James Tavernier marked a historic moment for Rangers with his 100th league goal, inspiring a 3–0 win over Dundee that lifted the Ibrox side above Celtic and within four points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
The captain broke the deadlock after the break with a confidently taken penalty, before Danilo and Djeidi Gassama struck in stoppage time to seal the result.
The victory extended Rangers’ winning run to eight matches in all competitions and came at the perfect time after Hearts and Celtic played out a draw.
Rangers earned their penalty when Nico Raskin was fouled by Ryan Astley moments after firing over the bar.
Following a VAR review, the decision stood, and although goalkeeper Jon McCracken got a hand to Tavernier’s effort, he could not prevent the ball from finding the net.
The hosts had threatened earlier in the match. Tochi Chukwuani thought he had given Rangers the lead with a first-half header, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
The midfielder remained influential, later forcing a low save from McCracken, who also dealt with attempts from Thelo Aasgaard and Tavernier.
Dundee showed flashes of ambition, with Emmanuel Fernandez sending an acrobatic overhead kick wide, while McCracken produced an excellent save to deny Mikey Moore after a slick exchange with Bojan Miovski as the game grew increasingly tense.
Despite their resilience, Dundee were undone late on.
A loose pass from Joe Bevan gifted Danilo the chance to score with a composed finish from the edge of the box, and moments later Gassama wrapped up the win with a curling strike as the visitors’ tired defence finally gave way.
Rangers once again found it difficult to break down a disciplined Dundee side, echoing their earlier meeting at Ibrox when a late Tavernier penalty had rescued a result.
This time, however, the breakthrough proved decisive.
January signing Andreas Skov Olsen had a quiet debut, while Chukwuani impressed on his first start with his energy and presence.
Tavernier’s latest penalty not only decided the contest but also underlined his importance, taking his overall Rangers tally to 139 goals.
Although the scoreline suggests a comfortable victory, the late goals told a different story.
Until stoppage time, Dundee had remained competitive and organised, leaving Rangers to rely on persistence - and their captain’s composure - to secure the points.
