James Tavernier insists Rangers cannot afford to linger on Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Motherwell as attention turns to the Europa League this week.

The Gers skipper scored his 21st goal of the season with a penalty to level a first-half opener by Theo Bair at Ibrox but Well defender Dan Casey headed in a winner in the 74th minute to give the impressive visitors their first cinch Premiership win at Ibrox since 1997.

It was the Light Blues’ first defeat of the year but they were given a title race reprieve when Celtic’s 2-0 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday kept the Hoops trailing their Old Firm rivals by two points at the top of the table.

Rangers will park league concerns to prepare for the first-leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday night and Tavernier believes they have to move on from the weekend wobble.

The full-back told RangersTV: “We can’t dwell on it too long.  We’ve got a really important Europa League game in midweek.

“We can’t dwell on it. We will analyse it and then move on.

“Disappointed but plenty of games to play. We’ve been in a good place before this so we just need to get back to that.

“Looking at our defending and how we started the game we were not really on the front foot, we let them get into the game with a goal and we made it an uphill battle.

“But we still asked questions and we obviously tried to fight until the end but just disappointed that we conceded two goals and didn’t get the three points.

“But there’s nine games to play and we’ll just we’ll fight all the way to the end.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell told the club’s official website how proud he was of his players’ application before leaving with a landmark result.

He said: “I believe I am a really humble person but I put great demands on my players.

“I thanked them for their efforts, I thanked them for how they performed because you sometimes take that as a given. They give me everything every single day.

“They are probably the most honest group of players I have ever worked with and every mistake they make is an honest mistake.

“Sometimes that brings frustration for the supporters, myself, the staff but I think you have to tip your cap to them.”

Dan Casey’s stunning second-half goal gave Motherwell a shock 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox and handed the initiative in the cinch Premiership title race back to Celtic.

Stuart Kettlewell’s side silenced most of Ibrox in the ninth minute with a goal from striker Theo Bair which left the Light Blues struggling to read an unexpected script.

Gers skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot on the hour after the VAR had intervened but Irish defender Casey restored the visitors’ lead with a close-range finish in the 74th minute for the first Well win in the league in Govan since 1997.

It was a first defeat in 12 games in all competitions for Philippe Clement’s side and although they remain two points clear of their Old Firm rival at the top of the table, Celtic get the chance to leapfrog them against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Clement’s side had fought back to beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park on Wednesday night, which kept them ahead of the Hoops and it was widely believed that three more points would be garnered against the Steelmen.

Ridvan Yilmaz, Nico Raskin, Dujon Sterling and Cyriel Dessers came back in to the team amid the usual rotation.

Motherwell, with defender Shane Blaney and on-loan Blackburn striker Jack Vale returning, arrived in eighth place fresh from a 3-1 win at bottom side Livingston.

The visitors had the first chance when defender Bevis Mugabi headed a Blair Spittal corner over the bar but they did not miss the second. Vale got past defender John Souttar and cut the ball back for Bair to steer the ball past goalkeeper Jack Butland and in off the post for his sixth goal in nine games.

Dessers headed a Yilmaz past the post and Well keeper Liam Kelly punched a dipping shot from Mohamed Diomande past the post for a corner before Kelly made an even better save from Yilmaz’s swerving shot from distance.

The traffic towards the Motherwell goal was busy but in the 35th minute Spittal had a decent effort saved by Butland, before winger Ross McCausland was replaced by Fabio Silva after failing to shake off the effects of a crunching Casey tackle.

Silva weakly knocked a long pass from Connor Goldson into the arms of a grateful Kelly and Rangers’ best chance of the first-half was gone.

Tom Lawrence replaced Raskin for the start of the second half and within two minutes Dessers had the ball in the Well net from a yard out but the flag was up for an infringement as a clutch of players contested a high ball.

Soon after Spittal’s flick hit the crossbar at the other end, the Govan side were level.

There was a long VAR check for a penalty when Motherwell right-back Stephen O’Donnell tackled Silva inside the box and when referee Alan Muir checked his pitchside monitor and pointed to the spot, Tavernier smashed the ball high past Kelly for his 21st goal of the season.

The home fans roared Rangers on for a winner and Sterling missed the target when set up by John Lundstram.

However, sprightly Motherwell retained more than a hint of danger.

Bair got past Goldson to spring a Motherwell break but hit his pass straight at Souttar, although Casey made no mistake when he headed in Spittal’s deep cross to the back post.

