Rangers go top of Scottish Premiership as Tavernier penalties sink St Johnstone | Scottish Premiership

James Tavernier scored a late penalty double as Rangers moved to the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 3-0 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

Celtic stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday, leaving the door open for Philippe Clement’s side to take a two-point lead at the top with victory in Perth. Brendan Rodgers’ team have had their seven-point lead whittled down since Clement replaced Michael Beale at Ibrox in October.

Mohamed Diomande lit up a dull first half in the 37th minute when he fired in from 25 yards. It was the Ivorian midfielder’s first goal for Rangers since arriving on loan from Nordsjælland in the January transfer window.

Rangers secured victory after being awarded two penalties in the final 11 minutes, both after VAR intervention. Tavernier stepped up to convert them, taking his goal tally for the season to 19 and lifting his team above their Old Firm rivals with 12 games remaining for both sides.

Rangers supporters travelled in great expectation for the lunchtime kick-off as Clement continued his rotation policy with Borna Barisic, Óscar Cortés, Scott Wright, Diomande and Fábio Silva returning. Craig Levein’s 10th-placed Saints had Dan Phillips available after injury, with Connor Smith and Ryan McGowan back as well.

Rangers had failed to trouble the St Johnstone keeper, Dimitar Mitov, in a scrappy start until Diomande stepped up to break the deadlock. McGowan nicked the ball away from Silva but it fell to Diomande who took a touch and drilled it beyond the diving Mitov.

Dujon Sterling, back after suspension, replaced Wright on the wing at half-time with Saints striker Benjamin Kimpioka on for David Keltjens, who had been booked in the first half. Within seconds of the restart Mitov made a fine save from Silva’s close-range drive before Sterling just failed to get enough on a cross from Todd Cantwell.

Striker Cyriel Dessers and winger Ross McCausland replaced Silva and Cortés, with Tom Lawrence on for Cantwell, as Clement looked for a second goal to give his side some breathing space. It came when Andy Considine fouled Sterling, and the referee, Matt MacDermid, awarded the penalty after consulting the pitchside VAR monitor.

Tavernier gave Mitov no chance from the spot, and Dessers thought he would add a third after going round the keeper, only for the St Johnstone captain, Liam Gordon, to shepherd the ball to safety.

Dessers then headed a Tavernier cross against the bar before Lawrence’s shot struck the hand of Luke Robinson. After consulting his pitchside monitor again, MacDermid pointed to the spot and this time the Rangers captain sent it high into the opposite corner, scoring his 120th goal for the club.

After the game, Clement singled out Tavernier for praise, saying that the Rangers stalwart was the first player he spoke to upon his arrival. “He was the first player I talked with, that’s normal when you come into a building and you know the fire is going on. I wanted to see how to stop it as fast as possible.”

“He was really open and honest about all things in the club, dressing room and himself,” the Belgian added. “Now he has a few lieutenants around him that help also and are very influential. It’s important to have that. It’s clear they all are growing in these past couple of months without exception.”

Levein, who quipped that “VAR is 8-0 up on us now,” was unhappy with the late penalty call against Robinson. “I don’t know how you are supposed to keep your arm in like that when you are spinning. The referee hasn’t seen it and it’s the people in the [VAR] booth that call it.

“We didn’t lose the game just because of VAR today, but it certainly made life much more comfortable for Rangers. I don’t know what the best [handball] rule is to have – but could we have one that applies to everybody? That would be nice.”