Marley Watkins struck a late winner as Rangers lost further ground at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, falling to a deserved 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock. 

Rangers went into Sunday's game six points adrift of Celtic and Aberdeen, after the two pacesetters played out an entertaining 2-2 draw on Saturday.

But they never looked likely to close that gap as they produced a flat performance at Rugby Park.

They were indebted to goalkeeper Jack Butland as he made a fine save to deny Watkins early on, while Matty Kennedy was just unable to turn an inviting Corrie Ndaba cross home.

Former Rangers shot-stopper Robby McCrorie had a busier second half, pushing a Cyriel Dessers effort away before the Nigerian hit the crossbar from the resulting corner.

Those misses were punished with just three minutes remaining, Watkins outmuscling defender John Souttar from a long ball forward before prodding past Butland.

Data Debrief: Gers fall flat once more

In contrast to the lightning starts Celtic and Aberdeen have made to 2024-25, Rangers have looked laboured in the early weeks of the season and that was the case again on Sunday.

They only mustered three shots on target throughout the 90 minutes, the same amount as their hosts, and they have now been shut out in three of their eight Premiership games this term – only St Johnstone and Ross County (four apiece) have failed to net more often.

Rangers got back on track in the Scottish Premiership as Vaclav Cerny scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over St. Johnstone.

Philippe Clement's side were thrashed 4-1 by Lyon in Thursday's Europa League clash at Ibrox Stadium, where they made amends with a routine domestic victory on Sunday.

Cerny broke the deadlock 11 minutes before the interval, cutting inside and curling a sumptuous effort into the bottom-left corner of Ross Sinclair's goal.

Czech Republic winger Cerny added Rangers' second, and doubled his account, just before the hour after combining with returning midfielder Ianis Hagi before producing a right-footed finish into the far corner.

Hagi – who had not played a first-team game for over a year due to a contract dispute – was sent off with nine minutes left though, following a VAR review for a high challenge on Benjamin Kimpioka's standing ankle.

Rangers still recorded a comfortable triumph to move back within five points of the league-leading Celtic, who are clear of Aberdeen on goal difference, heading into the October international break.

Data Debrief: Defensive recovery after Lyon pain

Rangers were well off the pace in the Lyon hammering in which they shipped four goals, though the hosts rediscovered their defensive solidity here.

Clement's men have now won three matches in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since doing so across January and February last campaign.

It came as no surprise, however, given St. Johnstone have lost each of their last seven away league games against Rangers without scoring a single goal in the process.

Malick Fofana and Alexandre Lacazette each scored twice as Lyon outclassed Rangers 4-1 in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday.

Former Arsenal striker Lacazette scored twice before the break after Tom Lawrence had earlier cancelled out Fofana's opener in Glasgow, with the latter also netting again in the second half.

Vaclav Cerny was punished for woefully blazing over the bar when Fofana bent home on the rebound from the hugely impressive Rayan Cherki's shot after 10 minutes.

Lawrence quickly prodded home the equaliser when Cyriel Dessers was denied, but an awful error from Connor Barron led to Fofana laying on a simple finish for Lacazette.

The Frenchman then made it 3-1 with a whipped 25-yard stunner before the break and Fofana poked home Cherki's low cross at the back post to add more gloss shortly after the restart.

Duje Caleta-Car saw a header thunder off the crossbar and Corentin Tolisso had a shot cleared off the line, while substitute Said Benrahma was also denied as Lyon pushed to really emphasise their dominance of proceedings.

Data Debrief: Lyon forwards tormentors in chief

Rangers, who won impressively at Malmo on MD1, just had no answer for the dynamism of a Lyon side who are now two from two and second in the table.

Lacazette was playing his 50th game in the Europa League and scored his 23rd and 24th goals in the competition. Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Aritz Aduriz (26) have scored more since his first appearance in September 2012.

Cherki set up both of Fofana's goals in an excellent display and has six goal involvements in only five Europa League starts (three goals, three assists), while Fofana scored and assisted in the same game for the first time for Lyon.

