Cyriel Dessers says scoring a winning goal for Rangers at Celtic Park on Saturday would be a dream come true for him.

The 29-year-old Nigeria striker had a slow start to his Gers career after joining from Cremonese in the summer but he will travel to Parkhead with increasing confidence after four goals in his last seven games, taking his tally in Light Blue to nine so far.

Dessers admits an Old Firm derby clincher in boss Philippe Clement’s first experience of the fixture would be “amazing” as Rangers go in to the match five points behind the league leaders but with two games in hand.

He said: “It would be a dream actually.

“When you sign here, you know the city, you know the clubs, you know the Old Firm.

“To score there as a striker, that is something you dream of as a kid and hopefully tomorrow it will be my first in an Old Firm game.

“The start was pretty rocky, individually and as a team. You can see if you look at the results in the last two months that things have been improving and that we are in a good place right now.

“As a team, we are playing more fluidly now. We have more attacks rolling, more chances.

“For myself, I have got a little bit more confidence and in better form. I am still growing and there is a lot more to come.

“As a striker, you know how it works, once you get the goals flowing then you can follow them up and normally they keep going.”

Philippe Clement admits the lack of Rangers supporters for his first Old Firm derby is “a pity for football”.

The Belgian, unbeaten in 16 games since arriving at Ibrox in October, is set for his first clash against the Light Blues’ arch rivals, but due to an ongoing dispute between the two Glasgow giants concerning away tickets when they meet each other, there will be no Gers supporters at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Clement is “curious” as to how his first game against the Hoops will pan out, even with no away fans in attendance although he admits that situation is disappointing.

“In our hearts they will be there,” said the Gers boss, who revealed defender Connor Goldson has trained, with the possibility of some others from his lengthy injury list also being available.

“It is a pity for football. It is always better to have two sides, it creates a certain atmosphere.

“It is a pity for football, but it is decisions made above my head, with knowing much more things than I know.

“I try to control the controllable, the things I can do, the things we need to do as a team, with my staff and players and the rest is not important. We are not focused on that, we are focused on the football.

“In the end it is always decided on the pitch between those four white lines and 11 against 11 – I hope.

“People can yell and shout whatever they like, but as long as they are not running on the pitch, it is OK with me.”

Goldson came off late against Motherwell at Fir Park on Christmas Eve with a groin injury while Rangers were already without Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Ben Davies, John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, Jose Cifuentes and Danilo with various injuries.

Asked about key centre-back Goldson, Clement, whose side are five points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with two games in hand, said: “He trained so we will assess this afternoon and tomorrow. But he did train today.

“There was also a couple of others. I will make my decisions tomorrow. I can’t answer today because some trained and I don’t know if there will be a reaction.”

Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss Saturday’s derby against Rangers but Liel Abada and Reo Hatate are likely to be on the bench following lengthy periods out.

Carter-Vickers went off during the Boxing Day win over Dundee with a tight hamstring and manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed the centre-back would not be available for the next two games.

Rodgers said: “It’s not longer term but you probably won’t see him until after the winter break.

“It is (a blow) of course but I always think it’s an opportunity for someone else. We had it in the last game (against Rangers) when Gustaf (Lagerbielke) and Liam Scales came into the team and for Liam it was the making of him.

“It’s always a sadness when you lose a top player but he will be back after this break and can hopefully stay clear of injury for the second half of the season.”

Rodgers has backed Stephen Welsh to fill the void after making a positive contribution in recent weeks following a lengthy spell out with an ankle injury.

“Stephen played against Feyenoord and played very, very well,” Rodgers said. “I really liked seeing him.

“I brought him with me as a young player when I was here first time round. He was only a kid then and he has really matured. He maybe hasn’t played as much as he would have liked but only because of the form of Cam and Carl Starfelt when he was here.

“That was the challenge for him but he has always been there as a loyal support to play and I know that I can trust him when I put him in.

“So if he is the guy that gets the chance to play then I have every faith that he can perform.”

Abada last featured in Celtic’s 1-0 Ibrox win on September 3 before suffering a thigh injury while training with Israel, and Hatate has been out for two months with a hamstring problem.

Rodgers said: “They have trained, Liel a little bit longer. We don’t want to rush them but if they come through then they will be involved in the squad.

“They are excited to be back. I am just mindful of the stage they are at but they have shown up well in training, they want to be involved, and hopefully they have come through with no ill-effects.

