Jack Butland believes Rangers are continuing to grow under Philippe Clement after showing their adaptability to beat St Mirren 1-0 in Paisley.
Swirling wind at the SMiSA stadium on Saturday lunchtime made good football all but impossible but ultimately striker Cyriel Dessers’ goal after 14 minutes – his 12th of the season – was enough to take the three points back to Ibrox.
Rangers remain five points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand and Butland told RangersTV: “We are developing as a team. There is obviously an end goal of what we want to achieve but we have to take it a game at a time and get the results that we want and we did that.
“We got the job done. We went there to get three points and a clean sheet and we have done that.
“As far as playing the football that we want, perhaps not, but it is what this league is about.
“You have different tests, it was a different game to Wednesday night (3-0 win at Hibernian) where we are able to play more football in better conditions but it is a sign of how the team is growing.
“It (conditions) don’t allow you to get it down and play the passes you want to play in tighter areas so you do have to adapt and play to the conditions but that is part and parcel of the game.
“We would be naive if we thought we could play exactly how we played the other night.
“Sometimes you have to be sensible and get the result and that’s what we’ve done.
“We’ve created openings without taking too many chances. It was a great finish from Cyriel and we got the result we wanted which is the business we are in.”
Stephen Robinson handed a first league appearance to January recruit Hyeok-kyu Kwon, the midfielder who is on loan from Celtic.
Attacker James Scott, initially signed on loan from Exeter before he joins Saints on a permanent two-year-deal in the summer, came on in the second half to make his debut while Jaden Brown, who arrived on loan from Lincoln last week, remained on the bench.
The Buddies boss told stmirren.com: “I don’t expect to bring anyone else in.
“The deal was I could only bring players in if I got players out so ultimately maybe one more player will leave to balance the three players that came in.
“But I believe we will come out of this transfer window in a better position with a more balanced squad with competition in each position.”
Simeone credits precision for Atletico's last-gasp win at PSG
Diego Simeone believes Atletico Madrid's precision is to thank for their last-gasp 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Warren Zaire-Emery had given PSG an early lead, though Atletico drew level through Nahuel Molina before substitute Angel Correa snatched the victory in the 93rd minute.
However, Atletico were far from dominant, managing just four shots, three of which were on target, to PSG's 22.
Last time out in the Champions League, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Lille despite taking an early lead in that game. But Simeone feels his side have now put things right after ending a three-match losing streak on the road in the competition.
"You remember the last match against Lille, it was the same situation," Simeone said. "We had seven or eight goalscoring opportunities without being able to convert.
"In the end, football is about success. While collective play is beautiful, one can attack from all angles, but it's precision that positions you and brings success.
"Against Lille, we lacked that success, and in this match, Paris was better, but we managed to seize our opportunities.
"We defended with great collective work against a team that attacks very well. [Jan] Oblak had a great night, and we had a forcefulness that we did not have against Lille. We took a game that compensates for Lille's."
Three of Correa's UEFA Champions League goals for Atletico Madrid have come away from home, while it is their fifth 90th-minute winner in the competition since 2021-22, more than any other side.
He was brought on in the 67th minute to replace Julian Alvarez, and Simeone was pleased with the impact of his substitute.
"We believe in the footballers we have," he added. That was the compensation to have a goal option in Correa, who has the name of Angel for something.
"When you enter the field, things always happen. We argue. I tell him because he wants to play the 90 minutes, like all players. But he knows how important 12 of the team is."
Luis Enrique bemoans 'bad luck' in PSG's loss to Atletico
Luis Enrique blamed Paris Saint-Germain's 2-1 home defeat to Atletico Madrid on bad luck, admitting their hopes of Champions League qualification were in danger.
PSG applied their usual possession pattern but were again pretty much toothless in attack, owing Warren Zaire Emery's opener to a defensive blunder.
Nahuel Molina equalised quickly and Atletico's resilience paid off three minutes into injury time thanks to second-half substitute Angel Correa's goal at the end of a counter-attack - a scenario that Luis Enrique labelled a 'bad joke'.
PSG had a handful of clear chances through Achraf Hakimi, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele but, with no out-and-out striker, were unable to convert.
"There are no words. I think that in our three home games, we were highly superior to our opponents but we did not have any luck," Luis Enrique said.
"As long as there are matches, we will fight," he added, with PSG next set to travel to Bayern Munich on November 26.
PSG are 25th in the 36-team league, just in the elimination zone, midway through the group phase.
They have lost five of their last eight games in the Champions League (W2 D1), as many as in their previous 19 games in the competition, while this is the first time they have failed to win successive home group games in the competition (D1 L1).
On Wednesday, they had 22 attempts on goal to Atletico's four, as they accumulated 2.12 expected goals, with their opponents showing their clinical edge after creating just 0.67.
"I've been in the game for over 30 years and I can't explain it. It's just bad luck. We were infinitely superior to our opponents," Luis Enrique added.
"We would have deserved to win our three home games. Comfortably."
Asked if PSG's chances to go through the league phase were in danger, he said: "Undoubtedly.
"We created 50 chances in three games and we failed to convert so many of them... we need 20 clear chances to score and our opponents sneeze and they score... it sounds like a bad joke.
"Creating chances is the team's responsibility and I'm responsible for the team, so I'm responsible for the results. If I fail, I will fail with my ideas. We're on the right path."
'It's a source of great pride' - Inzaghi revels in Inter's defensive solidity
Simone Inzaghi praised Inter's defending after they shut out Arsenal in the Champions League, just as they did Manchester City earlier in the competition.
A controversially awarded penalty, given for a handball against Mikel Merino and converted by Hakan Calhanoglu on the stroke of half-time, proved enough for a 1-0 victory.
It leaves them fifth in the table after four games, one of four teams on 10 points, as they extended their unbeaten home run in the Champions League to 11 games (W9 D2), keeping nine clean sheets in this run.
What is more, Inter are one of two sides, along with Atalanta, that are yet to concede a goal in this season's Champions League. Indeed, four successive clean sheets is their longest-ever such run in the competition.
"We had a great performance, zero goals conceded to Arsenal and Man City. It's a source of great pride, but now we need to continue like this," Inzaghi said.
Arsenal had 20 goal attempts to Inter's seven but rarely looked like scoring as Inzaghi's side performed a defensive masterclass with Yann Bisseck outstanding.
"Bisseck was very good, but he doesn't have to prove anything to me," Inzaghi said. "I know how good he is, and he has played two great games against teams like City and Arsenal this season.
"His only problem is that we have other great defenders so he cannot play all the time, but I know how good he is."
Inter were under siege in the second half, facing 13 shots from the Gunners while having just one of their own. Arsenal also had 30 touches in Inter's box after the break, but the hosts' resilience kept them at bay.
"The best thing about this match is the three points, then the team spirit and the desire to fight that we put out on the pitch," Inter skipper Lautaro Martinez said.
"These matches are very important for the league table. We didn't concede any goals, and this is positive because in the [domestic] league we conceded too many.
"We must continue to raise the level. We want everything. The history of this club says so. I want to win everything."
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