Giovanni van Bronckhorst praises Rangers’ patient approach against Livingston as Fashion Sakala dedicates win to stricken team-mate

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst insists he was proud of the way his players stayed patient in their pursuit of a breakthrough goal against Livingston as Scott Arfield returned from injury to salvage a 1-0 win.

The Canadian finished off a well-worked move in the 75th at Ibrox to hand the Scottish champions a crucial three points in the Premiership title race as they wore down a stubborn Lions side.

The Light Blues had squandered several goal scoring opportunities until Arfield, back in the squad after a recovering from a groin strain, stepped off the bench to fire home a brilliant strike.

The result maintained Rangers four-point gap at the top of the table and ensured their West Lothian opponents failed to score at Ibrox for a fifth successive occasion.

Van Bronckhorst told Rangers TV: “I’m very proud (of the players) because it was a very difficult game.

“If you see the number of chances we created in the first half and you don’t score it’s always going to be difficult as the time ticks on.

“But I’m happy with the impact of our subs. Scott has been out for a while but he changed the game, so I’m really pleased for him and for the team.

“It was good to have Scott back in the squad and for him to come on along with Kemar (Roofe) and Ryan (Jack), so things are looking good because the injured players are coming back.

“Although we faced difficult circumstances, we kept fighting to win the game and that’s what we eventually managed to do, so it was a big three points.

“It’s not easy when you play against a low block because you need to be accurate in your passing and your movement.

“The speed of play that we wanted was difficult and that’s why we struggled a little bit to find the spaces, but I think we created enough chances to win the game.”

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Ross County, Van Bronckhorst confirmed: “We have Joe (Aribo) back for the weekend and Ryan Kent back from suspension as well.”

Man of the match Fashion Sakala dedicated the victory to injured teammate Ianis Hagi, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

He added: “We knew it would be a tough game and it was special because of what happened to Ianis Hagi.

“We talked about it before the game that if we won we would dedicate the result to him.

“It’s always tough when you don’t have some players, I think it’s special when we have a full squad available. We were missing Alfredo (Morelos) and (Joe) Aribo tonight but our main focus was fighting for the three points.

“Joe is one of the most important players for us, so we’re really happy to have him back and also Scott Arfield. Personally, I am very proud of him, he got an important goal for us.

“I expect this kind of pressure, especially playing for such a big club. The fans always expect us to score early, if you don’t do that in 10-15 minutes they maybe think we’re not doing well but we’re always patient and believe in each other that we will score goals.

“When you get that pressure from the fans it’s nice because they push us to keep working hard and get the three points. They always expect us to win and I’m very happy that we’re given them what they deserve.”

Sakala occupied a wider role on the left-hand side and admitted: “I just follow what the boss says.

“I’m comfortable playing on the left or right or through the middle as a main striker, but I’m always told to keep on dribbling and shooting.

“When you play against a team with a low block it’s always difficult to run in behind defenders, but we need to keep doing that.

“We always have to challenge ourselves. Last season, the club won the title and it was very important for us to get back to winning ways. We now need to maintain it and win another trophy.”