“They are both very good performers. Liel is a goalscorer who plays wide. His record goals to games is very good. He just wants to get back on the field again, it’s been a challenging few months for him with injury and everything else. But he looks really good in training and if I need him then I will be happy to do that. And Reo is a big talent so it will be great to have him back.”

There will be no visiting fans at Celtic Park but Rodgers is excited about the atmosphere ahead of his first home derby against Rangers since September 2018, when Olivier Ntcham got the only goal for the hosts.

“These are amazing games, it’s such an iconic game to be involved in,” he said. “We got a great result at Ibrox and now we are in front of our own supporters so we are really excited by it.

“It’s a fantastic game to be involved in, the atmosphere will be electric and that’s what I really can’t wait for. But it’s up to us to provide the intensity and urgency.

“There’s a real pressure about the game but I have always enjoyed seeing the team perform in that pressure.”

Rangers are unbeaten in 16 games under Philippe Clement and are five points behind the cinch Premiership leaders with two games in hand.

“Philippe has done very well since coming in,” Rodgers said. “He has come in with experience and common sense in terms of setting up the team. All the players together know their job and you can see they have benefited from that. They have good players.

“I am looking forward to the game because it should be a football game. The last few weeks we have played against back fives and teams sitting low in the field. This should hopefully be a really good football game.”

Rangers have announced the loan signing of Portuguese forward Fabio Silva from Wolves until the end of the season.

Silva is set to join Rangers from January 1, subject to international clearance, and will become the first new arrival under manager Philippe Clement.

After joining Wolves from Porto in the summer of 2020 for what was then a club-record fee in the region of £35.6million, Silva had loan spells at both Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven last season.

Silva, 21, has made more than 60 Premier League appearances, the last coming as a late substitute in the defeat at Sheffield United on November 4.

“I am very happy, when I spoke to people about Glasgow and about Rangers, everyone told me good things about the club and the history,” Silva said on the Rangers website.

“I played here once with Porto in the Europa League, so I already know the warm club, the environment and the stadium, so everything is perfect.

“I am very happy to be here, and I can’t wait to start training with the team.”

Clement is confident Silva can make an impact at Ibrox.

“He is a highly rated striker and it is fantastic to have him joining our squad for the remainder of the season,” the Rangers boss said.

“He is a young player who already has some great experience in his career in both England and in Europe. I am looking forward to working with him moving forward.”

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs feels Silva will benefit from the move to Scotland.

“This is a simple one – Fabio needs to play,” Hobbs said on the Wolves website.

“He is not getting enough opportunities here, so it’s a chance to go out and score goals and we’ll look at the future in the summer.

“Rangers don’t have a buying option, but hopefully he plays and scores goals and we’ll see where we’re at in the summer.”

Cinch Premiership games at Ibrox and Pittodrie were postponed after extreme weather conditions caused travel problems in the north of Scotland.

Rangers saw their home game against Ross County called off about 1.30pm on Wednesday as snow prevented the visitors travelling down the A9.

Motherwell got to Aberdeen early but many supporters of both clubs were stuck as roads were closed because of flooding in the north east.

A Scottish Professional Football League statement confirmed Rangers’ game was called off “following consultation with Police Scotland regarding today’s weather conditions on the A9”.

A Rangers statement added:  “Despite the Ibrox playing surface being in good condition and ready to host the match, adverse weather conditions on the A9 means our visitors have been unable to reach Glasgow.”

The postponement means Rangers will go into Saturday’s derby at Celtic Park five points behind the leaders with two games in hand, and with extra time to prepare after Brendan Rodgers’ side beat Dundee on Boxing Day.

Aberdeen’s clash with Motherwell at Pittodrie was called off after Storm Gerrit caused flooding to many of the main routes into the city and prompted the cancellation of rail services.

Motherwell told fans that the A90 had been closed in both directions and directed supporters to the A92 via Arbroath and Montrose. However, that road was soon closed just north of Dundee and roads via Forfar were also affected by flooding.

Chief executive Alan Burrows told the Dons’ official website: “Whilst much of Pittodrie has been battered by significant rain and gale force winds, the stadium itself and the pitch have coped admirably well.

“However, as roads became flooded and unpassable or damaged due to fallen trees and with rail services being cancelled north of Dundee, it was clear it was going to be a very difficult ask for many supporters of both clubs to safely get to Pittodrie.