Rangers threw everything forward in the final stages.

Kelly made good saves from Lundstram and Yilmaz and Goldson twice missed the target with headers from six yards and Well defender Paul McGinn cleared off the line.

But Casey’s goal was a blow from which Rangers did not recover and they will need to dig deep when they play the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday night.

Rangers maintained their advantage over Celtic at the top of the cinch Premiership but only after a hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Killie wide-man Danny Armstrong scored from the spot in the 11th minute of an energetic first half and Derek McInnes’ side were worth their interval lead.

The Gers had to dig deep and captain James Tavernier levelled in the 55th minute with a trademark free-kick before midfielder Tom Lawrence netted with a fine finish just four minutes later as the visitors reasserted themselves.

With 10 league games remaining – five before the split – Philippe Clement’s side are two points ahead of Celtic, who demolished Dundee 7-1 at Parkhead to keep hot on the heels of the Govan men.

The visitors had racked up 10 wins in a row with a 5-0 win over Hearts at the weekend, including a 3-1 win over Killie on January 2, the only defeat for the Ayrshire outfit in their last 14 outings.

Clement had noted the vagaries of the artificial surface and again tinkered with his squad to suit, making three changes with Borna Barisic, Ross McCausland and Fabio Silva coming back in while the home side were unchanged.

Silva had the first effort on goal after five minutes, his close-range shot deflected for a corner from which Rangers defender Connor Goldson’s header was pushed behind by Killie keeper Will Dennis.

Liam Donnelly came close with a header at the other end as Killie responded but moments later John Lundstram blocked an Armstrong cross with his arm and referee David Dickinson pointed to the spot.

Armstrong confidently beat Jack Butland with his penalty and yet another upset was on the cards.

Clement’s men appeared ill at ease as the route-one first-half unfolded further and Kilmarnock continued chasing and harrying.

There was some controversy in the 40th minute when Mohamed Diomande appeared to prevent Liam Polworth from cleanly latching on to his short pass, but Dickinson played on and was not required by VAR to check his pitchside monitor, to the ire of the home players and supporters.

Cyriel Dessers and Ridvan Yilmaz replaced Silva and Barisic for the start of the second half – Dujon Sterling would replace McCausland – but Butland soon had to make a fine one-handed save to prevent Matty Kennedy stroking in a second from six yards out.

Kilmarnock paid for that miss after defender Lewis Mayo fouled Lawrence 25 yards from goal, with Tavernier stepping up to send his curling shot past the diving Dennis.

Rain continued to swirl around the ground as Rangers went for the second, which came when Lawrence pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box and guided his shot low past Dennis and into the far corner for his first goal of the season, sparking wild scenes of delight in the stand behind the goal which housed the visiting fans, some of whom spilled out.

The game had swung towards the rejuvenated Ibrox men and Dessers hit the bar from a Tavernier corner.

In the 70th minute, Oscar Cortes limped off with what looked like a hamstring problem to be replaced by Scott Wright and the game was still in the balance.

Diomande curled a shot past the far post from 16 yards as play sped from end to end and Dessers got tangled up as he tried to capitalise on a mistake by Killie centre-back Stuart Findlay.

Six minutes were added on but there were no more goals which meant a crucial three points for Rangers, but Celtic’s stunning win over Dundee confirmed there is still plenty left in the title race.

James Tavernier believes Philippe Clement is facing selection headaches after returning Rangers to the top of the cinch Premiership on Sunday.

Amid a busy fixture schedule, the Belgian boss again reshuffled his pack for the tense trip to St Johnstone, this time with five changes.

The 32-year-old Gers skipper scored two late penalties to add to Mohamed Diomande’s first-half opener in the 3-0 win.

Victory moved the Light Blues above Celtic at the top of the table, after being seven points behind their Old Firm rivals when Clement took over from Michael Beale in October.

Substitutes Dujon Sterling and Tom Lawrence won the spot-kicks to allow Tavernier to score his 18th and 19th goals of the season, 120 in total since arriving in Govan in 2015.

With the league, the Scottish Cup and Europa League still available – and the Viaplay Cup already in the Ibrox trophy room – Tavernier spoke about the strength in depth of the Rangers squad.

The full-back said: “It gives us huge confidence because what people don’t see is on the training ground we are all pushing each other and everyone is asking to be in the starting 11 and anybody who is asked to come on the pitch is putting in really good performances.