Rangers have a night to forget and this represented only the first time in the Europa League/UEFA Cup they have conceded four goals at home, and only the third time overall.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has heaped praise on Jack Butland after the goalkeeper saved a penalty to help secure a 1-0 win over Hibernian.

The hosts took the lead in the 34th minute, with Tom Lawrence whipping a delightful finish into the top-right corner after cutting inside from the left.

Hibs were handed a golden opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time, with John Souttar penalised for a handball following a VAR review, but Butland got down to make a brilliant save.

After the break, Cyriel Dessers was denied at point-blank range and Robin Propper twice failed to hit the target in quick succession, but Rangers' lone goal proved to be enough.

While Clement was frustrated by the penalty decision, he was quick to praise his goalkeeper's work as they held on to claim all three points.

"Jack's save was a massive moment," he told RangersTV. "I think Jack was happy as he has been less involved in the last few weeks - it's a good feeling to be important in those moments.

"For me, it wasn't clear why it was a penalty. We discussed these things before with the other managers and the referee department.

"The clean sheet is massive. We brought in Jefte, who is new, Nana Kasanwirjo has come in, and we have a new pairing at centre-backs with John and Robin Propper.

"It is not just defensively; we also have Connor Barron who is new in front of them. They haven't played together too long, but with the organisation, Jack hasn't had to make many saves.

"But when he did, he came up with a massive one and that is a top goalkeeper who keeps his concentration in the big moments."

Rangers came into this game on the back of a Europa League victory away to Malmo on Thursday.

While far from their best, Rangers still managed to claim a fourth consecutive victory in the Scottish Premiership without conceding for the first time since February 2022.

Clement admitted the quick turnaround affected his players' performances.

"The first half we played well, and we deserved the lead, although we could have scored more," he added.

"In the second half, it was more difficult, you could see the freshness going out of the legs of several players.

"We didn't get back to the training centre until 2am on Friday, and then we played at midday, so we had less freshness, so it was important to get the three points and another clean sheet."

Rangers kicked off their Europa League campaign with an excellent 2-0 victory at Malmo on Thursday.

Nedim Bajrami opened the scoring after just 56 seconds at Eleda Stadion, and though Malmo carved out a couple of good opportunities, Rangers delivered a controlled display to get three points on the board.

Anders Christiansen squandered Malmo's best chance to restore parity early in the second half, slicing high from the centre of the area.

His miss summed up Malmo's night in front of goal, as they failed to direct a single shot on target.

Malmo were made to pay for their profligacy when Ross McCausland took it down on the edge of their box and drilled home a fine finish to send the travelling Rangers support into raptures.

Data Debrief: Seven heaven

At the seventh time of asking, Rangers claimed their first win over Swedish opposition in European competition, while Malmo are now winless in 15 games in a major continental tournament, losing 14 of those, including each of the last eight.

Rangers accumulated 2.5 expected goals and created five big chances, and Philippe Clement will be thrilled with how his side controlled much of the encounter despite handing possession over to Malmo.

Bajrami's strike got the ball rolling. It was the first time Rangers scored in the opening minute of a major European match since October 1998, courtesy of Gennaro Gattuso against Beitar Jerusalem in the UEFA Cup.

Rangers got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory away to Dundee United on Sunday, which saw them climb to third in the Scottish Premiership.

Philippe Clement's side are now five points behind second-placed Aberdeen and league leaders Celtic, who inflicted their first defeat of the season last time out.

The match itself was one of few chances, with forward Tom Lawrence scoring the winning goal after just seven minutes.

The goal capped a flowing, attacking move from Rangers that saw Lawrence get on the end of some one-touch passing before carrying the ball through the penalty area and beyond the goalkeeper.

Dundee United were unable to offer much in the way of a comeback, with five off-target shots the sum total of their threat throughout the match.

The match did see 10 yellow cards shown, with Dundee United's Emmanuel Adegboyega's booking for a forceful challenge reviewed by VAR towards the end of the first half. The on-field decision stood, though the defender was substituted at the break.

Data Debrief: Rangers end away day woes

Goalscorer Lawrence had five shots in the match, which is a season-high in the league for any Rangers player.