“We remained in dialogue with all stakeholders and after putting our case across to the league, it was agreed between the two clubs, the league and the police that it was safest to rearrange the game.”

Motherwell later told supporters the decision was made on the advice of Police Scotland following road closures.

“With the Motherwell team travelling to Aberdeen first thing this morning, we had been in communication with Aberdeen all day and we were advised that the pitch was playable and there were no safety concerns at the stadium,” a statement read.

“We had also been advised that the weather forecast was to improve closer to kick-off.

“Following constant discussions between the two clubs, the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to postpone the match for the safety of supporters travelling to the game. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to anyone travelling to Aberdeen.”

It was a second postponement in a row for both County and Aberdeen, who saw their weekend games fall foul of waterlogged pitches.

Brendan Rodgers is hopeful Cameron Carter-Vickers will brush off his Dens Park injury concern to face Rangers.

The Celtic manager also gave his strongest suggestion yet that Reo Hatate and Liel Abada could feature in Saturday’s derby.

The champions ensured they will go into the Parkhead clash on top of the cinch Premiership by beating Dundee 3-0 thanks to Paulo Bernardo’s first Celtic goal and substitute Mikey Johnston’s late double.

But the sight of Carter-Vickers walking off with the physio shortly after the 52nd-minute opener briefly curtailed the visiting fans’ celebrations.

The influential centre-back missed two-and-a-half games with a hamstring complaint earlier this month and Celtic fans will hope the latest issue does not lead to a similar outcome.

“He’s hopefully OK,” Rodgers said. “He felt a bit of tightness and we had said to him before that he didn’t need to be a hero. If he felt anything, just come off. We’re hoping he’s OK but we’ll find out in the next couple of days.”

Abada last played for Celtic in their victory at Ibrox on September 3 before suffering a thigh injury while training with Israel. Hatate has been out for two months with a hamstring injury.

“They could be around it,” Rodgers said. “It’s another thing being ready to start, of course. Liel looked really good on the field when he trained with the group (on Christmas Day).

“We kept him at home to do another session to build him up. We’ve missed his running, his goals. He’ll be brilliant for us for the second part of the season.

“Reo is at a good level but not a level to start. We’ll see how he goes over these next few days.

“He’s training hard, working well and it will be like having two new players when we get those two back.”

Celtic also saw Bernardo and Johnston give themselves a major morale boost. The on-loan Benfica midfielder poked home from close range before Johnston cut in from the left to fire his first Celtic goal since December 2019 and then added another following a one-two with Matt O’Riley.

Rodgers said: “For Paulo it was really, really good. He’s such a mature player for a young player.

“Mikey can make that impact. The challenge for Mikey was the fact that he had played a lot of games back to back, and he hasn’t done that much for Celtic.

“It can give him confidence. The beauty with Mikey is that he’s stayed fit. It’s up to him whether he’s going to be a Celtic player, but we keep working with him and we feel he can come into the game and make an impact.”

Celtic had 37 shots at goal and 23 corners but Dundee manager Tony Docherty felt his side had shown a good defensive structure in the first half.

“It was important that we kept that defensive structure but I just felt they had a couple of chances just before that making those trademark Celtic runs down the side, and they get their goal,” he said. “I thought it was really fortunate.

“But once they get that first goal, then you see Celtic and the quality they bring off the bench. They are a real quality team.”

Todd Cantwell has no doubt Kieran Dowell will go on to show his qualities at Rangers.

Both players were team-mates at Norwich and after Cantwell joined the Light Blues last January, his fellow midfielder followed him north in the summer.

The 26-year-old, however, has struggled to make an impact, albeit injury has played a part in his absence.

Dowell made his first appearance since November 1 when he played his part in the 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox and his early opener against Motherwell at Fir Park on Christmas Eve after keeping his place helped the Light Blues to a 2-0 win.

Cantwell, who scored the second goal which took Philippe Clement’s side two points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand, said: “I feel sorry for Kieran. He had a tough injury not long after he signed which is difficult because it changes what it looks like for him.

“He came in, looked good, scored a good goal and has been injured since.

“Fair play to him for his consistency in training.

“Every single day he has been consistent. He is a top footballer, there is no secret to that.

“I’ve had the joy of playing with him at Norwich and we were successful there. That’s the plan here too.”

The driving rain and wind at Fir Park made playing football difficult but Cantwell was just pleased to keep the winning run going, with Clement now unbeaten in 16 games since taking over as Gers boss in October.