“So it is a headache for the gaffer to select the XI but anyone he selects is doing a really good job for the team and that is the main thing.

“As the gaffer said, we are creating a story together and we need everyone to chip in until the end of the season.

“It is a great place for the fans and the club.

“We feed off our performances and how well we are playing as a team, not letting teams get a shot on target against us.

“That’s what we aim for – the clean sheets and the variety of chances we are creating now is really pleasing, we are always asking questions.

“The scoreline could have been more and I am delighted it was 3-0, clean sheet and on to the next one. We always had belief in our team, the players that we have.

“The gaffer came in and upped the bar with the way we are playing, the demand that he wants for us all.

“We need to continue, not become complacent and keep demanding because there is still a long way to go in the competitions we are in and we just want to make the fans happy and us happy with our performances.”

Clement talked positively about the leaders he has in the dressing room and Tavernier agrees.

“We have great leaders in the squad,” he added. “We all feed off each other and the manager believes in the leadership and we continue to amplify his message towards the lads.

“It starts every day at training, really pushing our standards but there is no place for being complacent. We need to keep pushing ourselves to be better.”

Tavernier admitted that his goals tally was unthinkable when he arrived from Wigan almost nine years ago.

“Especially as I had only eight or nine goals before I joined Rangers,” he said.

“It’s obviously a great achievement. I just want to keep helping the team and pushing myself and see where it ends when I eventually hang up my boots one day.

“I was delighted with the three points we got on Sunday as well as the clean sheet. They didn’t have a shot on goal, which is the most important thing.”

Cyriel Dessers spoke of a growing “connection” with James Tavernier after the Rangers skipper set him up for a double in the 3-1 cinch Premiership win over Ross County on Wednesday night.

The Gers striker latched on to a pass from Tavernier after only five minutes at Ibrox to lob Staggies goalkeeper George Wickens and get the home side off to a flying start.

Philippe Clement’s men required a three-goal win against second-bottom County to go above leaders Celtic but they passed up several chances to stretch their lead – Dessers hit the post with one attempt – before Simon Murray levelled against the run of play.

Dessers grabbed his second from a Tavernier cross just before the break but there were more opportunities passed up in the second-half before defender John Souttar headed in a third, again from a delivery from the Ibrox captain, in the second of seven added minutes

Despite 23 shots on target, Rangers could only finish the game with three goals and although they moved level with Celtic on 61 points and on goal difference, they have scored four goals fewer to keep them second.

Dessers, who has now scored 14 goals this season, noted the contribution of the Light Blues’ right-back, saying: “It’s the small things, sometimes we just need eye contact to know what we’re doing.

“That’s the connection you work on in training and games and obviously, those things were not there in August or September, these things are growing and these goals are a good example but also it happened in December.

“Tav gets the balls there  – it’s the job of the striker to finish them.”

Rangers were seven points behind Celtic last October when Clement took over from Michael Beale but the Belgian boss has rejuvenated the club.

Clement has already brought the Viaplay Cup back to Ibrox and the Light Blues are in the last-16 of the Europa League.

Rangers have won seven in a row since the winter break and as the chase of Celtic in the title race continues – and the Gers take on Hibernian in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup – Dessers looked forward with optimism as he noted the appreciation of the fans who are becoming increasingly excited about their side’s performances.

He said: “The team and me are in a good place.

“Everyone is scoring and contributing and you also feel the atmosphere, especially in the last games, it’s becoming a little extra compared to the games before.

“We as players feel that as well. That’s really positive, a huge thing which can be a boost for the next 13 games in the league and hopefully that can make the difference.

“Obviously it is a good feeling to get recognition from the fans, it means I have been doing things well.

“Especially for a striker, it’s all in the package of the team.

“It’s a nice feeling and I think there is a really positive vibe in the stadium and the training ground.

“We’re in a good place and want to keep this going. Not just in the locker room but with the fans and we are on a good way with that.”

James Tavernier was the Rangers hero as the Light Blues picked up their first trophy of the Philippe Clement era with a 1-0 Viaplay Cup final win over Aberdeen.

The prolific Ibrox skipper rifled in the winner in the 75th minute of a hard-fought encounter at Hampden Park to hand his Belgian boss his first trophy after just a few months at Ibrox.

The victory completed the clean sweep of domestic trophy wins for the full-back and it also meant Clement remains unbeaten in 14 games since taking over from Michael Beale in October.

