Rangers recorded their third win from three Premiership fixtures under the guidance of Philippe Clement with victory over Dundee at Dens Park.
It was far from a straightforward night. Kick-off was put back by 45 minutes after Rangers arrived late at the ground and a pyro display in the away end forced referee Kevin Clancy to call a halt to proceedings when the smoke alarms were activated.
But Rangers got the job done to remain within touching distance of Celtic in the title race. Ryan Jack opened the scoring inside five minutes and Danilo doubled the lead shortly after the break.
Rangers burst out of the blocks
There have been many times this term when Rangers have been sluggish in their approach and the inability to see off inferior opposition with relative ease has cost them once again. That mistake was not made here as a Dundee side that were in decent form were beaten in impressive fashion. Rangers didn’t take long to get down to business after the delay that followed the delay. The start was a signal of intent from the visitors. It took Clement’s side just five minutes to break the deadlock. Leon Balogun moved through the lines with ease as he burst forward into the final third and found Danilo down the left flank.
The angle was against the Brazilian but his shot wasn’t dealt with by Trevor Carson. When the ball broke inside the six yard box, Jack was on hand to convert and give Rangers the lead that their front foot approach merited. It was an advantage they would have hoped to extend sooner rather than later. The second goal didn’t come before the break, though, as Danilo was denied by Carson from close range and Abdallah Sima curled a strike over. It turned into a first half of frustration for Rangers. Clement would have demanded another quick start after the whistle. He got it. Danilo should have scored inside a couple of minutes but he made amends with a clinical effort after a Sima pass. Unlike in the first half, Rangers were able to finish the second with a flourish. Lammers beat Carson with a strike that clipped the bar before Dessers made it 4-0 with seven minutes remaining. Tavernier had the final say on another quite incredible evening.