He said: “It was tough, about as windy a game as I’ve played in to be honest.

“It was quite hard to get out of our half in the second half.

“But we came to win and it’s not always going to be as pretty as you might like.

“It affects the game massively when it’s like that.

“It’s a challenge for some people to be standing at that corner where it was windiest, let alone playing football.

“But, listen, we went there to win the game and got two early goals which I think really helped us because we didn’t have to chase the game at that point.

“We had to show a bit of resilience and, yeah, get the win.

“It wouldn’t have been, I don’t think, a particularly enjoyable game to watch.

“But sometimes the best teams have to find a way to win in all sorts of conditions.

“Things are not always going to go your way and today we made sure that we got the win and kept the clean sheet again.”

Todd Cantwell recognised the part Rangers team-mate Abdallah Sima played in his first cinch Premiership goal of the season against Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.

The Light Blues were leading through an early Kieran Dowell strike when left-back Ridvan Yilmaz’s cross into the middle in the 16th minute was controlled by Sima before Cantwell quickly swooped to drive low past Well keeper Liam Kelly.

It was a second goal of the season for the former Norwich player and it helped Rangers move two points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand, ahead of the home game against Ross County on Wednesday night.

Former Norwich midfielder Cantwell told RangersTV: “I back myself in those areas to get goals and I am glad Abdallah didn’t swing his foot at it.

“I practice a lot in those types of positions to get chances and it was nice to take one.

“The manager knows what type of player I am and how I can benefit the game. Goals and assists are something that comes with my position.

“Goals are nice but I don’t put pressure on myself to get goals.

“I think we showed resilience and character but it was a tough watch and we know that, but we are looking forward to getting back to Ibrox on Wednesday.”

Philippe Clement was facing the possibility of more injury woes after Connor Goldson pulled up in Rangers’ 2-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

The boss was without Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Ben Davies, John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, Jose Cifuentes and Danilo for the trip to Lanarkshire.

Early goals from Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell took the Light Blues to within two points of cinch Premiership leaders Celtic, with a game in hand, but veteran defender Goldson was replaced by John Souttar in the 86th minute and ahead of the home game against Ross County on Wednesday before taking on Celtic at Parkhead on December 30.

Clement admitted he was a “little bit fed up” talking about injuries but on Goldson he said: “We will see tomorrow. He felt something at the end of the game but we will see tomorrow.

“We take it day by day what the situation is and what the fitness of the players is. It’s difficult to plan in advance so I’m living from day to day.

“For me, the most pleasing thing is that despite having nine injured players, the structure stays, with two players in midfield who are not used to playing there.

“You don’t see the difference. The team is really focused and concentrated to do the job together. Everybody knows what we are doing, we keep clean sheets and we keep winning games by being dominant.

“In the circumstances of today, we played a really good first half with good attacking football, two good goals, several good chances.

“In the second half, the wind was even harder and the difficulty was that it was really turning in the stadium. It was difficult to play the good quality that we want to bring.

“As long as there is a two-goal difference then the other team always feels it is in a game, and they fought and put a lot of balls in the box.

“We were really concentrated and good in the duels. I don’t think they had one shot on goal from the Motherwell side. We controlled the game well and we got three deserved points.”

Motherwell have now gone 15 games without a win and remain five points ahead of bottom side Livingston.

Boss Stuart Kettlewell believes his side should have had a penalty when Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers pulled Mika Biereth inside the box.

He said: “The two penalties, the one with Brodie Spencer (tackle by Ridvan Yilmaz) may have been a soft one.

“I think there is marginal contact so I am not so sure about that.

“The one that was brought to my attention was the pull on Mika Biereth’s arm at the back post. He looks favourite to get a touch on the ball.

“It is 2-0 and one goal helps us. Watching it back, I am seeing them given as penalties constantly. I think Rangers themselves have benefited from a number of things, incidents like that. my question is, are actually checking them.

“We keep getting told that they are being checked.

“I am not sure if that specific one has been checked. I would defy anyone to tell me if it has been checked then we are OK with it because I am watching every week and slight pulls on jerseys, a slight tug of the arm, results in a penalty.

“I will probably be told that there is some other obscure rule that is the reason why it wasn’t given but with the naked eye and a replay it looks as if it has to be a penalty.”

Rangers beat Motherwell 2-0 at a wet and wild Fir Park and return to chasing the heels of cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.

