Suddenly the apprehension surrounding a big week for Rangers is receding.
While a mundane away win over Ross County offers no real indication of how games against Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic are likely to go, this much can be said with confidence. The air of crisis around Philippe Clement’s team is abating.
A venue where last season’s title challenge crashed and burned, Dingwall proved a more comfortable experience this time.
Strikes from Hamza Igamane, Danilo and James Tavernier doubled the tally of away goals in the Premiership this season.
Nine points adrift of second place Aberdeen last month, the gap is now two. Win their game in hand and talk of the Dons splitting the Old Firm will be banished. Rangers have the spring back in their step.
The timing could hardly be better. Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side visit Ibrox in the Europa League on Thursday night. After that comes the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic at Hampden.
James Tavernier’s controlled first-time strike completes the scoring in a 3-0 win for Rangers
Hamza Igamane celebrates scoring an early goal in the win against Ross County in Dingwall
Suddenly two games which prompted a sense of foreboding in supporters a couple of weeks ago don’t feel so ominous.
Porous and dishevelled in the course of losing six goals at Ibrox earlier in the season, Ross County are generally a tougher nut to crack on their own ground.
Claiming his fourth goal in four games, Hamza Igamane is proving a more reliable finisher than Cyriel Dessers.
Capitalising on an awful error from County keeper Jack Hamilton before half-time, Danilo continued his gradual rehabilitation from serious, long-term injury to claim his third goal of the season.
Captain Tavernier’s classy strike four minutes from time gave the scoreline a more accurate sheen after a 90 minutes when Rangers were dominant.
Thrashed 5-0 by Celtic last weekend, home comforts were less helpful to Don Cowie’s side than expected. The Highlanders had claimed 12 of their 15 points — 80 per cent — at home and for a Rangers team decidedly ropey away from home, the journey back down the A9 was made a good deal easier by a convincing three points.
It took six minutes for the travel sickness to pass, man of the moment Igamane claiming the lead with a spectacular strike.
From the moment he received the ball from Jefte on the edge of the area, the Moroccan had only one thought in mind. Did the ball take a slight deflection off the boot of right back Michee Efete en route to the top corner?
Probably. However it got there, keeper Hamilton was left flailing, the Rangers support behind the goal exploding in jubilation.
After an early start, Clement’s players sprung to life.
Rangers had won all nine of the Premiership games where they had taken the lead this season and an early goal felt ominous for the home team.
After losing five in the first half at Parkhead they took heart from the first sign of Rangers vulnerability when Jack Butland — a relative bystander — threatened to stumble over the ball in his own area.
The lively Ronan Hale sniffed an opening on the press and when Butland cleared to Alex Samuel, a corner offered hope to the team in dark blue.
More so when Vaclav Cerny gave the ball away in his own half after 30 minutes. Dogged battling by the enterprising Hale kept possession before he teed up a shooting chance for Noah Chilvers which deflected off Leon Balogun before spinning a yard wide of the post.
As the mood changed, a second goal before the half-time break restored some certainty for Clement’s team.
It might have come moments earlier from a comical moment when Tavernier’s clipped ball bounced off the back of defender Eli Campbell’s head and almost beat his own keeper.
Hamilton dealt with the danger then and, again, minutes later when he rushed from his line in a one on one with Cerny to pull off a brave stop.
Deputising for first-choice keeper Ross Laidlaw, the former Hearts keeper was probably starting to feel pretty good about himself when the roof caved in.
The journey from hero to zero doesn’t take long in Scottish football. The Staggies were growing into the game when Hamilton took a heavy touch from a defensive passback by Josh Nisbet after 37 minutes.
Showing too much of the ball to Danilo, a panicked clearance was charged down before the Brazilian nicked the loose ball in from a tight angle before disappearing into a mass of exuberant supporters behind the goal.
Clement spoke after the game of ‘dark moments’ for the striker caused by a rotten run of luck on the injury front. The Brazilian was not named in Rangers’ Europa League squad so will play no part against Spurs but, week by week, the striker is finding his feet.
Danilo puts Rangers two ahead by capitalising on a mistake from goalkeeper Jack Hamilton
The same can’t be said for a Ross County side which has now failed to score in five of their last six games. While a two goal half-time deficit was an improvement on the five lost at Parkhead, the final outcome would be no different.
Dutybound to try something at half-time, Cowie called for the height of Jordan White up front. Efete had endured a deeply uncomfortable first half at right back and, wisely, he made way for James Brown.
Kudos to Brown. Usually a starter, the substitute right-back improved the situation.
County might have made a game of this if they’d scored from one of two corners in quick succession when Akil Wright probably should have narrowed the deficit.
George Harmon’s first effort was headed goalward by the defender, the ball taking a nick wide of the post.
When the resultant corner came in, defender Wright bulleted another header towards goal, Butland producing a big save to deny Ross County any hope of salvaging a lost cause.
Heading into the final stages Rangers were in a slightly unusual position for an away game in domestic football. They were comfortable and managing the game to its conclusion.
Igamane’s quick feet came close to adding a third goal before captain Tavernier’s controlled first-time strike doubled the total number of away goals scored for the season to six. For Rangers —and their skipper — things have taken a rapid and cautious turn for the better.
