Did Rangers get what they deserved? Arguably not. Did Danny Rohl get what he wanted? Absolutely so.
Motherwell will feel hard done by at seeing their fine run of form come to an end at Ibrox. Rangers just needed to take the positives of the points and move on.
Nico Raskin saw his effort early in the second half ruled out for offside. Rangers got the breakthrough with 25 minutes remaining as Aasgaard converted from close range after Calum Ward had saved from Djeidi Gassama.
Read more:
- Danny Rohl on what Nico Raskin must improve, his best position and Rangers future
- Mikey Moore interview: His family Rangers connection, mentality and being a leader
- Club 1872 Rangers work plans revealed - What's on the agenda for Ibrox restoration?
Is the title race back on?
There has been little festive cheer over the last week amongst the Rangers support. The defeat at Tynecastle felt like a setback that Rohl’s side would not be able to recover from in the Premiership and talk of a shot at the title has been from those whose glasses are more than half full.
Events at Easter Road would have perhaps changed some perspectives as Hearts lost the derby. Suddenly, the chance was there for Rangers to cut the gap again. While Rohl’s side were toiling at home, Celtic were involved in a remarkable 45 minutes at Livingston.
It is natural for supporters to take an interest in what is happening elsewhere. Rangers cannot, though. Not when they have so much on their plate and have shown little to suggest that they can be considered as potential challengers.
📸 Andrew Cavenagh is at Ibrox for today's game. pic.twitter.com/3K7CwDQDWR
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) December 27, 2025
Rohl made the point after the draw with Dundee United that Rangers are viewed as contenders when they win and are ruled out of contention when they don’t. His job is to be more balanced and more consistent.
The deficit to Hearts is nine points, with a game in hand. Celtic are six ahead on the eve of the midweek fixtures as they head to Fir Park and Rangers host St Mirren. The significance of the Old Firm cannot be understated for what it will do for the mood and the momentum.
One goal does it for Rangers
A curling effort from Djeidi Gassama that was wide of the top corner was the closest that Rangers came in the opening 20 minutes. After that, the best of the chances came their way.
Ward saved from Connor Barron and then Gassama on the rebound before gathering a deflected effort from Youssef Chermiti. Aasgard carved out space for a shot on the edge of the area but could only find the side netting with a low strike. A Manny Fernandez header and strike from Raskin that never looked like finding the target were the last chances of half.
Raskin had the ball in the net minutes after the restart as he converted from a Gassama cutback. The offside flag was raised and a VAR check confirmed that Chermiti was offside and interfering with play as the celebrations were cut short.
The Portuguese was denied on a couple of occasions and Ward saved a Raskin drive. When Ward was finally beaten, he was unfortunate. He denied Gassama and saw the ball fall perfectly for Aasgaard, the Norwegian converting into an empty net.
The game should have been killed off in the closing stages. Again, the lack of quality and cutting edge was alarming as Findlay Curtis, Bojan Miovski and Lyall Cameron squandered openings. The Ibrox crowd were relieved rather than impressed.
Butland makes amends between the sticks
The Steelmen arrived at Ibrox a point ahead of Rangers in the Premiership and having felt a sense of injustice that they did not claim victory on the opening day of the campaign. Jens Berthel Askou’s side have been one of the success stories of the term so far, finding a way to consistently pick up results while implementing an easy on the eye approach to the game.
There was never any chance of Motherwell coming here to stifle Rangers. The opening exchanges showed why attack was their best form of defence as the visitors controlled affairs, their passing more precise and more purposeful than Rohl’ side.
Jack Butland saved from Lukas Fadinger and Callum Hendry in quick succession after Motherwell produced incisive moves in the final third. Thomas Sparrow had come close with a header inside a couple of minutes and was a constant threat.
Butland had an afternoon to forget last weekend at Tynecastle but his contribution was crucial here. Eliah Just was the latest man thwarted by the Ibrox No.1 late in the first half.
His next stop was perhaps the pick of the bunch, the keeper diving smartly to his right to get a strong hand on a Hendry strike. Butland will question those in front of him for the time and space that was afforded to the forward.
Work but no reward for Chermiti
Rohl laid down the challenge to his three No.9 options at the start of the week, stating that the coming matches will show who the first choice for the position is. On form, there is nobody who is a clear favourite for that jersey. Chermiti was the man that got the nod this time, with Miovski and Danilo starting on the bench.
Many of those who took their seats at Ibrox will hope that another centre-forward arrives during the transfer window. Yes, Rangers do need to add more guile and goals. But that is easier said than done when a squad already has three players who carry significant investments and who all want to start matches.
Rohl spoke about Chermiti’s goal in the defeat to Hearts potentially having a positive impact on the Portuguese and referenced his work for the team in the win over Hibernian. Chermiti could previously point to the limited chances he has had in matches, but this was an afternoon where he should have scored for the third time this term.
A turn and shot did not trouble Ward, either did an ambitious overhead kick after he took a cross on his chest and tried to be audacious. A flick to divert Gassama’s cross towards goal showed his confidence and he was unfortunate that it didn’t deliver the opening goal. A dreadful touch when Gassama squared to him summed up the lack of quality that has infuriated these fans.
January is right around the corner
The names that Rohl picks to start shows the limitations of the team. The ones that he leaves out shows the limitations of the squad. Both are not good enough and that has been shown over the course of the campaign. That is why the January transfer window has been viewed as a potential sanctuary for Rangers since the day that Rohl inherited the group that was assembled at a near £40million cost in Russell Martin’s name and image.
On form, many of those that were given jerseys did not merit them. But when the alternative to James Tavernier is Max Aarons or the choice is between Nico Raskin and Kieran Dowell, then it is hard to be too critical of Rohl.
John Souttar got the final five minutes on his return from injury. Cameron and Curtis were introduced at the same time. Both have been popular talking points amongst the support, but are either really difference makers right now?
The decision to leave out Mikey Moore was justified by the forward’s lack of training time this week after an illness. It was no surprise that Moore was the first reinforcement called upon after 55 minutes as he replaced the ineffective Mohamed Diomande.
As previously outlined by the Rangers Review, a No.6 is one of the priorities for Rohl in the coming weeks. The need for a creative presence to operate behind the main striker is pressing, though. If Rangers have any aspirations of success, they need more goals to win more games.
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