The visitors will be pleased to get three points, having won just one of their previous seven away games prior to this - their worst run since 2016.

It also means they close some of the gap to Old Firm rivals Celtic, who had opened an eight-point buffer following a 2-0 home win over Hearts on Saturday.

The hosts, meanwhile, failed to register a single effort on target for the first time in a league game since 8 May 2022. Their opponents on that day? Rangers.

Callum McGregor scored late on to seal Celtic's 3-0 victory over rivals Rangers in the Old Firm Derby at Celtic Park on Sunday.

Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi had put the Bhoys in control in the first half, with Rangers unable to mount a comeback.

Rangers' best chance came inside 10 minutes, with James Tavernier picking out Rabbi Matondo, who thumped his header wide from the edge of the six-yard box.

Kyogo thought he had broken the deadlock just one minute later, but his clinical finish was disallowed as Nicolas Kuhn had just drifted offside before teeing him up.

Maeda's close-range effort did count in the 17th minute, with Alistair Johnson drifting in behind Rangers' defence to set him up for a tap-in.

And Kyogo would get on the scoresheet just before the break, driving a low shot through the crowded area and in from 30 yards out to put Celtic in control.

McGregor added the gloss in the 75th minute, netting in a third straight game as his long-range strike deflected past Butland. 

Data Debrief: Clement's derby woes go on

Celtic maintained their perfect start to the season, with the Bhoys yet to concede in their four games so far. Kasper Schmeichel only had three saves to make, staying alert to deny Tavernier and protect his clean sheet late on. 

But it was more misery for Gers boss Philippe Clement, who has now failed to win an Old Firm Derby in five attempts in all competitions (one draw, four losses); only Graeme Murty (also five) and William Wilton (eight) also failed to win any of their first five games against Celtic in charge of Rangers.

As a whole, Rangers have not enjoyed their recent trips to Celtic Park - since the start of 2022-23, they have lost all five of their away games against Celtic. The last time that happened was in April 1980. 

Manchester United will travel to Turkey to face former manager Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce following the Europa League's revamped draw on Friday.

The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

During his two-and-a-half-year spell at United, Mourinho led them to Europa League glory in 2017, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final.

The Red Devils' remaining seven games include an all-British home clash against Rangers, welcoming them to Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years, and a trip to another of Mourinho's old clubs, Porto.

Rangers, who have failed to win any of their last 13 games in major European competition against English opposition, will also face Tottenham and Conference League winners Olympiakos.

Spurs, winners of the inaugural tournament in 1972, will also meet Roma and Galatasaray in their other seven fixtures.

Meanwhile, in the Conference League, Chelsea's draw includes League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers at home and a trip to Panathinaikos.

The Blues, who narrowly qualified for the competition on Thursday, have never faced any of their six opponents in any competition before. 

Philippe Clement concedes Rabbi Matondo could still leave Rangers before deadline day despite a star turn in the 6-0 Scottish Premiership hammering of Ross County.

The Wales winger has attracted reported interest from Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers in recent weeks but a move has yet to materialise.

If he is to depart the Glasgow giants, he does so on a high having scored twice and assisted two more at Hampden Park – where the Gers have been playing home games while Ibrox undergoes redevelopment work.

Speaking about Matondo's future before the transfer window shuts on Friday, Gers boss Clement said in quotes reported by BBC Sport: "There are a lot of rumours [linking him away]. We cannot say no to everything, we'll see this week. 

"For the moment, Rabbi will be here with us next week. That's what I want also. But if someone comes with enough money, the club will always be open for talks."

Cyriel Dessers was also on target twice against Ross, while Tom Lawrence and Danilo registered as Rangers warmed up for next week's Old Firm derby against Celtic in fine fashion.

Dessers has often been a much-maligned figure at the club but Clement thinks the Nigeria international is currently playing the best football of his career.

In quotes reported by the club's official website, he said: "He deserves it, he is doing a very good job.

"This is the best Cyriel that I have seen in his career until now and he is somebody who is hungry to play for his shirt and someone who is also hungry to learn to become better.

