Rangers boss Philippe Clement called on his team to show greater ruthlessness after they were made to work for a 1-0 win over Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Cyriel Dessers put the Gers ahead after just six minutes at Ibrox, diverting James Tavernier's effort past visiting goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

However, Clement's team failed to build on that quick start and inched over the line amid a tense atmosphere, moving back to within nine points of pacesetters Celtic and Aberdeen.

Speaking after the game, Clement acknowledged his players are fatigued after a gruelling run of fixtures but added they must start taking their chances.

"We made too many wrong choices with the ball and became too sloppy," Clement said. 

"It's the end of a very busy period, though, with a lot of travelling and they're all human beings, not robots.

"We missed scoring the second goal and we know that until you get that goal the other team stays in the game, so I want us to kill the belief of the opponent faster.

 "I'm very satisfied with the result and the deserved three points. We didn't show the same quality in the second half and we didn't finish off the game. We had a few chances, but it stays nervous until the last second."

Rangers host Dundee United after the international break, while Celtic visit Hearts and Aberdeen travel to St. Mirren.

Philippe Clement explained captain James Tavernier was omitted from Rangers' 1-1 Europa League draw with Olympiacos due to fear of him playing too many games.

The 33-year-old skipper was utilised as a second-half substitute in a game where Cyriel Dessers cancelled out Ayoub El Kaabi's opener at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday.

It was a call that raised a few eyebrows given the criticism Tavernier has faced this season, but Clement said it was just about managing the experienced full-back's minutes.

In quotes reported by BBC Sport, Clement said: "That's never an easy decision, but I want more than one captain in the group.

"If you come at a certain age you can't play 60 games at the same level. We knew that before the season. It's about competition for spots.

"It's about one team, winning together. That's Rangers - one team, one family, going for one goal."

Rangers now have seven points from four games in Europe's secondary competition, sitting just outside the top eight in the table.

Clement, however, was disappointed not to travel home with the win despite being impressed with the performance.

"A very strong performance as a team, sticking to the plan, being very disciplined and using the spaces," he added.

"Disappointed we didn't win the game, that's the next step we need to take. But I saw a lot of positive things and I need to praise the whole team for that.

"I don't want players happy with a point. We went for the three points and that's the mentality I want to see against any opponent.

"Our midfield was massive today. Our defence was really solid. Jack [Butland] didn't have to make many saves."

Rangers are now unbeaten in their last five away matches in the Europa League (W2 D3), equalling their longest such run in the competition’s history (also five unbeaten between October 2020 – March 2021).

Up next in the competition is Ligue 1 side Nice, who drew 2-2 with Enschede on Thursday. 

Cyriel Dessers earned Rangers a priceless point at the home of the Europa Conference League winners, with his strike securing a 1-1 draw with Olympiacos. 

The result left Rangers just outside the top eight in the Europa League table, while Olympiacos are one place further back, having picked up seven points from their four games. 

Dessers, however, squandered a golden opportunity in the 11th minute after being sent through on goal, but could only fire his effort at the legs of Konstantinos Tzolakis. 

Tzolakis was again on hand to deny the Rangers striker six minutes later, producing a stunning save to tip his effort wide as the Scottish side ended the half in the ascendency. 

But their good work was undone shortly after the restart when Chiquinho's smart backwards header found Ayoub El Kaabi, who swivelled and rifled the ball into the roof of the net. 

However, Rangers responded eight minutes later, with Dessers finally getting the better of Tzolakis. The Nigerian skipped beyond the challenge of Panagiotis Retsos before curling the ball home. 

Both sides pushed to try and find the winning goal in the closing stages, but the spoils were shared at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki. 

Data Debrief: Oh I do love playing away

Rangers can leave Greece happy with a point, though could have returned to Ibrox with all three after a strong showing against Olympiacos. 

They ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.13 compared to their opponents' 0.68, despite having three less shots throughout the contest. 

But their impressive form away from home in Europe continued. They are now unbeaten in their last five away matches in the Europa League (W2 D3), equalling their longest such run in the competition’s history (also five unbeaten between October 2020 – March 2021).

Dessers also impressed for Philippe Clement's side. He has been directly involved in 10 goals across 13 away appearances in major European competitions (eight goals, two assists). 

Phillipe Clement said Rangers' performance against Motherwell must serve as a reference for the rest of their season after they teed up a Scottish League Cup final clash with Celtic.

Rangers fought back for a 2-1 victory on Sunday, with Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrami on target one day after Celtic trounced Aberdeen 6-0 in the first semi-final.

