Ross County 0-1 Rangers

What a day for Ross County. A first win over Rangers in the club’s history, and it could give them the confidence and momentum needed to stay in the top flight.

It might also have a seismic impact on the destiny of the title trophy.

Rangers were wildly disappointing. They’ll need to be far better on Wednesday night when they play Dundee

We’ll see you then.

There’s still more fresh content coming your way. We’ve got Off the Ball coming up at 3pm, and later on this evening Sportscene hits your TV screens at 7.15pm.

Ross County fans will be watching, I’m sure.

And of course, there’s also SWPL action which you can keep up with here.

Ross County’s xG value of 2.96 is by far the highest any team have had against Rangers this season.

Celtic put up 1.96 last weekend in the 3-3 derby draw, and Aberdeen’s xG was 1.62 in their 3-1 win at Ibrox back in September.

It’s also the most xG Rangers have conceded in a single game since Opta started collecting Scottish Premiership data in 2019-20.

Sorry Rangers fans – and Livingston fans – but it’s time to look at the table.

If Rangers, as one may expect, beat Dundee on Wednesday night, they would go a single point behind with five games to play.

Some heroic defending was key to Ross County’s victory today. Here’s their second half heatmap.

Ross County interim manager Don Cowie has been speaking to BBC Scotland: “I’m delighted for the whole football club. It was built upon a very good team performance today.

“In the first half I thought we deserved a bit more in terms of what we put in. The message at half time was to keep that going, build on it and be positive. We started the second half excellently, you then get a bit nervous at the end, but I’m just delighted for everyone.

“It’s a big three points for us.”

On the run-in, Cowie added: “We have to take real belief. What we get is three points, nothing more, but on top of that we have to take belief and confidence.

“We have five very important games coming up. We’ve got a two week break. We’ll enjoy tonight as it’s not often you beat Rangers, but we then need to focus on those games.”

County winger and game winner Josh Sims tells BBC Scotland: “It was a brilliant game. We deserved it. First half we did well, unlucky not take a couple chances, a few good saves from their goalie. We were gutted about the goal we conceded.

“The boys at half time said we’re unbeaten here since the manager has taken over so we have to just believe what we’re doing and the chances will come. They did, and we took them by surprise. We scored at good times, and they took a step back and didn’t realise what happened.

“We didn’t change anything, just said keep doing what we’re doing. We were more clinical second half. We had a good game plan that we worked on all week, and we kept to it.

“To get the third in those games, it gives you a cushion. It was nice to score. We knew they’d bombard us but we defended brilliantly, put our bodies on the line, and that can be as good as a goal.”

Here’s a little more from Philippe Clement for you…

“It was not good enough.

“We had a really strange week and preparation towards this game with not the training we wanted, but it’s not an excuse. We need to be here, take the three points and go home, and we didn’t.

[On dropping points in the title race] “That’s mathematics but I’ve never been big on that. It’s about going full for three points every game and we failed to do that today.

“We’ve done it a lot this season but today we failed as a team. It’s about reacting really strongly on Wednesday to take the three points.”

Two of County’s heroes have been talking to Sky Sports:

Yan Dhanda: “The gaffer’s set a target for us to make it difficult for teams coming here. We played well and I’m delighted to get the win.

“Obviously we have to push on from here now. It’s a massive three points for us. If we play like that, we can beat anyone.”

Simon Murray: “We needed to get the next goal after half-time and we did. We were really organised and showed some good quality in that second half.

“It’s a weakness of theirs that they commit men forward so we know we could hit them on the break.”

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been speaking to BBC Scotland:

“I’m very disappointed because we didn’t play a good game. We gave away easy goals, leading 0-1, not a good first half, not enough quality on the ball then you need to chase the game suddenly. Then we were much better.

“We scored a goal, got more chances, but then you give hope to the opponent because they are leading and they throw themselves in front of the ball, then it’s more difficult.

“With or without the ball it was not good enough today, so I’m very disappointed.”

After last week at Kilmarnock, County could have come here thinking a point would have been a bonus.

They could have thought ‘we’ll sit back in a nice shape, and counter’. Nope. They got in Rangers’ faces, they were alert, got to second balls, caused Rangers problems defensively.

We had a feeling at half time that if Rangers weren’t careful… County came out, went bang-bang, and the crowd got frustrated. It never looked like it was going to happen for Rangers.

Rangers dominated the stats, but lost out on the most important stat of all.

No one watching on TV, or here in the stadium, could say Ross County didn’t deserve to win.

It was a backs-to-the-wall performance. You have to ride your luck, dig in, put bodies on the line. They did that at times, but they also played with composure, they knocked the ball about well.

Dhanda and Sims played in the pockets and caused the Rangers full backs all sorts of problems. Murray didn’t give Souttar or Goldson a minute all day.

The big thing today was the lack of desire in the Rangers team today. That is the worrying thing. You can see it in the second goal. Harmon has run the length of the park to get there. That was the desire, hunger, energy and intensity that every County player brought today.

The full time whistle goes! Ross County claim a historic first – a win over Rangers. It’s a win that allays their relegation fears, and one that will live long, long in the memory.

It might do the same for Rangers, but for all the wrong reasons. They were miles off it, and they now seem a long way from the Premiership title.

They are now four points behind Celtic, with a game in hand. A win over Dundee on Wednesday would leave them a point behind.

It’s a slip, it’s a stumble, and it’s a huge opportunity missed.

Take nothing away from Ross County though. They were brilliant throughout.

Copyright: BBC

The Rangers corner comes in.. and Jack Butland clatters Ross Laidlaw. That’s a clear free kick and that could be the game.

The pressure is very much on. County are camped in their own box, and Rangers are firing the ball in.

They’ll be happy enough if it its another arm. In fact, it might have. VAR check. Dingwall holds its breath… not given!

The ball comes in and County scramble it away. Seconds remain.

For the first time in this game, County are nervous because they can see the finishing line.

They know they’re nearly there, they understand the gravity of the three points in the situation they’re in.