Rangers secured a crucial three points in the Scottish Premiership with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Livingston, sealed by Mohamed Diomandé's late intervention at Ibrox Stadium.
Injury-hit Rangers struggle after international break
The home side faced significant challenges following the international break, with four key players ruled out through injury. John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, Mikey Moore and Youssef Chermiti all sustained injuries while representing their countries, forcing manager Philippe Clement to reshuffle his lineup.
This defensive crisis presented an opportunity for summer signing Emmanuel Fernandez, who made only his third start since arriving from Peterborough. The 24-year-old centre-back made an immediate impact, heading Rangers into the lead after just nine minutes to give the home side the perfect start.
Livingston fight back before late drama
Livingston responded well to going behind and found their equaliser after 18 minutes through Australian striker Tete Yengi. The forward capitalised on some sloppy defending from Rangers to level the scores, exposing vulnerabilities in the home side's backline.
As the match progressed, Rangers' performance deteriorated noticeably, with the team lacking both urgency and creativity in their play. The home supporters grew increasingly frustrated as their team struggled to break down a resilient Livingston defence.
Diomandé delivers decisive moment
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 78th minute when Mohamed Diomandé tapped into an empty net after Bojan Miovski's clever setup. The Ivorian midfielder scored his first goal of the season at a crucial moment, sparing Rangers' blushes and securing all three points.
Elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership, Hibernian enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Dundee at Easter Road. Striker Kieron Bowie broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark with a well-taken effort before providing the assist for Jamie McGrath to double their advantage.
In the day's biggest shock, Falkirk produced a stunning 3-0 away victory against Dundee United at Tannadice. The visitors took control early through Calvin Miller's opener before benefiting from a first-half own goal by goalkeeper Yevhenii Kucherenko. Brian Graham completed the scoring after the break in a performance that thoroughly deserved the emphatic scoreline.
The weekend's action concludes with Celtic's visit to St Mirren in Saturday's late fixture, as the title race continues to develop across Scotland's top division.