It was the 28th time the Ibrox club have won the trophy – the first since 2011 – and they still have interest in the title and Europa League this season, with the Scottish Cup yet to start, so Gers fans will be hoping more success is on its way.

Both sides went into the game on a wet and windy Glasgow afternoon in fine fettle.

Rangers’ stunning 3-2 win away to Real Betis on Thursday night took them into the last 16 of the Europa League. Although the Dons were already out of the Europa Conference League, their 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt was more than commendable.

There was a further boost with the return of forward Bojan Miovski from a hamstring issue while skipper Graeme Shinnie, Leighton Clarkson, Jamie McGrath, Nicky Devlin, Richard Jensen and Jonny Hayes also returned.

Leon Balogun, Todd Cantwell and Dujon Sterling were back for Rangers, who had not beaten their opponents in two games this season.

However, both sides were below par in the first half.

On the half-hour mark Gers attacker Abdallah Sima took a pass from Cantwell inside the Aberdeen box but his low drive on the turn, no more than decent, was saved by Dons keeper Kelle Roos.

Rangers winger Ross McCausland had the ball in the Aberdeen net in the 39th minute but referee Don Robertson had blown for an infringement inside the Dons box.

The first half ended with Aberdeen’s Stefan Gartenmann heading Clarkson’s free-kick wide from 14 yards before McCausland missed the target with a header from a Cantwell delivery.

More was expected after the interval.

Dons attacker Ester Sokler failed to get a touch on an inviting Devlin cross from just a few yards out and at the other end, Roos blocked a shot from McCausland who was on the stretch but the corner came to nothing.

Roos then made crucial saves from a Cyriel Dessers strike and free-kicks from Tavernier and left-back Borna Barisic before Balogun flashed the ball over the bar from a Cantwell cutback.

There was a Rangers penalty appeal when a shot from substitute Scott Wright, on for McCausland, hit the top of Gartenmann’s arm but play moved on – and soon the Light Blues were ahead.

Barisic made it to the byline and his deep cross from the left landed at Tavernier, who took a touch and fired it in off the ground past Roos to send the blue section of Hampden into raptures.

Aberdeen battled back and there were some nervy moments in the Gers defence. Close to the end of six added minutes, there was a goalmouth melee in the Rangers box involving several players  following a corner – a VAR check for a possible red card offence came to nothing, although it was not clear who was at risk.

The final whistle soon followed, as did Light Blue celebrations.

Rangers blew their chance of putting pressure on Celtic despite a late James Tavernier penalty giving them a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

The Light Blues saw a chink of title light on Saturday when the cinch Premiership leaders drew 1-1 at home to Motherwell but they fell behind after just 11 minutes to a Bojan Miovski strike after the static Gers defence had again been exposed.

Any time Rangers did get through Dons keeper Kelle Roos and the Aberdeen crossbar – the Gers hit the woodwork twice after the break – provided a formidable barrier.

However, in the final minute of normal time, after being sent by VAR Andrew Dallas to check his pitchside monitor, referee Nick Walsh pointed to the spot, judging Aberdeen’s Stefan Garternmann had pulled Connor Goldson’s jersey at a corner.

Skipper Tavernier converted the spot kick for a draw which keeps Celtic eight points clear at the top of the table albeit the Hoops have played one more game than their Old Firm rivals.

Philippe Clement has gone eight games unbeaten since becoming Gers boss but he will feel this was an opportunity missed against the side they meet in next month’s Viaplay Cup final at Hampden Park.

Aberdeen’s convincing 3-1 win at Ibrox in September ended Michael Beale’s time as Rangers boss and former Gers striker and current pundit Kris Boyd had added spice to the game by saying Aberdeen players, who lost 6-0 to Celtic in their last outing, would raise their game against the Light Blues.

The home side, who had Slovenian Ester Sokler making his first league start with winger Ryan Duncan and midfielder Jamie McGrath back in the team, certainly started with purpose.

Defender Slobodan Rubezic’s header from a Leighton Clarkson free-kick was saved by Gers keeper Jack Butland who, moments later, brilliantly denied Sokler with his left foot, after the forward had been sent racing clear of the Gers defence by Clarkson.

Rangers had Jose Cifuentes making his first start under Clements with fellow midfielders Todd Cantwell also returning along with Brazilian striker Danilo but it was midfielder Tom Lawrence who came close to getting the breakthrough, his drive saved by Roos.

