Suddenly, the apprehension surrounding a big week for the Rangers is easing.
While an away win over Ross County offers no real indication of how the games against Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic will play out, this can be said with confidence. The air of crisis surrounding Philippe Clement’s team is fading.
A place where last season’s title challenge crashed and burned, Dingwall proved to be a more comfortable experience this time around.
Goals from Hamza Igamane, Danilo and James Tavernier doubled the number of away goals in the Premiership this season.
Nine points behind second place Aberdeen last month, the gap is now two. Win your remaining game and the idea of the Dons splitting the Old Firm will be put to rest. The Rangers have regained the spring in their step.
The timing couldn’t be better. Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs team visit Ibrox in the Europa League on Thursday night. Next comes the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic at Hampden.
James Tavernier’s first controlled shot completes the scoring in a 3-0 Rangers victory.
Hamza Igamane celebrates scoring an early goal in the win against Ross County at Dingwall
Suddenly, two games that caused a sense of apprehension among fans a couple of weeks ago no longer seem so ominous.
Porous and scruffy after losing six goals at Ibrox earlier in the season, Ross County are generally a tougher nut to crack on their own turf.
Hamza Igamane, who scored his fourth goal in four games, is proving to be a more reliable finisher than Cyriel Dessers.
Taking advantage of a terrible mistake by County goalkeeper Jack Hamilton before half-time, Danilo continued his gradual rehabilitation from a serious and long-term injury to score his third goal of the season.
Captain Tavernier’s elegant goal four minutes from time gave the scoreboard a more precise glow after 90 minutes in which Rangers dominated.
Beaten 5-0 by Celtic last weekend, the comforts of home were less useful to Don Cowie’s team than expected. The Highlanders had taken 12 of their 15 points (80 per cent) at home and for a decidedly difficult Rangers team away from home, the trip back down the A9 was made much easier thanks to three convincing points.
It took six minutes for the dizziness to go away and the man of the moment, Igamane, took the lead with a spectacular goal.
From the moment he received the ball from Jefte on the edge of the area, the Moroccan only had one thought in his head. Did the ball deflect slightly off the boot of right-back Michee Efete on its way to the top corner?
Probably. Be that as it may, goalkeeper Hamilton was left flailing and the Rangers support behind the goal exploded with joy.
After an early start, Clement’s players came to life.
Rangers had won all nine Premiership games in which they had taken the lead this season and an early goal looked ominous for the home team.
After losing five in the first half at Parkhead, they took heart at the first sign of Rangers’ vulnerability when Jack Butland, a relative spectator, threatened to trip the ball in his own area.
The lively Ronan Hale sniffed out an opening before the press and when Butland cleared Alex Samuel, a corner offered hope to the dark blue team.
Even more so when Vaclav Cerny gave the ball away in his own half in the 30th minute. The tenacious fight of the enterprising Hale maintained possession before creating a shooting opportunity for Noah Chilvers which deflected off Leon Balogun before turning a meter wide of the post .
When the atmosphere changed, a second goal before half-time restored some certainty to Clement’s team.
It could have come moments before a comical moment when Tavernier’s cut ball bounced off the back of defender Eli Campbell’s head and nearly beat his own goalkeeper.
Hamilton faced danger again and again minutes later when he ran off his line to go one-on-one with Cerny to make a brave save.
Understudy to first-choice goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw, the former Hearts goalkeeper was probably starting to feel pretty good about himself when the roof collapsed.
The hero’s journey to zero hasn’t been going on for long in Scottish football. The Staggies were growing into the game when Hamilton took a heavy touch from a Josh Nisbet defensive pass after 37 minutes.
Showing Danilo too much of the ball, he took a panicked clearance before the Brazilian grabbed the loose ball from a tight angle before disappearing into a mass of enthusiastic supporters behind the goal.
Clement spoke after the game of “dark moments” for the striker caused by a bad run on the injury front. The Brazilian was not included in Rangers’ Europa League squad, so will not play against Spurs, but, week after week, the striker is finding his place.
Danilo puts Rangers two ahead by taking advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Jack Hamilton
The same cannot be said for a Ross County team that has now failed to score in five of its last six games. While a two-goal deficit at half-time was an improvement on the five lost at Parkhead, the final result would be no different.
Forced to try something at half-time, Cowie called on Jordan White’s height up front. Efete had endured a deeply uncomfortable first half at right back and wisely made way for James Brown.
Congratulations to Brown. Usually a starter, the substitute right back improved the situation.
County could have made a game of this if they had scored from one of the two corners in quick succession when Akil Wright probably should have reduced the deficit.
George Harmon’s first attempt was headed towards goal by the defender, and the ball grazed the post.
When the resulting corner arrived, defender Wright fired another header towards goal, Butland produced a fine save to deny Ross County any hope of salvaging a lost cause.
Going into the finals, Rangers found themselves in a somewhat unusual position for an away game in domestic football. They felt comfortable and led the game to its conclusion.
Igamane’s quick feet almost scored a third goal before captain Tavernier’s first controlled shot doubled the total number of away goals scored this season to six. For the Rangers, and their captain, things have improved quickly and cautiously.