Rangers finally claim first league win as Aarons’ last-gasp strike edges past Livingston
Rangers finally ended their winless start to the Scottish Premiership season with an injury-time escape at Livingston, thanks to substitute Max Aarons’ dramatic 94th-minute winner.
It looked as though Russell Martin’s side were set to stumble again, with Mohamed Sylla’s second-half equaliser cancelling out James Tavernier’s acrobatic opener. But Aarons, who had not scored in three years, lashed home from close range after Mikey Moore’s setup to hand the beleaguered Rangers boss his first league victory in charge.
The relief was palpable. Rangers had dominated the opening period and were given the perfect start when Tavernier produced a spectacular finish from Djeidi Gassama’s cross. Bojan Miovski squandered a golden one-on-one chance before Tavernier was handed a chance to double the lead from the penalty spot. Yet Jerome Prior guessed correctly, denying the captain with a superb save to keep Livingston alive.
VAR then frustrated Rangers once more, ruling out Derek Cornelius’ strike for handball on the stroke of half-time. That decision set the stage for an anxious second half.
Livingston grew in confidence after the restart and were rewarded when Sylla struck in the 68th minute. Suddenly, the prospect of Martin’s side going six league games without a win loomed large. The travelling supporters, already restless, voiced their anger once more.
But with the game deep into stoppage time, Aarons delivered. Moore surged forward on the right and cut the ball across, allowing Aarons to thunder home the decisive strike. It was his first goal since August 2022, and one that may have spared Martin from escalating pressure in the Rangers dugout.
Despite the win, boos still rang out at the final whistle, a sign of how far expectations are from being met. Rangers sit eighth in the table, their slow start leaving fans unconvinced that one late winner can mask deeper problems.
Martin, however, struck a defiant tone. “The first half was the best we’ve played,” he insisted. “We deserved to win, and what I loved is the togetherness. The team are fighting for us as a staff and for each other. That spirit has grown. It shouldn’t need a late winner, but it did — and we’ll use this as a catalyst to kick on.”
Tavernier, named Player of the Match, echoed the call for consistency: “We should have put the game away in the first half. I should’ve scored the penalty. But we pushed until the end and deserved the win. Now we need to keep building.”
For Livingston boss David Martindale, the result was tough to take. “I don’t think the boys deserved that. It came from a cheap free kick that was never a foul. We were the better team in the second half. Rangers get soft free kicks that we don’t. That’s the reality.”
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd was far from convinced, arguing on Sky Sports that the result “just papered over the cracks.” He said: “Rangers should have been out of sight in the first half. After the equaliser, they went back to old habits. The win is a relief, but it’s still not good enough.”
Whether Aarons’ late heroics can spark a revival remains to be seen. For now, Rangers and Martin have their first league win — but the boos from their own fans suggest the battle for belief has only just begun.