The Dons keeper was the initial architect of the route-one opener, his long clearance headed on by Sokler with North Macedonia striker Miovski this time running past centre-backs Goldson and Leon Balogun before confidently guiding the ball low past Butland.

Slowly Rangers came back and a Cantwell pass which sped across the Aberdeen goal in the 25th minute was begging to be tapped in before Roos saved Danilo’s close-range effort with his foot.

The Pittodrie number one then made a magnificent save from Balogun’s header from Abdallah Sima’s cross before grabbing John Lundstram’s attempt from the rebound.

At the other end, as the Granite City men rallied, Butland parried clear a powerful 25-yard strike from McGrath, the last real goalmouth action of the first half.

Roos made another decent block from Danilo’s angled-drive early in the second half as the visitors went in search of a leveller.

Rangers kept Aberdeen pinned in their own half for large spells but the Dons defended diligently although in the 73rd minute Lawrence cracked the Dons bar with a 30-yard volley before Balogun hit the bar with a header from close range.

The Govan side kept pushing and got their reward with Tavernier’s late penalty with substitute Sam Lammer missing a good chance to win it in added time when he headed straight in to the arms of Roos.

James Tavernier missed a penalty and scored another as Rangers maintained their encouraging start under Philippe Clement with a comfortable 2-0 win away to struggling Livingston on Sunday.

Cyriel Dessers set the Ibrox men on their way to victory in the first half with his sixth goal of the season before captain Tavernier sealed the points with a second-half spot-kick after he had sent his earlier attempt from 12 yards out wide of the post.

Clement has now overseen seven games unbeaten – six of which have brought victories – since replacing Michael Beale last month.

After four consecutive defeats left his side bottom of the table prior to the visit of the on-form Ibrox men, Livi boss David Martindale made five changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Dundee last Sunday.

Goalkeeper Jack Hamilton, Miles Welch-Hayes, Jason Holt, Danny Lloyd and Stephen Kelly all dropped out to make way for Shamal George, Cristian Montano, Mo Sangare, Bruce Anderson and Luiyi de Lucas.

Clement freshened up his Rangers team for the trip to West Lothian, making four alterations to the XI that started Thursday night’s 2-1 win at home to Sparta Prague in the Europa League.

Ben Davies, Todd Cantwell, Sam Lammers and Danilo dropped out to be replaced by Leon Balogun, Dessers, Tom Lawrence and Ross McCausland, who was handed his first Gers start.

After enjoying a bright opening, the Ibrox side thought they had gone ahead in the 16th minute when Connor Goldson had the ball in the net from close range.

However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR check after Dessers was deemed to have been offside and interfering with play as he darted in at the near post and tried to get a touch on Tavernier’s inswinging free-kick. The wrong-footed Livi keeper George then pushed the ball out to Balogun, who in turn nodded it into the path of fellow centre-back Goldson.

Rangers created a good opening with a rapid counter-attack three minutes later but McCausland shot over after bursting on to a Lawrence pass.

The 20-year-old winger’s pace caused more problems for the Lions midway through the first half when he won a penalty after being brought down by George as he ran on to a Tavernier pass.

Tavernier, however, sent his spot kick wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post.

Rangers had been well on top and they made a deserved breakthrough in the 26th minute when a lovely pass from Lawrence released Nigerian forward Dessers, who got away from Sean Kelly to slot the ball behind the advancing George.

McCausland thought he had scored his first senior goal for Rangers when he fired the ball high into the net just before half-time but the goal was disallowed for a foul by Abdallah Sima.

Rangers continued to dominate after the break but – after struggling to create many clear chances – they had to wait until the 74th minute to put the game beyond their hosts.

Following a VAR check, it was deemed that the ball struck the arm of Michael Devlin as the Livi captain challenged Rangers forwards Danilo and Sima in the air while trying to defend a cross from the left from Borna Barisic.

This time Tavernier made no mistake in tucking the ball to the right of the helpless George as Rangers continued their strong start to Clement’s reign and left Livi at the foot of the table on goal difference from Ross County.

John Lundstram hailed “man mountain” skipper James Tavernier after he scored a double in Rangers’ 3-1 Viaplay Cup semi-final win over Hearts at Hampden Park.

The Gers right-back opened the scoring with an assured penalty five minutes after the interval before half-time substitute Scott Wright fired in a second five minutes later.

