Tavernier and Diallo strike for Rangers to make Celtic wait for title

Rangers cut the deficit behind Premiership leader Celtic to six points with a one-sided 2-0 win over Dundee United at Ibrox but the title remains on course for Parkhead.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst rang the changes following Thursday’s thrilling Europa League semi-final win over RB Leipzig and it took until the 55th minute to get the breakthrough when skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot for his 17th goal of the season.

Substitute Amad Diallo added a second in the 78th minute to reduce the gap behind Celtic with two fixtures remaining, but Rangers have a vastly inferior goal difference of 20 which makes the Hoops overwhelming favourites to reclaim the title. But Ibrox eyes are elsewhere at the moment. The euphoria from the 3-1 win over Leipzig still permeated the air in Govan with talk of the Seville final against Eintracht Frankfurt on May 18 the main topic of conversation.

There was surely no one inside the stadium who thought the title could realistically stay at Ibrox and the focus was on Spain. Van Bronckhorst shuffled his pack with a first start for 18-year-old central defender Leon King while Jon McLaughlin, James Sands, Steven Davis, Aaron Ramsey, Scott Arfield and Fashion Sakala were reinstated

Midfielder Arfield, who signed a new contract on Saturday, was playing the false nine position as Rangers pressed the Taysiders from the start.

Rangers kept probing and after the half-hour mark Sakala pulled a Connor Goldson pass out of the air inside the box but drove wide of the target from 12 yards. Ramsey then crashed a shot off the post just before the break but the offside flag had been raised.

Diallo, on for Scott Wright for the start of the second half, made a yard of space for himself but fired a shot well