Livingston striker Colin McMenamin came off the bench to fire another nail
into Rangers' coffin of a season.
Last year's treble winners knew that Celtic would be put on
championship-clinching alert at Kilmarnock on Sunday if they slipped up at
Almondvale, as they had done earlier in the season.
The Hoops faithful had their own disappointment to deal with as
Villarreal ended their UEFA Cup campaign at the quarter-final stage.
But the two more points dropped by their bitter rivals means that the title
win that has been an inevitability for weeks is now imminent.
The result also means Rangers have yet to confirm their place as runners-up in
the Bank of Scotland Premier League as Hearts still have a slim mathematical
chance of catching them.
Michael Mols had given Rangers a half-time lead but youngster McMenamin's
equaliser with 10 minutes remaining had been reward for a second half that the
home side had dominated.
The goal that Mols lashed home in the 24th minute was as good as he has scored
all season in a campaign that has seen him net 12 times but also struggle for
form, touch and, by his own admission, motivation.
The Dutchman first won the corner that put pressure on the home defence and
then, after Gavin Rae had retrieved Paolo Vanoli's half-cleared delivery and
crossed for Steven Thompson to head down, swivelled acrobatically to fire past
Roddy McKenzie.
That had been only the second threat to the home side's goal, with McKenzie
having made a comfortable catch after Thompson had tried to loft the ball over
him from a tight angle on the right, having got the better of Marvin Andrews in
a penalty box tussle.
Livi had almost opened the scoring themselves by then with David McNamee
having wasted a fine opportunity with a weak shot that Stefan Klos was able to
get behind at his near post after Vanoli had been out-muscled in the box.
Lee Makel, Jamie McAllister and Scott McLaughlin all came close before the
break but none could force Klos into an actual save.
The home side also had to make a change just before the half hour mark when
striker Derek Lilley limped off having taken a knock in a clash with Zura
Khizanishvili. McMenamin, who had scored against Celtic at the weekend in Livi's
3-1 Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final loss, replaced him.
Referee Willie Young had a strong penalty appeal to consider when McKenzie
grabbed hold of Thompson in the box after failing to make the clearance for
which he had left his line.
Young's decision to play on infuriated the Rangers fans, who soon cheered up
when news that Celtic were 2-0 down arrived from Spain.
Vanoli made up for his earlier error by winning a free-kick on the edge of the
box shortly after the restart and Ronald de Boer was only inches too high with a
sweetly-struck set-piece.
Livi should have equalised just after the hour mark however when Makel, having
won a corner, combined with Burton O'Brien to swing in a cross onto the head of
Andrews.
It was perfect for the big man but the Trinidad and Tobago international could
only head wastefully over from six yards.
Livi made a double substitution with 16 minutes remaining by sending on young
legs belonging to Jon Paul McGovern and Richard Brittain in place of Rubio and
McLaughlin.
McGovern swung in a cross that Burton O'Brien headed just wide but the
reprieve was short-lived when McMenamin converted Livi's next opportunity with
aplomb.
There was still time for Mols to miss a great chance to win it for Rangers
when he fired at McKenzie after a Gavin Rae shot had been deflected into his
path, with Thompson having done all the spade work with a powerful run.
Teams
Livingston: McKenzie, Rubio (McGovern 74), Andrews, Dorado,
McNamee, Makel, O'Brien, McLaughlin (Brittain 74), McAllister,
Lilley (McMenamin 29), Fernandez.
Subs Not Used: Creer, Snowdon.
Goals: McMenamin 79.
Rangers: Klos, Hutton, Frank de Boer, Khizanishvili, Ball,
Ronald de Boer (Adam 88), Hughes, Rae, Vanoli (Burke 82), Mols,
Thompson (Ross 90).
Subs Not Used: McGregor, McCormack.
Goals: Mols 25.
Att: 6,096
Ref: W Young (Scotland).
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