Rangers finally secured their first Scottish Premiership victory of the season, and their first under Russell Martin, ending a run of five away league games without a win, stretching back to March’s success at Dundee.
The result offered some relief, but it was far from a perfect performance. Mohamed Sylla’s equaliser meant Rangers have now conceded in 15 consecutive away matches, and Martin continues to face heavy scrutiny from the support.
Three changes were made from Thursday’s home defeat to Genk. Connor Barron, Bojan Miovski and Oliver Antman came into the side, replacing Mohammed Diomande – suspended after his red card against the Belgians – along with Yousef Chermiti and Mikey Moore. Martin hoped the reshuffle would inject much-needed momentum into his team.
Livingston, however, began brightly, with Stevie May going close in the early stages. Rangers gradually grew into the game, and their first clear opportunity came through a fine move.
Nicolas Raskin lifted a delightful flick over the home defence, sending Miovski through one-on-one with Jerome Prior. But the former Aberdeen striker blazed over when he should have scored.
The breakthrough arrived soon after. Djeidi Gassama surged down the left and swung in a deep cross, which Antman cleverly cushioned back for James Tavernier. The captain adjusted superbly, volleying over his head and into the net. It was a trademark moment of inspiration: cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Tavernier had the chance to double the lead from the penalty spot after Antman was fouled, but Prior guessed correctly to save. Rangers pressed on regardless and thought they had a second when Derek Cornelius headed home, only for the referee to rule it out for handball; though an offside flag may have followed anyway.
The first half had been encouraging, but the second was anything but. Rangers became sloppy in possession and struggled badly against Livingston’s direct approach.
The punishment came midway through the half, when on-loan Celtic full-back Adam Montgomery was given too much time to cross. Sylla, completely unmarked, powered his header beyond Jack Butland to level the match.
Livingston even had the chance to win it when May went close, while Miovski forced Prior into a late save at the other end. The game appeared destined for a draw until stoppage time, when Antman’s corner was flicked on by Raskin to the back post. There, substitute Max Aarons, on as a substitute, in from the cold for the first time since a red card against Club Brugge, volleyed home, sparking wild celebrations among the three away sections inside Almondvale.
Martin’s relief was clear in his celebrations, but it proved fleeting. Almost immediately after the restart, the travelling fans could be heard chanting “Martin GTF.” The victory may have eased the pressure slightly, but the performance underlined the scale of the task facing the Rangers manager if he is to win over a deeply sceptical support.
The gap on Celtic has been cut, but there is no expectation of recovery under the current regime, it's just a waiting game for the next big failure under Martin.