Rangers beat Motherwell 2-0 at a wet and wild Fir Park on Sunday to return to within two points of Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic.
Kieran Dowell started and finished the move for the opening goal in the fourth minute before fellow midfielder Todd Cantwell doubled the lead 12 minutes later.
The game should have brought more goals, but in a wind-affected encounter the strikes proved enough for Philippe Clement’s men.
Rangers are now on 43 points after 18 games — two behind champions Celtic with a game in hand.
They face Ross County on Wednesday, with a crucial encounter at Celtic Park on December 30 looming large.
Clement has gone 16 games unbeaten since taking over from Michael Beale in October.
“The players put their egos aside and only focused on the team,” Clement told the BBC.
“That is the mentality I want to see. It is important that players are ready for that but also that everyone in every position knows what to do.
“I know where the danger is when success is there. I am going to be very strict on the message that it is all about the team.”
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— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 24, 2023
Rangers took the lead early in the match when Dowell robbed Harry Paton at the edge of the penalty area and played a one-two with Cyriel Dessers before blasting the ball home.
The second goal came when left-back Ridvan Yilmaz’s cross into the box was controlled by Abdallah Sima, with Cantwell running in to sweep the ball low past the diving Liam Kelly.
A speculative drive from Callum Slattery that skipped past the Rangers goal was Motherwell’s only real response while the visitors continued to threaten sporadically.
Motherwell had a penalty shout in the 75th minute when Yilmaz bumped Brodie Spencer to the ground but referee David Dickinson was unmoved.
AFP