A trademark curling free-kick from Tavernier in the 64th minute made it three, with Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland scoring from the spot late on, as Philippe Clement’s side sealed a place in the December 17 final against Aberdeen.

Midfield Lundstram said of Tavernier: “He is some player. I don’t think I can give him any more praise.

“He is captain of the club and he gets unfair criticism sometimes from you guys (in the media) and people outside and sometimes he doesn’t get enough credit when he gets us out of tough moments.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him. He is a man mountain – when the pressure is on he steps up.”

Clement is unbeaten in five games since taking over as manager from Michael Beale last month.

Lundstram described confidence at Ibrox as “really high” and added: “He has been so good since he came in.

“It’s hard to put your finger on just one thing. He has been a breath of fresh air. The mood around the place is just so much better.

“He has been fantastic with everyone and has emphasised how important everyone is in the group.”

Philippe Clement thanked the Rangers supporters for backing their team in the 5-0 win over Dundee at Dens Park but asked them to leave the pyrotechnics at home in future.

The match was delayed by 45 minutes after the Rangers team bus was held up in traffic and then suspended for 18 minutes after the travelling fans let off a large number of flares that triggered fire alarms under the stand.

Rangers were unaffected by either delay as they ran out comfortable winners thanks to goals from Ryan Jack, Danilo, Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and James Tavernier.

Clement was pleased with his players’ focus but hoped there would not be future firework displays from the Rangers fanbase.

The Belgian said: “I expect a team that’s always ready no matter what happens, even if they say we have to play in the car park.

“We need to be ready because we play this game to win, so we must always be ready to adapt to the situations.

“The players were ready and after going inside again it was the same. Because you have five minutes in the dressing room it doesn’t mean you lose your focus.

“They need to be winners so whatever circumstances, whatever pitch, whatever weather, we are there to win games. That’s the mentality I want.

“I hope that the club does not face sanctions. You come here in the warm-up and the stand is full, everyone is chanting and supporting the players, giving a lot of energy.

“Those are very important things. We feel also the dynamic between fans and players is changing and it’s because of both sides.

“It was good the team started bright again, but I think everyone will understand that it’s really good to have all this support, all these songs and all this energy – I love it – but keep the fire outside of the stadium.”

Dundee boss Tony Docherty admitted he thought the game was going to be abandoned when referee Kevin Clancy took the players off the pitch.

He said: “It was a bizarre night and at one stage I thought the game wasn’t going to go ahead. I was trying to keep the boys focused.

“Then we start the game and because of the pyros we get brought in again. There’s a debate on whether there’s a place for that but the game was almost abandoned.

“The police took control and I didn’t think we were going to go back out again. That affects focus. When it’s almost causing matches to be abandoned I think we need to address it.”

Rangers crushed Dundee 5-0 in a cinch Premiership match that was delayed due to traffic and then briefly suspended following flares in the away end.

Ryan Jack’s strike had the visitors in front at half-time before four goals after the break from Danilo, Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and James Tavernier extended their unbeaten run under new manager Philippe Clement to three games.

Dundee offered little as an attacking force, with Amadou Bakayoko seeing his second-half effort well saved by Jack Butland.

Kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes after the Rangers team bus was caught up in traffic congestion crossing the Tay Bridge.

Play was then suspended not long after kick-off for a further 18 minutes after flares lit by the visiting supporters set off fire alarms in the stand, with referee Kevin Clancy taking the players off the pitch.

Dundee made three changes following their win away to Livingston. In came Ricki Lamie, Bakayoko and Scott Tiffoney, with Jordan McGhee, Lyall Cameron and Zak Rudden dropping out.

Rangers, in turn, made four changes from the team that defeated Hearts. Out went Nicolas Raskin, Todd Cantwell, Ben Davies and Dessers, replaced by Jack, Leon Balogun, Scott Wright and Danilo.

Rangers started brightly when the game finally got going and Abdallah Sima slid a chance just wide after being played in by Ridvan Yilmaz.

The Light Blues, though, moved in front with their next attack. Balogun sent Danilo running in and when Trevor Carson spilled the Brazilian’s cross, Jack was on hand to sweep in the rebound.

Dundee replied through a Tiffoney cross that Balogun did well to head away from danger.

Carson partially redeemed for his error with a point-blank range save from Danilo, although the offside flag would likely have ruled the goal out in any case.

