There is fighting spirit and then there is leaving it far too late. Rangers managed to drag themselves back from 2-0 down at Livingston to salvage a point, but this felt more like two dropped than one gained.
Brooklyn Kabongolo, a French defender of all people, gave the home side the lead with a well executed volley in the 14th minute. Danny Rohl’s side huffed and puffed but could not break through, and Lewis Smith doubled Livingston’s advantage in the 55th minute.
The game turned when Cristian Montano was shown red for denying Djeidi Gassama a goalscoring opportunity. Emmanuel Fernandez thumped one home in the 81st minute and Mikey Moore levelled with two minutes remaining, but Rangers ran out of time despite nine added minutes.
Rohl afterwards was confused by a late penalty shout that went against his side. Moore was brought down by Cammy Kerr at the edge of the box, VAR took a lengthy look, and nothing came of it. “For me, it’s a clear foul,” Rohl said. “I think there’s no contact on the ball, the contact goes to the man.”
Rangers now sit four points behind leaders Hearts with ten fixtures remaining. Celtic’s defeat to Hibs offers some consolation, but this was a result that should embarrass a side with title ambitions. Bottom club Livingston celebrated like they had won the league. That tells you everything about how the afternoon went for Rangers.
