Danny Rohl is on a roll. A 3-0 victory over Dundee extended Rangers' winning run under the German coach. The momentum is with Rangers in the Premiership title race.
A mistake from one captain was capitalised on by another. Ryan Astley was penalised for a rash challenge on Nico Raskin as he got a shot away inside the area. James Tavernier made no mistake from 12 yards to give Rangers the lead.
The winner came in the closing seconds. Danilo finished well as he made the most of his chance off the bench after replacing Bojan Miovski. Finally, Ibrox could celebrate. It did so again as Djeidi Gassama rounded off the win.
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Rangers hold up their end of the bargain
Take care of your own business. One game at a time. Focus on yourself and not on your rivals. All of that is, of course, easier said than done. Events at Ibrox were at the forefront of minds, but what was unfolding at Tynecastle clearly carried its own significance.
News that Celtic had taken an early lead barely registered around the stands. The same was true of the Hearts equaliser or the moment that saw the league leaders fall behind for a second time. The strike from Claudio Braga that made it 2-2 was recognised here, though. A roar as Rangers waited to take a corner told Rohl and his players all they needed to know and the one that greeted their victory showed that these supporters believe the league is there to be won this term.
Rohl’s side took to the park six points adrift of Hearts and level with their Old Firm rivals. Come the final whistles at either end of the M8, Rangers were up to second in the standings and ahead of Celtic. It was not a definitive afternoon, but it was another one of twists and turns in a campaign where the script could not have been written. Rangers are the ones in the ascendancy right now.
Hearts are the visitors here in the middle of next month and March begins with the visit of Celtic. Rohl’s side face Hibernian and Motherwell away and Kilmarnock and Livingston at Ibrox in the coming weeks. The title picture becomes clearer with every 90 minutes. Time will tell how it looks come the end of that run.
Ton up for Tav
The message from Rohl pre-match was for his side to be humble, to not assume that the wins will now come easily just because seven on the spin have been earned. He called for Rangers to be on the front foot. That ambition was delayed by five minutes after Kevin Clancy was called to the VAR screen and then spoke to both managers and captains before blowing his whistle.
The technology at the side of the park may not have been operational but the cameras were. After 12 minutes, they were used to deny Tochi Chukwuani his first goal after he headed home an Andreas Skov Olsen cross. It was the best Rangers had created in a low-key start and it took ten minutes for the hosts to threaten again as Mikey Moore fired wide after the ball broke to the edge of the area.
It was all a bit pedestrian from Rangers and felt like an end of season fixture rather than a game with three huge points up for grabs. Thelo Aasgaard was denied by Jon McCracken before the Norwegian set Chukwuani free and the Dees keeper saved well with his legs. An overhead kick from Manny Fernandez and tame Tavernier strike were the final chances of the first half.
The breakthrough came seconds after the restart. Astley wiped out Nico Raskin in the area and Clancy pointed to the spot. Tavernier did the rest. The true importance of his 100 th league goal for the club will be told in the coming months.
Raskin and Mohamed Diomande couldn’t add a second with efforts from distance. Moore’s strike was saved by McCracken to his right.
In the first seconds of injury time, the second goal arrived as Danilo finished well from the edge of the area. The effort from Gassama was even more impressive as McCracken was left stranded and unable to save a curler from distance.
The run continues for Dundee
A last-minute penalty from Tavernier denied Dundee victory on their last visit here in August. History was on the side of the visitors. Rangers had not been beaten in the previous sixteen league games between these two and few would have backed Steven Pressley’s side to rewrite the record books in their favour here.
If victory was to be earned, Dundee had to find a way through a Rangers defence that had kept eight Premiership clean sheets since Rohl’s arrival in October. Pressley spoke about the need for bravery and belief from his players and would have been content with how the opening stages unfolded, even if Dundee had few moments to cause Rangers any real anxiety. Their shape was solid, with Rangers forced to go long more often than they would have liked.
The loss of the opening goal – which McCracken got a hand to but was unable to keep out – changed the dynamic for both sides but didn’t really spark a reaction from either.
Dundee never looked like coming back into this one. The goal from Danilo ended any chances of a frantic finale and the one from Gassama added a gloss to the scoreline. The visitors could have no complaints.
No immediate impact from Skov Olsen
It is quite some time since one bit of business has captured the imagination quite like the deal for Skov Olsen has. More than a week after he put pen-to-paper at Ibrox, he was able to pull on his boots for the first time. To say there was an air of anticipation around was an understatement.
Rohl has certainly talked up his latest recruit, repeatedly expressing his belief that the winger can help solve some of the issues that have plagued Rangers over the course of the season. This is a side that has too often failed in terms of chance creation and chance conversion and the addition of Skov Olsen was a sign of intent from chairman Andrew Cavenagh.
🇩🇰 A full debut for Tochi Chukwuani and Andreas Skov Olsen today. pic.twitter.com/eZ2erhdBR5
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) January 25, 2026
His first 45 minutes in a blue shirt were low key, to put it mildly. He could have had an assist for the Chukwuani goal that was ruled out but there were few moments where the Dane was able to really influence matters. To be fair to Skov Olsen, those were his first league minutes since he played the final three in a Bundesliga defeat to Werder Bremen November 11. Indeed, he has not started a league fixture in three months.
Skov Olsen departed early in the second half as Chukwuani was also removed from the action. Diomande and Gassama were their replacements. The minutes and the experience will stand both new recruits in good stead.
Fans need to find their voice
Rangers launched a campaign – titled ‘Ibrox isn’t Ibrox without you’ - earlier this week to urge supporters to play their part in the remaining months of the campaign. The message was ‘Full house. Full voice. Full 90’. On a defining day in the title race, Rohl needed the 12th man and the video message that accompanied the club statement was played on a couple of occasions over the PA system and screens in the build-up to kick-off.
The German has certainly re-established a rapport between those on the park and those in the stands. From the first night of his reign in Bergen, Rohl has struck the right chord, backing up his words with actions as performances have been produced and results have been earned.
It is said that Rangers is a great club to play for when things are going well and a hugely difficult one to be at when things are not. Events of this term sum that up perfectly. From the dark days under Russell Martin, there is now light at the end of the tunnel under Rohl.
It was surprising, therefore, that Ibrox was as flat. The first half an hour was an uninspiring in the stands as it was on the pitch.
The mood was lifted when Tavernier broke the deadlock but the majority of the crowd, a just over 50,000, remained largely silent thereafter. Ibrox was not intimidating or inspiring. Belatedly, they found their voice in celebration.
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