Malachi Boateng then had a go at the other end but Butland, in the Rangers goal, made a comfortable save.

Danilo ought to have put Rangers two in front early after the restart but, after doing well to create a shooting chance from a long ball, he blazed his effort well off target.

He was far more clinical after 51 minutes when the visitors doubled their lead. Sima teed him up and Danilo finished well beyond Carson into the far corner.

At the other end Butland pulled off a double save to deny first Luke McCowan and then Bakayoko as Dundee looked to narrow the deficit.

Instead it was Rangers who pulled away, scoring three more times.

Lammers claimed the first with a stunning long-range effort before teeing up Dessers who finished well despite Dundee protests for a foul in the build-up.

Tavernier claimed the fifth from the spot after Cameron was adjudged to have fouled Dessers.

James Tavernier wants to get Rangers fans back onside under the tenure of Philippe Clement.

The Gers players were booed off following the 3-1 cinch Premiership defeat by Aberdeen at Ibrox last month which brought an end to Michael Beale’s time in the hot seat.

It was far from the first time this season that the Light Blues fans turned on their side who have slipped seven points behind league leaders and current champions Celtic and who were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven in the play-off.

Former Gers midfielder Steven Davis stepped in to oversee a shock 2-1 Europa League defeat by Aris Limassol in Cyprus which did little to improve the mood of the Gers supporters and a 3-0 league win over St Mirren in Paisley before Clement was appointed on Sunday.

The ex-Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco boss’ debut in the Ibrox technical area comes against Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday and skipper Tavernier is looking for a new era to begin.

The 31-year-old full-back, who signed for Rangers in 2015, said: “I had a good chat with the gaffer and it is a two-way street between us and the fans.

“I have been here over the years and we have experienced great experiences in the stadium when the fans have been behind us and when the performances have been what the fans deserve.

“We always want the fans to back us no matter what the situation that we are in.

“And obviously we have to give them the performances that they are looking for. It is always a two-way street. I believe both of us together can be very strong.”

Tavernier has seen changes in Clement’s approach this week but expects time to be key.

He said: “It is still the early stages and he is trying to put his identity in the team.

“We will be working on that every day and you will see it when we play. It is refreshing and it is good to see a different aspect of how to play football again.

“We are all really tuned into what he wants and we have got to implement it as quickly as possible.

“There is nothing drastic. It will take time, working day by day, week by week and that is the message from the gaffer.

“He puts his small imprints and then in  the grand scheme of things later down the line we should be having a lot more different variations in the team.”

Rangers gave themselves some much-needed respite with a 3-0 cinch Premiership win over 10-man St Mirren in Paisley.

Former Gers midfielder Steven Davis began his spell as caretaker manager with an embarrassing 2-1 Europa League defeat against Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night and there was a sense of foreboding about the trip to the SMiSA stadium.

Some Rangers fans unravelled banners early in the game which read ‘heartless passionless leaderless; not fit to wear our colours’ before skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot in the 29th minute after Saints’ Ryan Strain was handed a red card by referee Nick Walsh for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Attacker Abdallah Sima added a second in the 70th minute for his seventh goal of the season before Tavernier smashed in a third in the 90th minute as the Light Blues leapfrogged Stephen Robinson’s side into second place, seven points behind leaders Celtic but the prospects of a genuine title race is another thing altogether.

Rangers will appoint a new boss during the international break and the Ibrox club clearly need fresh ideas, strategy and motivation going forward.

The only radical change Davis made to the team was to give a first senior start to 17-year-old attacker Zak Lovelace – he would go off injured in the first half – with John Souttar, Jose Cifuentes and Kemar Roofe also coming into a fragile Ibrox outfit.

Defender Richard Taylor and striker Toyosi Olusanya were reinstated into the Buddies side who clearly fancied their chances but there was little between the teams in the opening exchanges.

In the 21st minute St Mirren defender Scott Tanser, who signed a new deal until 2026 on Saturday, found himself alone at the back post from a Conor McMenamin free-kick but blasted his shot over the bar.

Rangers, however, would soon take the lead.

Lovelace found space on the right and blasted the ball across goal with Strain appearing to knock it away from in-rushing Sima with his hand.

After a long VAR check, referee Walsh checked his pitch-side monitor, sent off the St Mirren player and awarded a penalty to the visitors which Tavernier converted to the ire of the home supporters.