Kieran Dowell started and finished the move for the opening goal in the fourth minute before fellow midfielder Todd Cantwell fired in a second after 16 minutes of a first half which should have brought more goals, but in a wind-affected encounter the early brace proved enough.

The Light Blues moved back to being two points behind their Old Firm rivals with a game in hand and now turn their focus to Ross County on Wednesday night, with the crucial encounter at Celtic Park on December 30 now looming large.

Philippe Clement has gone 16 games unbeaten since taking over from Michael Beale in October but, by contrast, the Steelmen have gone 15 games without a win and they remain five points ahead of second bottom Livingston.

Boss Stuart Kettlewell must wonder how and when they are going to turn it around as he prepares for the trip to Aberdeen in midweek.

An increasing injury list amid a hectic fixture schedule saw Clement make four changes, with Leon Balogun, Cantwell, Dujon Sterling and Cyriel Dessers returning with the home side unchanged.

It was a nightmare start for Kettlewell’s side who soon found themselves a goal down.

Dowell robbed Harry Paton at the edge of the Motherwell penalty area and played a one-two with Dessers before blasting the ball high past Well keeper Liam Kelly for his second goal for the Light Blues since signing in the summer from Norwich.

Well wobbled further when asked to defend.

Balogun headed a Ross McCausland cross over the bar from close range before Kelly made a save from a Connor Goldson header.

However, the second goal was on its way, arriving 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 Kelly.

A speculative drive from Callum Slattery which skipped past the Rangers goal was their only real response.

Dessers and Goldson both failed to finish from just yards out and Kelly saved a low drive from Dessers as Rangers sporadically threatened.

In the 35th minute, with the rain still cascading amid swirling wind, Dessers swung and missed the ball after Kelly had parried an angled-shot from McCausland.

Motherwell stuck to their considerable task but they could not get through to Gers keeper Jack Butland and it was Kelly who was called into action again just before the break, tipping a Cantwell drive over the bar, but the home side eventually emerged unscathed.

Motherwell, with Paul McGinn on for centre-back Bevis Mugabi, caused some problems for the Govan side at the start of the second half and Brodie Spencer headed wide from a Mika Biereth cross when he ought to have hit the target.

There was a Motherwell penalty shout in the 75th minute when Yilmaz bumped Spencer to the ground inside the Gers box but referee David Dickinson was unmoved and the Rangers escaped a melee in their penalty area moments later.

The home side’s fightback fizzled out.

Dessers had the ball in the Well net in the 82nd minute and again in stoppage time but was twice ruled offside, and there was also a VAR check for a possible penalty for handball in the Rangers box that came to nothing.

St Johnstone have reported “appalling” racist abuse directed towards forward Diallang Jaiyesimi following his red card against Rangers.

A message was highlighted on the X – formerly known as Twitter – social media platform from an account which has now been deleted.

Jaiyesimi was sent off for a challenge on John Lundstram during St Johnstone’s 2-0 cinch Premiership defeat at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

A St Johnstone statement read: “We are aware of a racist tweet circulating online that was aimed at Diallang Jaiyesimi tonight after his red card against Rangers.

“We firmly stand with DJ in this matter and are appalled that this unacceptable behaviour still exists in 2023.

“We will pass this onto Police Scotland to investigate.

“Say no to racism.”

Raging Rangers boss Philippe Clement claimed John Lundstram was “kicked off the pitch” in the 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox.

The Belgian watched luckless striker Kemar Roofe go off after just 16 minutes with another injury but replacement Cyriel Dessers fired the Light Blues ahead in the 28th minute before Diallang Jaiyesimi was soon sent off for a hefty challenge on Lundstram after a VAR intervention saw referee Alan Muir upgrade a yellow to a red with the Rangers midfielder kept in at the break.

Rangers doubled their lead in the 84th minute with a penalty from skipper James Tavernier to go within two points of leaders Celtic with a game in hand.

But Clement was unhappy with the tackle on Lundstram who is a doubt for the fixtures before the January break, including the Old Firm game at Parkhead on December 30, while Roofe will also be “assessed” on Thursday.

Clement said: “It’s another player who is kicked off the pitch, so I am really frustrated with that. It’s his ankle so we will see in the next couple of days what will happen.

“This for me is my main concern after the game – again a player kicked off the pitch. I’m not sure we can get him back before the winter break so that’s not a good situation.

