Goals from Danilo and Rabbi Matondo in either half against St Johnstone helped to ease the pressure on Rangers manager Michael Beale at McDiarmid Park in Saturday’s lunchtime Scottish Premiership clash.
The under-fire Light Blues boss spoke about the important of his side returning to winning ways after consecutive defeats prior to the international break and the Englishman will have been delighted with the response from his players as they earned a much-needed victory in Perth.
A win was imperative for Beale following an underwhelming start to the campaign left Rangers four points behind Glasgow rivals Celtic, but that gap was cut to one point, albeit for a brief while with a convincing result and performance against a Saints side who failed to register a shot on target.
Brazilian striker Danilo broke the deadlock after 18 minutes with a brave header but the £6million summer recruit was forced off with a nasty head knock after colliding with defender Liam Gordon.
Kemar Roofe had a close-range finish disallowed for a narrow offside call before substitute Matondo produced a clinical finish after latching onto Tom Lawrence’s well-weighted pass with 11 minutes remaining to wrap up maximum points.
Here’s our post-match Rangers player ratings:
Unused subs: Robby McCrorie (GK), John Souttar, Ryan Jack, Cyriel Dessers, Jose Cifuentes, Dujon Sterling, Borna Barisic.
5. Ben Davies - 7/10
Back in the starting line-up after a lengthy period out of the team and put in a level-headed performance. Won several duels and can be pleased with his comeback display. | Getty Images
6. Ridvan Yilmaz - 6/10
Went about his job quiet and effectively without doing anything spectacular. Offered some width in attack and kept things simple but looks as though he’s struggling to find some consistency. Photo: Craig Foy - SNS Group
7. John Lundstram - 6/10
Flatters to deceive at times. Helped to break up play and held things together in a deeper role. Will need to improve up against a stronger opponent. | Getty Images
8. Nicolas Raskin - 7/10
Another classy and assured display from the Belgian. has proved how important he is to Beale’s side and won the midfield battle. | Getty Images