In the 34th minute Goldson met a Borna Barisic corner with his head but Buddies keeper Zach Hemming acrobatically tipped the effort over the bar and the home side ultimately escaped.

In the 41st minute Lovelace limped off the field and was eventually taken away from the sidelines on a stretcher, after being replaced by Ross McCausland.

In added time, the 20-year-old knocked a Barisic pass down to Nico Raskin inside the St Mirren box but the midfielder’s goal-bound drive was blocked by Hemming for a corner, which came to nothing.

There was no immediate improvement from Rangers in the second half and striker Cyriel Dessers replaced the anonymous Roofe on the hour-mark, while Saints soon brought on Mikael Mandron, Alex Greive and Caolan Boyd-Munce.

Rangers doubled their lead in the 70th minute with an unusually swift break, Tavernier sending Raskin scampering through the middle with a first time pass and he squared for Sima, on loan from Brighton, to beat Hemming from close range.

St Mirren were on their way to the first league defeat of the season.

Dessers ran clean through in the 86th minute only to have his unconvincing drive saved by Hemming but there was time for Tavernier to thrash in a second from the edge of the box, after his first effort was blocked, a fine goal out of keeping with the most of the game.

Skipper James Tavernier admits Rangers fans were justified in venting their frustrations at the end of the 1-0 defeat by Celtic at Ibrox.

The home side thought they had taken the lead in the 29th minute when Kemar Roofe fired past Joe Hart but the goal was ruled out after a VAR check saw referee Don Robertson award a foul to Celtic for Cyriel Dessers’ challenge on defender Gustaf Lagerbielke in the build-up.

Kyogo Furuhashi’s late first-half strike proved to be a winner and it took the Hoops four points clear of Rangers after four cinch Premiership games, going into the international break.

The boos rang around Ibrox at the end of the game and Tavernier said: “Well, it’s justified. It’s as simple as that. We didn’t get the result the fans wanted and it’s totally justified.

“(The dressing room is) obviously disappointed. Angry and disappointed.

“You’ve just lost to your rivals. It never sits right. So we’re all really disappointed.

“It’s not the result we wanted and obviously we fully understand the fans’ frustration.

“First half, we weren’t good enough. Second half (we were) a lot better but we’ve got to be more clinical in the final third.

“It’s obviously international week and everyone knows the lads who will be going away and we want them back fit and safe.

“But it’s down to us boys who are still going to be here to correct things, work hard on the training pitch and moving forward we have to obviously get better with what we do.”

Skipper James Tavernier believes Rangers’ 2-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday sets them up for their crunch Champions League play-off tie against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.

Striker Kemar Roofe, hampered by injury problems during his time at Ibrox, was handed his first start in 16 months and scored the opener after 22 minutes with his first goal since February.

Tavernier added a stunning second four minutes later with a strike from distance for his third goal in the first six games of the season and attacker Tom Lawrence, out for a year with a knee injury, made his return off the bench in the second half to offer boss Michael Beale another boost.

Ahead of their trip to the Netherlands, where the Light Blues take a 2-2 draw from the first leg at Ibrox, right-back Tavernier was pleased with his goal and the day overall.

He told RangersTV: “It was a quick interception, I was driving and I saw Kemar make a run to take the player away and my eyes lit up when I saw the goal. I am really happy it went in.

“Kem is a really good player for us – as is Tom Lawrence – and to have those two back in the squad fully fit is only going to make us stronger so I am delighted to see them back on the pitch and Kem starting and getting his goal.

“We need all the players to chip in this season. It was really important to go there and get the three points.

“I was delighted we got the clean sheet and I thought we were really dominant in possession in the first-half performance, and in the second half, we probably let them back into the game more than what we should have, but we kept a clean sheet and towards the end, Abdallah (Sima) made an unbelievable header to keep it that way.

“So I am really pleased and it puts us in good stead for the PSV game.

“It is a big week ahead – we will look forward to the game at PSV – we know it is going to be a tough game but we are coming off the back of a win and a clean sheet so hopefully we can do the same over there.”

Ross County boss Malky Mackay thought the difference in finishing was key to the three points going to Govan but he was happy to see midfielder Yan Dhanda back in action following the hip injury which led him to miss last week’s Viaplay Cup win over Airdrieonians.

He said: “I thought he was excellent. No matter any time he was near the ball he showed real quality.

“He is a top player who drives us forward and he has real nerve to make sure he wants the ball over the park. He is someone who is going to help us massively this season.”

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