“I don’t want to go in on emotions after the game, I am a little boiling so it’s better to cool down and make opinions about leagues or whatever.

“But it clearly wasn’t a good challenge with your studs forward like that. We had an even worse one later in the game when the guy luckily hit the ball and not my player (Dan Phillips on Kieran Dowell), the intensity there was to break a leg.

“Those things are not good for football.”

Asked why he took off Tavernier in the closing stages, Clement said: “It was more to see I don’t lose any more important players for the next couple of weeks and not to take risks that another one was kicked off.”

On the game, Clement said: “We did a lot of things well. We had control of the game from the start until the end. It is not easy to play against 10 men when they are so deep, with no space.

“We kept our organisation, my defenders stayed focused. We could have had more goals, a few good saves also.

“We were waiting for that second goal, it came late. But we kept on pushing to get the goal and we had enough chances to do that.”

St Johnstone boss Craig Levein had no complaints about the red card.

He said: “I thought it was a red card. I thought the referee was right. In the modern day that’s a red – certainly if it had happened to one of our players I’d be calling for a red card so I am not going to sit here and say anything different.

“He has gone in with force and hasn’t got the ball. It is a red card.”

On the Dan Phillips challenge, however, he said: “I thought that was a good tackle.”

Rangers moved to within two points of cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a comfortable 2-0 win over 10-man St Johnstone at Ibrox.

Philippe Clement, who had picked up his first trophy as Rangers boss on Sunday after the 1-0 Viaplay Cup final win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park, watched helplessly as luckless striker Kemar Roofe went off after just 16 minutes with another injury.

However, replacement Cyriel Dessers fired the Light Blues ahead in the 28th minute before Saints forward Diallang Jaiyesimi was almost immediately sent off for a hefty challenge on midfielder John Lundstram following a VAR intervention.

The dominant Light Blues doubled their lead in the 84th minute with a penalty from skipper James Tavernier, who had scored the winner at Hampden, and Rangers moved tantalisingly closer to the Hoops with a game in hand.

As expected Clement shuffled his pack again.

Kieran Dowell made just his third start of the season in midfield as John Souttar, Ridvan Yilmaz, Sam Lammers and Roofe made up the five changes from the starting line-up at Hampden while Saints boss Craig Levein brought back Andy Considine, Oludare Olufunwa and Sven Sprangler.

After barely a minute of a strangely low-key start to the match, Souttar required a lengthy spell of treatment for a facial injury after clashing with Max Kucheriavyi but there was more distressing injury news soon on its way for the home side.

Roofe, making his first start since October 8, had a couple of attempts on goal before he had to go off and the striker looked distraught, with Dessers taking over.

Rangers had the bulk of possession with the game played in the Perth side’s half but the Saints defence looked organised and disciplined until Olufunwa missed a cross from Tavernier which allowed Dessers to knock the ball past goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and a VAR check confirmed there was no offside.

Almost straight from kick-off Jaiyesimi crunched Lundstram and VAR checked for serious foul play after referee Alan Muir gave the Englishman, on loan from Charlton, a yellow card.

The official checked the pitchside monitor and upgraded the yellow to a red, with Chris Kane soon coming on for Sprangler as Levein reshuffled.

Mitov saved a decent drive from Dessers in the 36th minute and Tavernier fired wide of the far post in added time but there was no sustained pressure on the Saints goal.

Lundstram stayed inside at the interval – where Santa got cheered from the Light Blues fans when he came out with the Viaplay Cup – with Dujon Sterling taking over and within minutes Rangers attacker Abdallah Sima volleyed a Tavernier corner just past the post before Mitov made a series of fine saves from Lammers, twice, and Dessers.

Sima missed the target with another effort in the 66th minute before being replaced by Scott Wright with Todd Cantwell on for Lammers.

There were further efforts from Cantwell and Tavernier before Mitov clearly brought down Dessers inside the box with the Rangers captain slamming the spot-kick low into the corner.

Todd Cantwell has welcomed the dramatic change of fortunes in recent months that has left resurgent Rangers riding a wave of positivity under Philippe Clement.

The Gers landed the first piece of silverware on Sunday by defeating Aberdeen 1-0 in the Viaplay Cup final, while their cinch Premiership hopes also received a major boost at the weekend as title rivals Celtic suffered a second league defeat in a row at home to Hearts.