Dessers converted Connor Barron's cross to level things up in the 49th minute, then Bajrami saw his strike deflect home nine minutes from time to ease the pressure on Clement.

The Gers have endured a difficult Premiership season to date and trail rivals Celtic, who they will face in the League Cup final on December 15, by nine points in the table.

Clement, however, believes they can achieve big things if they replicate the performance they produced at Hampden Park on a regular basis.

"We can go where we want to be, which is the final," he told Premier Sports.

"We had that amazing feeling together with the fans last season and we can battle for that again. 

"This needs to be also a reference game for this squad, for this new squad.

"To do what we've been doing a lot last season, to dig in and in every situation to keep our belief, to keep on going, to keep on fighting and to break the wall if we go behind... 

"This can be a massive game at the end of the season to have this one as a reference. I want to see, every three days, this mentality."

Shayden Morris' winner helped Aberdeen defeat Rangers 2-1 to maintain their unbeaten run and stay level on points with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

The hosts took the lead through Nicky Devlin after 31 minutes at the Pittodrie Stadium before Nedim Bajrami's individual brilliance saw Rangers back on level terms 18 minutes into the second half.

Celebrations soon resumed in Aberdeen as substitute Morris crashed in the winner 11 minutes later.

Victory sees Jimmy Thelin's side move nine points clear of Rangers, who sit in third, as they remain level on 28 points with Celtic, only behind on goal difference.

Celtic continued to add to that superior goal difference with a 2-0 win over Dundee at Celtic Park.

Two goals inside 10 minutes in the second half from Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels gave them a routine victory to keep them unbeaten at the top of the table.

Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a routine 3-0 victory at Motherwell, putting them back above Aberdeen on goal difference.

Brendan Rodgers' Bhoys had been knocked off the summit by the Dons' 1-0 win over Dundee United on Saturday, but they responded by easing to their eighth victory in nine games at Fir Park.

Luke McCowan steered in the opener on his first Celtic start, after Lennon Miller had twice struck the woodwork in the early stages.

Stand-in captain Alistair Johnston then ghosted in to score their second at the back post shortly before the hour mark, with Adam Idah adding a third before Motherwall's Liam Gordon was sent off in stoppage time.

That result piled the pressure on Rangers, who could have ended the weekend nine points adrift of the top two, but they claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over St Mirren at Ibrox to stay within six.

Mohamed Diomande's powerful close-range finish put the Gers ahead, but Alex Gogic rose to nod in a St Mirren equaliser midway through the first half.

Vaclav Cerny spared their blushes, though, as he scored the winner following good work from Cyriel Dessers in the 69th minute. 

Rangers go to second-placed Aberdeen, who are yet to lose this season, for a huge fixture in the title race on Wednesday.

In Sunday's other Premiership game, teenager James Wilson struck three minutes from time to rescue a point for Hearts in a 1-1 Edinburgh Derby draw at Hibernian.

Mykola Kuharevich had put Hibs ahead on the rebound after Marvin Ekpiteta headed against the crossbar just after the hour mark, but Wilson got the final touch to divert James Penrice's long throw home with stoppage time looming.

The result keeps Hibs rooted to the foot of the table with six points, though they are only behind 11th-placed Hearts on goal difference and still have a game in hand to come.

Vaclav Cerny shone as Rangers cruised to a commanding 4-0 victory over FCSB in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Czech winger scored twice and provided an assist for Tom Lawrence, while Hamza Igamane was also on target during a dominant performance by the hosts at Ibrox.

Nicolas Raskin had already had a long-range effort pushed away when Rangers broke through in the 10th minute. Cerny drove down the right flank and cut the ball back for Lawrence, whose first-time shot bounced in beyond FCSB goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu.

Cerny doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark, pouncing on loose possession by the visitors before bending into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards out.

The Czech grabbed his second in the 55th minute. A lovely exchange of passes released him, and he ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged before cutting inside and slotting home.

Igamane put the icing on the cake 18 minutes from time. Connor Barron robbed FCSB of possession and found the substitute, who drilled into the bottom-right corner.

Data Debrief: Cerny matches Morelos as Rangers claim biggest Europa victory

Cerny became only the second Rangers player to be directly involved in three or more goals during a single Europa League match, after Alfredo Morelos against Royal Antwerp in February 2021.

Registering 23 shots - their highest total in a single Europa League game - the hosts claimed their first European victory by four or more goals since beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 4-0 in the UEFA Cup in February 2007. It was also their biggest Europa League win since the competition's rebrand in 2009-10.

As for FCSB, they have now lost each of their last eight European matches against British opposition by a combined scoreline of 24-2, conceding three or more times in six of those eight games.

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.