At this stage, you have to wonder how much more the supporters of the three Premiership title challengers can take. All this late drama can’t be good for their health.
With half an hour remaining here at Almondvale, Rangers’ hopes looked to be going down in flames only for Mikey Moore to pop up with a crucial equaliser two minutes from time to ensure the damage inflicted wasn’t fatal.
The tension didn’t end there, though, as 11 minutes of time added on saw Livingston survive a lengthy VAR check after Moore looked to have been taken out just inside the box by Cammy Kerr.
The contact was adjudged — rightly — to have taken place outside the box, but no foul could be awarded as the referee hadn’t blown for the initial infringement.
It all amounted to a late helping of mayhem entirely in keeping with this gloriously bonkers season.
In the grand scheme of things, this may end up being a point gained rather than two dropped. That won’t become clear for another few months, and trying to work out what will happen between now and the end of May is frankly a waste of everyone’s time. We might as well just sit back and try to enjoy it.
Rangers winger Mikey Moore wheels away to celebrate after scoring their late equaliser
Moore tumbles in the box after a stoppage-time challenge by Livingston’s Cammy Kerr
Livingston’s Cristian Montano is shown a straight red after a last-man foul on Djeidi Gassama
With both of their rivals slipping up, Hearts — who ground out a 1-0 win over Falkirk yesterday— couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. The Gorgie men have the opportunity to go seven clear at the top if they can beat Aberdeen at Tynecastle next Saturday, ahead of the Old Firm derby less than 24 hours later.
Who knows what version of Rangers will turn up for that one? After putting in one of their best displays of the season in last weekend’s statement victory over the league leaders at Ibrox, this should have been a gimme against a team without a win since the second week of August. But good grief, Rangers made hard work of it.
Goals either side of half-time from Brooklyn Kabongolo and the terrific Lewis Smith had put the league’s bottom side in dreamland, before Cristian Montano’s red card on the hour gave the ailing visitors the boot up the backside they so desperately needed, with Moore netting after Emmanuel Fernandez had levelled things up with 15 to play.
In many ways, this was a performance in keeping with what Rangers have offered up so often under Danny Rohl, particularly away from home since the turn of the year.
They were woeful in last month’s goalless draw against Hibs at Easter Road, and were fortunate to escape with a share of the spoils on their recent trip to Motherwell too.
And while this wasn’t quite as bad, it was miles off the levels they need to hit consistently if they want to be lifting the league trophy come May.
Rangers deserve so much credit for hauling themselves into this position. As they once again demonstrated here, the character of this squad isn’t up for debate. Some more quality on a regular basis would be handy, mind you.
They were quick out the gates in West Lothian, with Tuur Rommens at the heart of things on the left-hand side. His whipped ball across goal was right into the path of Youssef Chermiti, who did well to steal a yard on his marker inside the area. A heavy first touch let him down.
There was to be no repeat of Chermiti’s heroics against Hearts last week here. Nothing came off for him whatsoever.
Showing up for the big games with Hearts and Celtic is all good and well. But that’s not much use if he disappears against everyone else.
Livingston had goalkeeper Jerome Prior to thank for keeping the scores level on seven minutes.
Moore’s cross to the back post was met by the head of Rommens, who directed it towards the far corner only for Prior to brilliantly tip it on to the post at full stretch.
Slackness in the middle allowed Livi to counter moments later, with Macaulay Tait releasing Robbie Muirhead on the left. His strike was straight at Jack Butland.
The keeper was left utterly helpless, however, as Livi took a shock lead on 14 minutes.
Muirhead’s free-kick from the left touchline was met flush on the volley by Kabongolo, who smashed home from close range to net his first goal for the club.
Quite what Rangers were doing defensively remains a mystery. But the finish was right out of the top drawer. Not quite what you would expect from the big defender.
For all their possession, Rohl’s men were doing little with it, and were vulnerable at the other end. Smith left Fernandez on his backside inside the box, with Rommens getting back in the nick of time to get a challenge in just as the striker was set to pull the trigger.
Prior then had to be sharp at the other end, reaching high to his left to tip a Moore strike from distance over the bar.
James Tavernier stung the gloves of the home keeper following a nice one-two with Andreas Skov Olsen as Rangers ramped up the pressure.
That was to be Skov Olsen’s only involvement in what was a thoroughly underwhelming display. The Dane has pace to burn and an eye for goal, apparently. We’ve seen precious little of either attribute in his appearances so far and he didn’t come back out for the second half.
Having just about survived a bombardment in the early stages after the break, Livi struck again on 55 minutes.
Emmanuel Danso picked up the scraps from a set-piece on the edge of the area, before giving the defenders the eye and threading a delightful ball to Smith, who took a clean first touch and rifled a low effort into the bottom corner.
From the visitors’ perspective, it was a shocking goal to concede. Whilst Rohl has done a fine job of tightening up this defence in recent months, you always feel a mistake is never too far away. To a man, Rangers switched off.
They were given a massive lifeline five minutes later, with Montano shown a straight red by referee Ryan Lee for a last-man foul on Djeidi Gassama 20 yards out. There were no real complaints from anyone in yellow.
In all honesty, Rangers didn’t look capable of taking advantage until Fernandez leathered the ball high into the roof of the net with nine minutes of normal time remaining following an almighty stramash inside the Livi box.
The defender resembles Bambi on ice in his own half at times, but there’s no doubt he’s a threat in opposition boxes. This was his fifth Premiership goal of the season.
You sensed an equaliser was coming and Moore duly delivered on 88 minutes, beating Prior with a brilliant near-post header from Tavernier’s cross.
The Spurs loanee believed he had a cast-iron claim for a penalty in the dying embers of stoppage-time after being taken out by Cammy Kerr, but VAR David Dickinson deemed the contact to have come outside of the box. It was to be the last twist of another extraordinary afternoon in this extraordinary Premiership season.
LIVINGSTON (3-5-2): PRIOR 8; Kabongolo 7, Wilson 7, McGowan 6; Finlayson 6, Pittman 5.5, Danso 6.5 (May 72), Tait 6 (Sylla 71), Montano 5; Smith 7 (Fati 63), Muirhead 6 (Nouble 72). Booked: Finlayson. Sent off: Montano.
Manager: Marvin Bartley 7.
RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Butland 6; Tavernier 7, Souttar 6 (Aasgaard 73), Fernandez 6, Rommens 7; Raskin 5, Chukwuani 5 (Naderi 64); Skov Olsen 3 (Miovski 46), Moore 7, Gassama 5; Chermiti 5. Booked: Chermiti.
Manager: Danny Rohl 5.
Referee: Ryan Lee.
Attendance: 8,746.