Rangers Beat St Mirren 2-0 to Keep Pressure on Celtic in Scottish Premiership

Rangers Beat St Mirren 2-0 in Paisley to Close Within One Point of Celtic

Rangers won 2-0 at St Mirren’s SMISA Stadium in Paisley, with Ryan Naderi converting an 18th-minute penalty and captain Dan Neil adding a deflected second goal just after the hour, BBC reported. The result extended Derek McInnes’s side’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 games and moved them to within one point of Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic, who have played the same number of fixtures.

The Guardian described the win as banishing Rangers‘ “recent away day blues” — draws against Dundee and Hearts in their previous two Premiership away games had blemished the title challenge before the trip to Paisley.

Naderi’s Penalty and Neil’s Deflection Settle It at the SMISA Stadium

Naderi opened the scoring from the spot after 18 minutes, and Neil, returning to the side for the trip to Paisley, made it 2-0 with a deflected strike shortly after the restart, according to the BBC match report. Rangers FC confirmed the lineup behind the goals: Ivor Pandur in goal; Dujon Sterling, Olwethu Makhanya, Emmanuel Fernandez and James Penrice in defence; Nico Raskin, Neil and Minsu Kim in midfield; Badredine Bouanani and Minsu Kim wide; and Naderi alongside Kevin Kelsy up front. Kick-off was at 8pm. Neil returned to the starting lineup following last weekend’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen, with Tuur Rommens among the substitutes. The bench also comprised Liam Kelly, Kosta Nedeljkovic, Ben Godfrey, Vanja Dragojevic, Tochi Chukwuani, Findlay Curtis, Djeidi Gassama and Bojan Miovski.

Pandur’s Four Saves Keep the Clean Sheet

While the scorers took the headlines, Rangers News rated Pandur’s performance the standout, giving the goalkeeper an 8/10. He made four saves and prevented an estimated 1.35 goals based on the quality of shots faced (xGOT), keeping his sheet clean when St Mirren carved out chances against the run of play. The same report gave Kelsy and Minsu Kim 4/10 each, noting both forwards struggled to link up with Naderi and Bouanani in the final third. The Croatian has proven a major upgrade on Jack Butland since his arrival. Other player ratings included Dan Neil with 8/10, Emmanuel Fernandez, James Penrice and Badredine Bouanani with 7/10, Dujon Sterling and Ryan Naderi with 6/10, and Olwethu Makhanya and Nico Raskin with 5/10.

What the Result Means for the Premiership Table

With the win, Rangers sit one point behind Celtic with both sides having played the same number of matches, The Guardian reported. Celtic can restore their four-point lead when they host Kilmarnock on Sunday, before the international break pauses the league. St Mirren, eighth in the table, had been searching for consistency after a 5-0 defeat by Hearts in mid-October and a loss to Motherwell on October 31, Goal.com reported in its preview. Rangers had won back-to-back Old Firm derbies, secured a place in the Scottish League Cup final, and had won each of their last three meetings with St Mirren, including a 5-1 League Cup victory earlier this season.

St Mirren vs Rangers: Your Questions Answered

Who scored for Rangers against St Mirren?

Ryan Naderi scored an 18th-minute penalty, and captain Dan Neil added a deflected goal just after the hour mark, according to the BBC.

Where did Rangers play St Mirren and when did the match kick off?

The match was played at the SMISA Stadium in Paisley with an 8pm kick-off, Rangers FC confirmed.

How far behind Celtic are Rangers after the win?

Rangers moved to within one point of Celtic, with both clubs having played the same number of fixtures, The Guardian reported.

What happens next in the title race?

Celtic host Kilmarnock on Sunday and can extend their lead back to four points before the international break, according to The Guardian.

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