Rangers moved to the top of the Scottish Premiership for the first time since February 2024, but continued their hard work by defeating a tenacious Dundee United 4-2 at Ibrox.
The Gers struggled to shake off Jim Goodwin’s side, who were chasing a second Old Firm scalp in as many games after defeating Celtic before the international break, but Bojan Miowski ultimately sealed the victory, sending Rangers to the top of the league with five minutes remaining.
Dundee United would have deserved a point for the majority of the game, in part because they refused to throw in the towel. They twice halved a two-goal Rangers lead, but lacked the quality to force them back to level.
Goodwin’s side were the more confident side in the first 30 minutes, but Rangers took the lead when Ashley Maynard-Brewer deflected Theo Asgaard’s long-range shot straight onto Ryan Naderi, before Dujon Sterling’s header doubled the hosts’ advantage 10 minutes later.
But after recovering from that one-two combo, Amal Fatah gave the visitors hope with a quick counter-attack led by Emmanuel Adjei with a low finish just before the end of the first half.
This left a positive impression on Dundee United manager Goodwin, who said his team’s performance was “very strong”, adding: “Many teams would have lost (2-0 down) but I want to give credit to the players. They reacted positively and scored some really good goals. I thought Fatah were the best players on the pitch all afternoon.”
Bojan Miowski scored his fourth goal with five minutes remaining, finally ending Dundee United’s challenge.
The team stood up towards the end of the first half and looked to equalize, but Jadey Gassama, who came on as a substitute at half-time, suffered a devastating blow seven minutes after the restart as he slotted home the Asgort goal from six yards.
Since then, Rangers have enjoyed the best of Gassama, injecting energy into the hosts’ attack and teeing up fellow half-time substitute Youssef Cermiti twice, but his debauchery has thwarted any further progress for what would have been a league leader.
Instead, with 18 minutes left, Sapsford turned home Luka Stevenson’s low cross and United were on the brink of another comeback.
Despite the growing tension around Ibrox, Rangers held on with relative ease, with Miovski easing the nerves with a fine late finish to seal their place at the top of the table – at least until Hearts play Livingston on Sunday, which will be broadcast on Sky Sports.
Roll doesn’t look at the table even though he’s on top.
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Rangers manager Danny Rolle has reacted to his side’s 4-2 win over Dundee United at Ibrox, which took them top of the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers head coach Danny Rolle said on Sky Sports:
“The next three points are the most important thing. I’m not looking at the table at the moment. There are still six games left.
“This is a small step, nothing more. So far we have not achieved anything, but this is what we have to take.
“The next six games will go by quickly. The next challenge is Falkirk, but they beat Motherwell today, which is a good result.”
“We have been talking about a nine-game final and we have won the first three and have six more to go. The first game after the international break is always difficult.”
Goodwin: Goal changes game, but performance ‘very strong’
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin said on Sky Sports:
“I think the overall performance was very strong. In the first 30 minutes, there wasn’t much difference between the two teams.
“Goals change the game. The way we got the first goal was really disappointing. Ash knows he has to do more. He needs to catch the ball or turn it over.”
