Attendance 10,004
Rangers secured a 2-1 win at Livingston this afternoon courtesy of two early goals from Lorenzo Amoruso and Shota Arveladze to maintain their six-point lead over Celtic prior to next week’s showdown at Parkhead.
Rangers made three changes from the side that had won at Ayr with Jerome Bonnissel (making his first competitive start), Fernando Ricksen and Michael Mols replacing Arthur Numan, Bob Malcolm and Ronald De Boer.
There was a five-minute delay in the kick-off due to road-works in theLivingston area, and consequently the Ibrox men started perhaps aware that Celtic were already 1-0 ahead against Hibernian, courtesy of an early John Hartson goal.
Bonnissel was prominent in the opening minutes, as his pace won two quick corners down the left, but it was Mikel Arteta’s corner from the other side that produced the opening goal in seven minutes, a bullet header from Lorenzo Amoruso finding the net.
Six minutes later Shota Arveladze was denied when he found the net from a Michael Mols pass only to be foiled by an offside flag, a decision which television replays proved to be wrong.
Two minutes later however it was 2-0 when Neil McCann’s cross somehow eluded the Livvie defence, allowing Arveladze to head home.
The home side must have been shell-shocked by this whirlwind start – but gradually began to work their way back into the game. Francisco Quino twice tested Stefan Klos on the 25-minute mark – once with a twenty-yard drive and then with a chip into the top corner – but the goalkeeper was equal to the task.
Klos was again called into action in 39 minutes when he held Stuart Lovell’s effort from a Rolando Zarate cutback.
Rangers had perhaps failed to capitalise fully on their excellent start – but restarted very much on the attack following the half-time break. Arveladze was clean through on a Barry Ferguson pass only to be denied twice – firstly when Alan Main blocked his initial effort, then when Burton O’Brien scooped his second off the line.
Livingston continued to threaten – substitute Eugene Dadi bursting through on a Barry Wilson pass two minutes later only to fire across the face of goal.
Main again denied Arveladze in 54 minutes when the Georgian homed in on another Ferguson through-ball. Four minutes later Rangers were denied a stonewall penalty when Arteta was felled by Marvin Andrews, only for Referee John Rowbotham to turn a blind eye.
Undaunted the League leaders continued to apply the pressure – Ferguson’s twenty-yard drive from a Kevin Muscat pass just missing the target by a hairsbreadth.
With both Claudio Caniggia and Steven Thompson on for Michael Mols and Shota Arveladze Rangers were dominant – indeed the two newcomers combined in 73 minutes when Thompson’s low cross was turned home by Caniggia only for the Argentinian to be denied by another offside flag.
Inside seconds another dubious refereeing decision might have turned the game when Fernando Ricksen was adjudged to have fouled Zarate – but Rolando’s spot-kick was blocked by Klos to maintain the two-goal advantage.
It was end-to-end stuff in the closing stages – McCann’s header from a Caniggia cross drifting inches wide, then Gustave Bahoken’s drive being blocked by Klos.
Zarate almost atoned for his penalty miss with six minutes remaining when his curling shot from the edge of the box only just slipped past, but it was Rangers who looked the likelier to add to their score in the closing stages.
Ricksen almost scored from the halfway line when his lob was just wide after Main had rushed out to deny the inrushing Thompson, then three times in as many minutes the goalkeeper was the hero – twice denying Thompson from twenty yards, then turning wide Ferguson’s point-blank header from a Caniggia cross.
The goal when it arrived however astonishingly came at the other end - Dadi heading home a Zarate cross in the last seconds of injury time.
Manager Alex McLeish afterwards refused to comment on the performance of Referee John Rowbotham, but was content with the win:
"It was a great win, but could have been more comfortable. We should have imposed ourselves more. Decisions went against us today. Lorenzo Amoruso showed what a true professional he is – and indeed played on with a broken nose."
Concern however must be expressed over the availability of Maurice Ross, Arthur Numan and Ronald De Boer for next week.
LIVINGSTON Main; Brinquin, Andrews, Maidana, Bahoken; Quino (Dadi 45), Makel (Cherif 78), Lovell, O’Brien; Wilson (Xausa 61), Zarate
UNUSED SUBS McEwan, Camacho
RANGERS Klos; Muscat, Moore, Amoruso, Bonnissel; Ricksen, Ferguson, Arteta, McCann; Mols (Caniggia 61), Arveladze (Thompson 71)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Hughes, Malcolm
REFEREE John Rowbotham