Rangers’ hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership suffered a major blow as they slipped to third place after losing to Motherwell at Ibrox.
Danny Rolle’s side needed to win their first game after the split to stay at least above Celtic, but it was a miserable start as Lukas Fadinger stunned the Ibrox crowd with an early opener.
Emmanuel Longello then smashed the ball into the back post and they were 2-0 up just before the half-hour mark.
Rangers changed their formation at the break and it looked to be paying off as Youssef Cermiti and Nicholas Raskin brought the team back on the horizon and Ibrox burst into action.
But Motherwell, who had drawn with the Gers twice at Fir Park this season, had the final say when Longello’s shot was deflected into the net late on.
Rangers now have 69 points, four points behind leaders Hearts with four games remaining. Motherwell are in fourth place as they chase European football next season.
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Kris Boyd talks about the Scottish Premiership mix-up after Hearts beat derby rivals Hibs and Rangers dropped points at Motherwell.
Another boo at Ibrox
Lukas Fedinger scores Motherwell’s first goal against Rangers
Rangers fought back from two down to win 6-3 in their last game against Falkirk, but were unable to repeat that feat against the determined Steelmen.
The visiting team easily broke open the game with Fedinger and Longello taking advantage of the home support’s fury early on.
Roll made personnel and tactical changes during the interval, moving from a 4-2-2-2 to a preferred 4-3-3, and the impact was almost instantaneous.
Cermiti reduced the gap in the 51st minute and the striker and Raskin were involved in the Light Blues’ equalizer in the 70th minute, with the Belgian midfielder scoring the final touch.
Motherwell’s Emmanuel Longello celebrates after scoring late on to make it 3-2
However, just before the end of regular time, Longello’s drive hit Ibrox defender Emmanuel Fernandes on the head and found the back of the net, giving Motherwell their first league win in six seasons.
For a team in contention for the title, Rangers offered little in front of their home fans, with their next trip to Hearts to be broadcast live on Sky Sports on May 4.
“It’s not over yet.”
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Rangers head coach Danny Rolle told Sky Sports News he believes they can still win the Scottish Premiership title despite their loss to Motherwell dropping them to third place.
Rangers head coach Danny Rolle told Sky Sports News:
“My job is to go forward and guide them and I lift them up.
“We may be disappointed, but I believe we will reinvigorate them.
“It’s not over. This is part of this division and it has to go on. There’s no point in thinking it’s over.
“When the final whistle blows, it’s over.
“My team has performed well so far and I have no doubt that we can win another four games, but it won’t be easy, we know that, and at this point we move forward.”
“We continue to believe in what we are doing and we have a chance to get the next game back on our side.”