"He is not 20 years old anymore but he stays hungry to learn all the details and you see in several details he is becoming better and better by doing it and by watching the videos and to talk about it."

The resounding victory saw Rangers move top of the Premiership having played three games, albeit Celtic and Aberdeen can leapfrog them as they play St Mirren and Kilmarnock respectively on Sunday.

Oleksandr Pikhalyonok and Nazar Voloshyn's late goals secured Dynamo Kyiv a 2-0 second-leg win over 10-man Rangers, sending them into the Champions League play-offs 3-1 on aggregate.

Jefte was sent off for the hosts early in the second half, and they will have to settle for Europa League football after conceding twice in the last 10 minutes.

There was little to separate the teams in the first half, though Ross McCausland wasted his chance to break the deadlock, failing to catch his shot properly.

The turning points came either side of half-time – Jefte caught Andriy Yarmolenko late to receive his first booking and was harshly given his marching orders five minutes into the second half after an aerial challenge with Oleksandr Karavaev.

Vaclav Cerny tried to provide a spark for the Gers, but the hosts failed to take any chances before Pikhalyonok cut inside from the right to fizz a low shot into the bottom-right corner to put Dynamo in front.

Just two minutes later, Rangers were upfield and Voloshyn did brilliantly to keep the ball in play before finishing off a one-two with Mykola Shaparenko by firing a first-time shot past Jack Butland. 

Data Debrief: Shovkovskyi's impact subs

Rangers played 40 minutes with 10 men but did not really come under any pressure from Dynamo until much later in the game.

Just one week ago, it was Cyriel Dessers scoring a 94th-minute equaliser to keep Rangers' hopes alive, but this time, it was the hosts who fell victim to a late lapse in concentration.

Vaclav Cerny struck the winner as Rangers ground out a 2-1 win over Motherwell at Hampden Park on Saturday to pick up their first victory of the Scottish Premiership campaign.

The Gers, held 0-0 by Hearts in their opening match of the season last week, survived an early scare when Lennon Miller fired wide from a glorious position in the opening minutes.

However, after Scott Wright had an effort stopped on the line, Cyriel Dessers - who rescued a late European draw against Dynamo Kyiv in midweek - found the net from close range with 13 minutes on the clock.

Motherwell responded instantly as John Souttar failed to cut out a deep delivery and Robin Propper turned into his own net, but fellow new signing Cerny cut inside and curled in a delightful goal seven minutes later.

Aston Oxborough made some smart stops to frustrate Rangers, while Jack Butland was equal to a Zach Robinson effort in the second half as the hosts - playing at Hampden due to ongoing renovation work at Ibrox - saw out a rather flat win.

Data Debrief: 'Home' comforts for Rangers at Hampden

Rangers have now won their opening home league game in each of the past seven seasons by an aggregate score of 22-2, albeit this match was at Hampden rather than Ibrox.

Last week's draw with Hearts was underwhelming, but the Light Blues avoided going back-to-back league games without a win to begin a season for the first time since 1989-90 with this victory.

Cyriel Dessers salvaged a last-gasp draw for Rangers in a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv in their Champions League third-round qualifier first leg on Tuesday.

It looked like Andriy Yarmolenko's strike would give the Ukrainian side the advantage heading into the second leg next week, but the visitors dug deep to level the score.

Rangers made a decent start to the game but were punished for Ridvan Yilmaz's loose pass, as Vladyslav Vanat capitalised by flashing it into the box for Yarmolenko to turn home.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser, with Ross McCausland hitting the post before Heorhiy Bushchan made a fine save to keep out Dessers' pacey shot.

And it was the Nigerian that eventually found the breakthrough for Rangers as he darted in to poke Vaclav Cerny's cross past Bushchan with the last kick of the game in the 94th minute.

Data Debrief: Dessers saves the day

For so long, it looked like Rangers would be heading back to Hampden Park next Tuesday with a deficit to overturn, but Dessers' threat finally paid off.

Philippe Clement's side have started the season with back-to-back draws though, having played a 0-0 stalemate with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend, and he will be keen to get their first win soon.

