Rangers finally claimed their first Scottish Premiership victory of the season at the sixth attempt, thanks to Max Aarons’ dramatic stoppage-time goal against Livingston.
The substitute struck in the 94th minute, smashing home a loose ball from a corner to ignite wild celebrations among the Ibrox faithful, who spilled forward in relief after weeks of frustration.
James Tavernier had earlier put Rangers ahead with a hooked finish from close range, capping a dominant opening spell.
The captain then had a chance to double the lead from the penalty spot after a VAR check confirmed Nico Raskin had his shirt tugged at a corner.
However, Jerome Prior guessed right and saved Tavernier’s kick with his legs.
That miss proved costly as Derek Cornelius saw a goal ruled out before half-time, and Rangers’ control faded after the restart.
Livingston, battling throughout, drew level in the 67th minute when Mo Sylla rose unmarked to nod in Adam Montgomery’s delivery.
As the minutes ticked away, Rangers threw everything forward in desperation.
Their persistence paid off deep into injury time, Aarons pouncing to net his first goal for the club and finally lift the pressure on Russell Martin.
This was a contest of contrasting halves.
Rangers looked composed and confident in the first 45 minutes, carving openings and appearing certain to extend their lead.
But after the break, Livingston grew in belief, dominating the attacking numbers and punishing sloppy defending.
The home side might have felt a sense of déjà vu as boos echoed around Ibrox when Sylla equalised, with Martin once again staring at more dropped points.
Yet, unlike previous weeks, the script flipped late on.
Aarons’ late strike not only broke Rangers’ winless run but also changed the mood entirely.
For Rangers, it may prove a turning point.
For Livingston, it was a cruel end to a spirited display that deserved more.
Livingston manager David Martindale: "I genuinely came to this thinking we could take something from the game because I know what I've got in the changing room.
"It is a learning curve as a group. This is a new team that's just come up from the Championship, I've got two 20-year-old midfielders and I don't think there will be any other team that have that profile of players.
"I thought it was one of our better performances we've had against Rangers in the last seven years and I think we're hard done by not to come away with something."
Rangers head coach Russell Martin: "I'm really proud of the players. The game should have been done. We gave away a really poor goal because we lost control of the game in the second half and struggled to get it back.
"The players are fighting so hard for each other and the coaching staff and I think we got what we deserved in the end. The players feel so together.
"The gap between the first half and the second half is too big, so we need to learn from that, but I really enjoyed some of the first half and I loved the character and spirit in the second."
