Skipper James Tavernier opened the scoring from the spot before substitutes Djeidi Gassama and Danilo netted late goals

17:26, 25 Jan 2026Updated 19:26, 25 Jan 2026

Rangers asked their fans to turn up the noise at Ibrox for the title run-in.

And the volume was cranked up a notch after victory over Dundee saw them close the gap on their rivals at the top of the Premiership table. The club sent out a video message urging the home crowd to get behind Danny Rohl’s side for the rest of the campaign.

And the supporters were loud and proud after their team secured their eighth win on the spin to see off the Dark Blues. The result will also have been heard at Tynecastle, with Hearts and Celtic both dropping two points each.

James Tavernier got Rangers on their way here with a penalty – his 100th league goal for the club. At times, they struggled to break Steven Pressley’s side down. But two injury time goals from Danilo and Djeidi Gassama secured three priceless points for Gers.

Rohl gave new boy Andreas Skov Olsen his debut against the Dark Blues. But it was old stager Tavernier who set the ball rolling early in the second half after Nico Raskin was fouled in the box by Ryan Astley. Late on, it looked like 1-0 would be enough for the home side – as the crowd roared them on after hearing of Hearts’ late equaliser in Gorgie.

And the Ibrox roof came off when Danilo and Gassama produced terrific finishes to wrap up the game and make it 3-0.

Danilo of Rangers scores his team’s second goal(Image: )

The victory means Gers jump into second spot in the Premiership table, two points ahead of Celtic and just four behind Hearts.

Here’s five talking points from Ibrox Stadium:

Title race tension

This wasn’t a comfortable win for Rangers until the dying minutes and maybe for the first time there were some nerves from Rohl’s side now that they’re in a proper title fight. Dundee made it difficult for them and they toiled at times to create gilt-edged opportunities in front of goal.

They needed Tavernier’s spot kick to get their noses in front before two goals clinched it. When Hearts equalised at Tynecastle to make it 2-2 against Celtic, a huge roar went up at Ibrox and eased any anxiety in the stands. The crowd sensed a golden opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table and were trying to relay that message to the players.

Thankfully for Rohl, his side kept their cool and could finally relax when Danilo and Gassama put the game to bed. Rangers are now well in this title race so there will be plenty more of these afternoons to come between now and May. They’ve now won eight games on the trot in all competitions. If they can keep their form – and their nerve – in the run-in it could be a special season.

Ton-up Tav

This might be his last season at Rangers after a decade’s service at the club but it could be a special one for James Tavernier. The Rangers skipper once again stepped up from the spot to slot home a penalty at Ibrox when they really needed it.

It was his 100th league goal, which is an incredible achievement for a right-back. At the start of this term, it looked like it would be a dismal end to Tavernier’s time at Gers when Russell Martin was in charge. But Danny Rohl’s arrival has reinvigorated everyone at the club, including the captain.

Rangers captain James Tavernier celebrates his goal(Image: )

He might not be the marauding full-back he once was at 34. But he still comes up with big moments like he did here. There was big pressure on the penalty at the start of the second half after Astley upended Raskin in the box. It was an important point in the game and the Gers skipper delivered again. As he’s done so often, Tavernier coolly tucked it beyond Jon McCracken to give his side a vital lead.

Debut Danes

Danny Rohl decided to throw two of his January signings – Andreas Skov Olsen and Tochi Chukwuani in from the start against Dundee, which made sense as both players are ineligible for Europe.

Wide man Skov Olsen is the one Rangers fans are excited about and he made his first appearance on the right flank. The Danish winger took a while to get into the game but showed flashes of what he’s capable of, linking up with James Tavernier.

He provided a cracking cross for Chukwuani to head home what he thought was the opener on 13 minutes but it was ruled out for offside. The midfielder got his league debut after a brief appearance in the Scottish Cup and slotted into midfield alongside Nico Raskin.

Supporters might have expected Chukwuani to be more of a sitter in the middle of the park but he showed here that he doesn’t mind getting forward into dangerous areas. After seeing a goal chalked off, he then had a golden chance to give Rangers the lead from Thelo Aasgaard’s pass – and he’ll be disappointed he didn’t bury it as Jon McCracken denied him.

Gers fans noised up

Rangers put out a video message to supporters last week urging their home crowd to turn the volume up for the title run in.

It’s been a problem for a while at Ibrox, mainly due to what they’ve been served up on the pitch over the last few years. Full house, full voice, full 90 was the catchline on the video. And before kick-off, you sensed the Rangers crowd were up for it.

They didn’t have much to shout about in a first half that didn’t yield the chances or goals they craved. The one person who did get them vocal and off their seats was ref Kevin Clancy. The whistler was far too fussy in his awarding of fouls and should have booked Dundee defender Luke Graham early on for a challenge on Thelo Aasgaard.

Eventually, the supporters found their voice and near the end, they were cheering their side home. At full-time, most of the 50,000 stayed behind to salue Rohl and his players who made a significant move in the title race.

Pressley praise

Dundee and their manager Steven Pressley deserve credit for how they approached the game at Ibrox – not for the first time this season.

On their last visit to Govan earlier in the campaign, they were excellent and only denied victory by a late Tavernier penalty. It was still early days for Pressley and his team at that point and they’re a much better outfit now.

Having won four of their last five games, they went into this game in a confident mood. But it still takes bravery to come to Glasgow – against a Rangers side now going for a title – and attempt to go toe-to-toe with them.

Of course, the Dark Blues tried to get men behind the ball when they could. But for the most part, Pressley kept three attackers up the pitch and tried to press Rangers high. They didn’t create enough middle to front to really threaten the hosts but their gaffer and supporters will be encouraged by their performance, despite losing the late goals.