Tom Lawrence’s early strike was enough for Rangers to beat Dundee United 1-0 in the Scottish Premiership, leapfrogging their opponents into third place.
Philippe Clement and his side were under pressure to show a reaction after losing 3-0 to Old Firm rivals Celtic before the international break – and there was an immediate reply.
A fine solo run from Lawrence – set up after a neat touch from Cyriel Dessers – allowed him to slot past Jack Walton inside seven minutes.
Rangers continued to pepper the Dundee United area, but there was a somewhat controversial end to the first half. Emmanuel Adegboyega made a forceful challenge on Connor Barron, catching his foot, but only received a yellow card.
VAR did review the on-field decision, but stuck with referee Don Robertson’s decision. It was perhaps not a surprise that Adegboyega was replaced at half-time, with Rangers also handing a debut to Deadline Day signing Nedim Bajrami.
United were improved in the second half – although failed to register any shots on target in the game – and could have equalised in the 55th minute. However, Kristijan Trapanovski’s shot deflected wide.
Lawrence twice went close again, but it was his early goal that decided proceedings at Tannadice. It sends Rangers above Dundee United, although they remain five points behind Celtic. Jim Goodwin’s side slip down into fourth and have lost their first Scottish Premiership game of the season.