Although Dynamo could not hold out for the win, they are now unbeaten in their last 12 home matches in all competitions, winning 10 and drawing two.

Philippe Clement was pleased with the improved second-half performance of his Rangers side but suggested the bar was low during the 0-0 draw with Hearts.

Rangers started the encounter poorly, but Clement took encouragement from the improved display in the second 45 minutes, with Cyriel Dessers going closest as his header crashed against both crossbar and post.

Hearts had the better of the Scottish Premiership opener, having 18 shots to Rangers' nine, and 0.78 of the hosts' 1.28 expected goals (xG) was mustered in the first half.

Clement said: "We showed the right images in half-time, we talked, we discussed, to do the right things – and then you see that we play better football and we create more and we have much more control of the game.

"We need to continue that way – like we played in the second half."

Despite the uplift in performance, Clement underlined how poorly he felt his players performed in the first half, most notably when they were without the ball.

He said: "In the first half, I could have changed, maybe eight. They need to understand that it's not only with the ball – you need first to win the duels and we lacked that in the first half.”

"In the second half we were much braver with the ball, with the right positioning also."

Clement's observations were backed up by the match statistics, with Rangers winning just 38.5% of their duels in the first half.

Rangers' manager was pleased enough with the performances of his debutants Connor Barron and Vaclav Cerny but hinted at more reinforcements before the end of the summer transfer window.

He added: "Connor played a good game, but not at the level that he played in the pre-season, but also it's his first competitive game. He will be a big asset for the future.

"You saw Vaclav's qualities to be calm on the ball and to make the right decisions. He's an experienced player with a lot of quality.

"We need to get a few more of those types in to help our young players to grow."

It is a quick turnaround for Rangers before their next match, as they face Dynamo Kyiv in a crucial first-leg Champions League play-off on Tuesday.

Rangers made a disappointing start to their Scottish Premiership campaign as they drew 0-0 with Hearts at Tynecastle.

This poor result rather compounded a lacklustre pre-season, despite manager Philippe Clement signing a contract extension on Friday.

Hearts made a quick start, with debutant James Penrice going close as he burst into the box and forced Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland into a fine stop at his near post.

The hosts continued piling on the pressure as Yan Dhanda struck the crossbar with a stylish effort.

Rangers looked more assured after the break with Cyriel Dessers heading against the corner of the crossbar and post early on after a delicious left-footed cross from Tom Lawrence, who then went close himself with a dipping volley from outside the box, which Zander Clark had to acrobatically save.

Laurence Shankland drove into the area with twenty minutes to go, but he was thwarted by an onrushing Butland, though Rangers could not any inroads going the other way.

Data debrief: Dessers dangerous but Rangers struggle

Cyriel Dessers contributed 0.65 of Rangers' 0.83 xG, having the most shots for the away side with four, as well as having the joint most touches in the opposition box of any player with seven, alongside Hearts' Shankland.

However, it was a meek attacking display overall from Rangers, who had nine shots to Hearts 18, with the home team creating 1.28 xG.

They are now unbeaten in 12 home league games, which matches their best Scottish Premiership run since November 17 to April 2018. Indeed, the last team to beat Hearts in the league at Tynecastle were Rangers, back in December last year.

Manchester United claimed their first victory of pre-season with a 2-0 win over Rangers at Murrayfield.

Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill were on target for Erik ten Hag's side, who bounced back from their 1-0 defeat by Rosenborg last time out.

The Red Devils, whose starting XI included new signing Leny Yoro and the returning Jadon Sancho, went close with young striker Ethan Wheatley calling Jack Butland into action, while Diallo was narrowly off target from a free-kick.

The latter broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time, cutting inside from the right wing before flashing a shot into Butland's bottom-right corner.

Sancho shot over from close range before United doubled their lead 19 minutes from time. Maxi Oyedele provided a neat throughball for fellow substitute Hugill, who brilliantly fired home first time off the underside of the crossbar.

Andre Onana denied Ridvan Yilmaz's acrobatic effort later on to preserve a clean sheet for Ten Hag's side, who will travel to Los Angeles to face Arsenal next week.