Ross County 3-2 Rangers: Philippe Clement’s side suffer major blow in title race with visitors made to pay for dismal performance as hosts make history

Considering how many nights his team have recently spent holed up in luxury hotels preparing to play Dundee, the last thing Philippe Clement would have wanted was to lie down in a dark room again.

But the Belgian could undoubtedly have had another after this debacle in the Highlands. By his own admission, the worst performance of his six-month tenure at Rangers couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Although it was not fatal to his team’s hopes of winning the Premiership title, it was certainly an extremely damaging blow.

Small consolation for Clément and his players since these six victories in their last six matches will still allow them to cross the finish line first. The reality is that it’s simply not going to happen if they’re going to repeat this miserable spectacle in any of their remaining matches.

After securing a late draw against Celtic a week ago and seeing the Parkhead side defeat St Mirren on Saturday, Rangers needed to put in a powerful performance to keep the pressure on.

Josh Sims celebrates after scoring Ross County’s third goal in their win over Rangers

James Tavernier scored from the penalty spot late on but Rangers still ended up losing

Instead, what they produced was dismal. Relatively defensively, often overwhelmed in midfield and profligate in front of goal, the Ibrox team got exactly what they deserved.

They were fortunate to be ahead at the break, but were unable to heed the numerous warnings County had given them so far.

Unable to even engage third gear, a one-goal advantage quickly turned into a two-goal deficit as the county’s reserves of confidence rivaled an extraordinary turnaround.

James Tavernier’s late penalty gave Clément a glimmer of hope, but his team lacked cohesion and control in the final minutes, just like in the first exchanges.

It was a historic day for the county. In the 24 previous meetings against the Rangers, the Staggies had often come close to victory without ever crossing the finish line.

At no time before had their need for three points been greater. This famous triumph then finds itself one point behind St Johnstone in the battle to avoid the play-offs.

With much work still to be done in the battle to overcome the decline, caretaker manager Don Cowie wisely tried to downplay the significance of this triumph. But he won’t need anyone to tell him that his team will have nothing to fear if they can meet that standard in the remaining five matches.

There were few signs of any drama to come as Rangers took the lead in the 15th minute. It was a goal that owed far too much luck.

George Harmon delighted as his goal puts Ross County 2-1 ahead

Simon Murray equalized for Ross County with his goal in the 47th minute of the match.

An own goal from Ross County’s Jack Baldwin in the 15th minute had given Rangers the lead.

James Tavernier’s outgoing corner was keenly watched by Fabio Silva’s header.

Stationed at the far post, John Souttar did little more than put pressure on Jack Baldwin.

The County skipper looked set to spin the ball around the post for another corner, but he got his angles completely wrong.

By the time Ross Laidlaw realized he had been called to action, it was too late. Despite the County goalkeeper’s best efforts, the ball crossed the line and celebrations among the visiting players and supporters were somewhat delayed. Baldwin could only look up to the sky.

It was tough for the county at this point. Cowie’s team had been very enterprising at the start. If George Harmon had been more attentive to Michee Efete’s cross, they would have been ahead in 60 seconds.

The joy of the local players destabilized the Rangers. Clement was grateful Todd Cantwell returned to break up a promising attack after Cyriel Dessers conceded possession cheaply.

Simon Murray should also have done better when he curled in a wild shot after Yan Dhanda had cleverly created space for him. Dhanda also failed to capitalize on an opportunity with a header from Murray’s cross.

The goal was just the tonic Rangers needed. With the wind now in their sails, they created enough chances in a short burst to put the match to bed.

Cantwell was the first man in white to hold his head in his hands after Laidlaw stepped forward to put a vital toe on his effort towards the net.

The County keeper then denied Dessers in similar fashion, with Abdallah Sima shooting the wrong side of the upright after a poor defensive clearance.

It was an extremely frustrating day for Philippe Clément as Rangers’ title hopes suffered a major blow.

Substituted Cyriel Dessers looks frustrated during Rangers’ defeat to Ross County

Although Clement’s team slowly began to take control of the midfield, the Staggies still had their moments. Josh Sims forced Jack Butland into a fine save to his right after the striker caught the ball cleanly on the spin.

Harmon missed another great opportunity when he was picked out by Ekli King’s neat pass. However, as he had done in the first minute, the defender failed to hold his nerve as his shot sailed harmlessly over the top.

The half-time whistle found the Cowie team behind, but not without their moments of encouragement.

No one, however, could have predicted how this contest would play out, with County taking the lead with two goals in four minutes early in the second half.

Murray had been a source of threat whenever he had darted between the Rangers centre-backs.

Alerted by Sims recovering the ball on the right side of the area, Murray found a pocket of space which allowed him to work Butland when the reduction presented itself to him. The Rangers goalkeeper did well to block the initial effort, but was powerless to prevent Murray from tapping in the rebound. On the balance of the game and the number of chances created, we cannot say that it was badly deserved.

With this, Rangers simply lost their form and composure. County’s second goal was a brilliant counter-attacking goal, but the visitors’ attempt to thwart them was weak.

Dhanda’s long diagonal was taken by Murray, always willing. After dancing inside, his shot was blocked by Butland but was not saved. Harmon was the first man to react, sending the ball home from close range. Third time, lucky and all that.

Although the Rangers brought in Dujon Sterling and Rabbi Matondo, they still ended up losing.

Despite the intervention of Dujon Sterling and Rabbi Matondo, the Rangers’ response was not at all what Clement might have expected.

Baldwin did well to go down and ensure Dessers’ shot was deflected over the bar, but it was a fleeting moment.

Sima equalized but only received a yellow card for deliberate handball. This was entirely consistent with a presentation strewn with errors on the part of visitors.

It says a lot that County’s third in the 69th minute was no real surprise.

King turned Tom Lawrence around on the left flank and carried the ball to Sims.

Sims was calmness personified, waiting for his moment and allowing Sterling to go to the ground before placing the ball in the corner. The country was now in dreamland.

The Rangers instead huffed and puffed until the final whistle.

Cantwell hit the crossbar with a lightning strike, with Baldwin also bravely blocking the midfielder’s strike.

Clement’s side were handed a lifeline in the final minutes when Brandon Khela’s handball was awarded a penalty following VAR intervention.

James Tavernier smashed the ball home to reduce the deficit to one. The Rangers still had two minutes plus seven to play, but truth be told, they never looked like they were digging themselves out of a hole this time around.

A win against Dundee on Wednesday – wherever that game is played – is now non-negotiable if their title challenge does not quickly fizzle out.