything this season."
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound, praised the first-half display but offered a more critical view of the closing stages than his old club's manager. "I thought in the first half Rangers were really good," Halliday said. "They have shown a vast improvement off the ball over the last three or four games... but I don't particularly agree with Derek McInnes' assessment of the second half. I thought St Mirren had much more than a 20-minute period. Rangers just lost all control and got a bit desperate."
Miovski's late strike arrives at a timely moment for a forward who had slipped down the pecking order amid speculation over his future, particularly with injuries sidelining Youssef Chermiti and summer signing Lawrence Shankland, while winger Daisuke Yokota now faces groin surgery. McInnes highlighted Miovski's underlying scoring rate despite limited minutes, while Halliday suggested the goal could push him back into contention, even if not for an immediate start against Celtic.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.