The turnaround has coincided with the arrival of manager Clement two months ago following the sacking of Michael Beale in the aftermath of a 3-1 defeat at home to the Dons. The Belgian has overseen a 14-game unbeaten run, including 12 victories.

“In football things change so quickly, in a good way or a bad way,” said midfielder Cantwell. “We’re on a bit of a wave at the moment and we’re enjoying it.

“We’re unbeaten so far and you gain a real big belief from that, and winning a trophy won’t harm it.

“The manager’s building a team that wants to fight and win as many trophies as possible and it’s gone really well so far.

“I’m sure he’s aware that it could have gone the other way when he first arrived and we could have been on the end of some defeats but he’s implemented the way he wants to play and it’s working really well.”

The Viaplay Cup triumph marked Cantwell’s first trophy win since he joined Rangers from Norwich in January.

“The plan was to come here and try and get hold of some trophies so it’s a good start to the season,” he said.

“We’re not going to be remembered for our songs, we’re going to be remembered by what we’ve won by the time we left.

“That’s been here nearly a year now and we’ve got one trophy in the bank and hopefully loads more opportunities to come.”

Celtic’s defeat at home to Hearts means Rangers are now just five points behind their city rivals with two games in hand – the first of which is at home to St Johnstone on Wednesday.

With a potentially pivotal derby showdown at Celtic Park looming on 30 December, Cantwell refused to be drawn on any suggestion that the Hoops were opening the door for the Gers to overhaul them in the title race.

“I don’t really see it like that,” he said. “Every game we play is an important game.

“It sounds like a cliche but it will be the end of the season when we determine who has the most points.”

Cantwell was in the wars in a scrappy final at rain-lashed Hampden on Sunday, with Rangers fans particularly annoyed that Dons captain Graeme Shinnie avoided a caution for seemingly striking the midfielder on the back of the head in an aerial challenge.

“I’ve become accustomed to that sort of treatment so far so there’s no complaints on my side,” he said. “It was a very competitive game of football, Aberdeen made it really difficult for us.

“We had to play to the conditions, it was really boggy out there and the tempo wasn’t as quick as we’d have liked but the win is the important thing. It’s a good morale boost for us.”

Connor Goldson heaped praise on James Tavernier after the Rangers captain scored his 115th goal for the club to secure the Viaplay Cup.

The Gers right-back hooked in an impressively-executed strike from a Borna Barisic cross to settle Sunday’s Hampden showdown with Aberdeen in the 76th minute.

Tavernier has made a habit of popping up with huge goals since moving to Rangers from Wigan eight-and-a-half years ago, and fellow defender Goldson feels his colleague has become a colossal influence at Ibrox.

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“This football club won’t appreciate James Tavernier until James Tavernier’s not here,” said Goldson. “For a right-back to do the numbers he does… it’s not one season, it’s year after year after year.

“He started this season slow, I don’t think he scored many at the start but he’s on a hot streak now and long may it continue.

“The main thing about playing for this football club is adding numbers to the board. That board was there long before we were here and will be there a long time after, so to say you’ve had a part in adding numbers on to that is obviously huge.”

Sunday’s victory means long-serving Tavernier has now won each of the three major trophies in his time in Scotland after leading Gers to the Premiership title in 2021 and the Scottish Cup in 2022.

The goal-scorer savoured a perfect ending to a week in which the Ibrox side also sealed top spot in their Europa League group with a 3-2 victory away to Real Betis.

“It’s obviously long overdue but I’m really proud of the team,” Tavernier said of the Viaplay Cup success. “It was probably closer than it was expected to be but we knew if we limited their chances, we would create our own.

“I’m really happy to see this week out by topping the (Europa League) group and getting our hands on the first silverware this season.

“I’m delighted that all of us have managed to get our hands on the first silverware this season. That should give us real good momentum to build on.”

City rivals Celtic have lost their last two matches, allowing Rangers – who previously seemed out of contention – to haul themselves back into the title race.

The Gers are now within five points of the Hoops with two games in hand, the first of which comes at home to St Johnstone on Wednesday.

Tavernier refused to entertain talk of Celtic’s recent dip, preferring to keep the focus on his own team.

“There’s plenty points to play for,” he said. “We’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves and focus on knocking out the wins. It gets decided in May.

“We’ll try our hardest and see where it takes us. We’ve always got determination, no matter what. We play for a club that’s rich in history with trophies and we want to bring success to the club and our fans.”