If Rangers are seeking accountability for their first league defeat in Paisley for 13 years, they should look no further than the nearest mirror.
In a week when the Ibrox club wrote to the SFA pointing fingers over the non-award of a penalty in the Premier Sports Cup final, there was no conceivable way of deflecting blame elsewhere for last night’s loss. It left Philippe Clement’s team trailing Celtic at the summit of the Premiership by 12 points.
The last time they lost a game to St Mirren in the league was Christmas 2011, Aaron Mooy hitting the winner on a night of wind and rain.
By Clement’s own admission, he didn’t see this one coming after four leagues wins in a row. Even a half-time hairdryer failed to fix it.
Oisin Smyth opened the scoring from the penalty spot after a rush of blood to the head for Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland. Thereafter, Saints were forced to weather another festive storm when Danilo pulled the visitors level after 61 minutes.
Kudos to Stephen Robinson. On a night of outstanding game management, the St Mirren boss will never make three better substitutions than he did here.
Danilo’s dejection sums up the whole Rangers team after their disastrous loss in Paisley
Caolan Boyd-Munce scores the late winner for St MIrren
Philippe Clement cuts a lonely figure after the dramatic 2-1 defeat
His replacements combined for the winner in the third minute of stoppage time. Jonah Ayunga set the ball rolling by picking the pocket of Dujon Sterling deep in the opposition half. Galloping down the flank, he did brilliantly to steer a low ball towards Evan Mooney. The 17-year-old laid up the ball up perfectly for Caolan Boyd-Munce to smash a superb drive low into the bottom corner for the winner. A word of praise, too, for another 17-year-old sub, Callum Penman, his late cushioned header back to Ellery Balcombe so laid back he could have been lying on his sofa watching Gavin and Stacey.
Only the fifth meeting of these teams on Boxing Day, Rangers had won the previous four by an aggregate score of 9-1. Defeat here will raise questions over Clement’s decision to rest Danilo and Nico Raskin during an abysmal first half when the home side deservedly claimed the lead.
Narrowing the gap on Celtic to nine points last weekend, momentum was lost on a day when the league title surely went the same way.
A lack of sleep offered the only logical explanation for the manner in which Butland surrendered the opener. Back in goal after missing the 1-0 win over Dundee to attend the birth of his baby daughter, he was guilty of blind panic when he rushed from his line to clatter Greg Kiltie after half an hour.
Chasing an up-and-under long-ball clearance from Saints keeper Balcombe, Kiltie had been careful to stay onside, doing enough to put his body between Butland and ball. The Rangers No1 took the bait.
VAR took a look for offside before deciding the original decision stood. Smyth sent Butland the wrong way and St Mirren had a lead.
Only Celtic had scored more first-half goals than St Mirren this season. Strike No 16 offered another problem for a Rangers side who had failed to win any of the three games when they’d conceded the opening goal away from home in the Premiership. So it would prove again here.
Adding fuel to the fire is a deepening defensive crisis ahead of the Old Firm clash on January 2.
Oisin Smyth gave the Buddies the perfect start with his converted penalty after half an hour
Danilo pulled Rangers level after firing home in the 61st minute
The Ibrox forward wheels away in delight after making it 1-1 in Paisley
Leon Balogun started alongside Dujon Sterling at the heart of defence, lasting just 16 minutes before pulling up with a calf or Achilles muscle injury in a race with Toyosi Olusanya. Balogun held it together well enough to prevent the striker taking full advantage of his discomfort, before tumbling to the deck in obvious pain.
With John Souttar sidelined for a number of weeks and Neraysho Kasanwirjo’s season already over, Balogun’s loss was a set-back Clement could do without. Sterling and Robin Propper are now the last men standing, the former culpable for St Mirren’s winner.
After an underwhelming first-half display, Clement made two changes. Danilo and Raskin had come out the team for Nedim Bajrami and Connor Barron in a well-intentioned attempt to give them some rest. In hindsight, it was evident that this squad simply isn’t good enough to give the better players a break.
Raskin, in particular, moved the ball quicker, getting things moving. Rangers now carried more threat. A thumping, dipping James Tavernier free kick from 20 yards sailed a yard wide. Danilo’s deflected strike gave Balcombe a save to make. The visitors’ situation was now urgent.
The St Mirren crossbar is probably still shaking from Vaclav Cerny’s thundering strike and, when Balcombe denied Danilo at the back post, the pressure increased.Substitute
Boyd-Munce was to have the last laugh when he scored in stoppage time
Sub Boyd-Munce lapped up the adoration of St Mirren fans after his stoppage time winner
The dam finally burst shortly after the hour. St Mirren couldn’t clear their lines and, when Raskin failed to finish from eight yards, Danilo pounced to finish the job.
Pressing subs Ayunga and Alex Iacovitti into action, Robinson got his team back to posing a threat on the break. Rangers’ momentum began to ebb and slide.
The home side struck the woodwork when a corner swung in on top of the unconvincing Butland, provoking a panicked flap before Propper turned the ball against his own crossbar.
When Boyd-Munce fired home a brilliant winner, the SMISA Stadium erupted in festive joy. They’d waited a long time for another night like this.
