Rangers 2-0 St Mirren: Abdallah Sima to fore as Philippe Clement's side prevail
- Published
Abdallah Sima scored in each half to earn Rangers victory
Abdallah Sima's double ensured Rangers remain eight points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic with a lacklustre win over St Mirren.
The Brighton loanee fired home late in the first half to calm a frustrated home crowd, before sealing all three points courtesy of a composed finish after being slipped through by Todd Cantwell.
Victory means Philippe Clement's side avoid falling further behind Celtic, who came from behind in the second half to beat St Johnstone earlier in the day.
St Mirren, whose rare lapses in defensive concentration were punished, stay in fourth after Hearts moved ahead of them on Saturday.
If Clement was hoping for a rapid response to Thursday's disappointing draw with Aris Limassol, he was certainly left wanting as his side laboured through much of the first half.
The first moment that really caught the eye came from St Mirren's Caolan Boyd-Munce, who forced Jack Butland to come to Rangers' rescue again as he clawed away a curling effort.
Just as the boos were about to be released around Ibrox with the interval looming, the hosts' first bit of real interplay prized an opening.
Cyriel Dessers fed Cantwell, who drifted toward goal without any real sense of how to use the ball. His indecision was not mirrored by Sima, who stole the ball off his team-mate's boot to slam home emphatically.
The second half was similarly strained for the hosts, who failed to find a spark as the visitors kept their shape.
That was until Cantwell finally came alive to unleash a defence-splitting pass into the path of Sima, who kept his nerve to slot beyond Zach Hemming and wrap up a much-needed win.
Player of the match - Abdallah Sima (Rangers)
Sima's reaction at both goals shows an awareness of the pressure Rangers were under. The striker's well-taken goals were the difference on a day few others looked like stepping up
Cantwell confuses as Rangers find a way - analysis
Clement said in his pre-match interview he was looking for the right mentality and personality in response to that midweek display at home to Cypriot opposition.
In terms of grinding out a win, the Rangers manager got what he was after as his side found a way over the line despite a lack of imagination across the 90 minutes.
The spotlight was on Cantwell after his early substitution on Thursday, and for much of the 90 minutes, he again flattered to deceive.
But his gorgeous assist for Sima's second is a pass few players in the Premiership would be capable of pulling off, emphasising the enigma that Rangers have on their hands.
St Mirren were looking for a response, too, after falling short earlier in the week. Analysing the two performances in context, Stephen Robinson may well be more pleased with his team's Govan showing than Tuesday's display in Dingwall.
They showed the qualities that propelled them to such an impressive start in the league, putting themselves about and sticking to a clear game plan.
Games at Ibrox likely won't determine their season, but after Hearts took third from them on Saturday, their record of two wins in nine needs addressing urgently if they're to keep pace against their more stocked competitors.
What they said
'Sleeping in spare room' secret to Sima performance
Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "The performance was really good. A very mature game, a very focused game. We didn't give away transitions, which is their strength.
"I came into this building and put the bar really high. Rome isn't built in a day. If I see how the team were playing six weeks ago to now, I think we've improved."
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "It was a crucial goal to lose just before half-time. I thought our shape was very good. When we landed on the ball we tried to play.
"There are more positives than negatives. At least we tried to put some identity on the game, I would rather that than losing at Ross County when we didn't put anything on the game."
What's next?
Rangers travel to Edinburgh to face Hearts at Tynecastle on Wednesday (20:00 GMT), while St Mirren go to Perth to take on St Johnstone (19:45).