Rangers 2-1 St. Mirren: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Coral’s post-match review of Rangers 2-1 St. Mirren in the Premiership on Tuesday, 30 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Rangers won 2-1 against St. Mirren in a hard-fought match at home. The game stayed tight until Thelo Aasgaard broke the deadlock in the 39th minute with a goal assisted by Jayden Meghoma, giving Rangers the lead going into half-time. St. Mirren had been on a decent run with two wins and two draws in their last five, but they struggled to create much early on against a Rangers side that had won three of their previous four league games.

In the second half, Emmanuel Fernandez doubled Rangers’ advantage in the 52nd minute, assisted by Youssef Chermiti, putting them in a strong position. St. Mirren fought back late, missing a penalty in the 76th minute after a VAR check, before Mikael Mandron pulled one back in the 82nd. Despite the late pressure and a yellow card for Rangers’ Jack Butland in the same minute, Rangers held on for the win, building on their recent form that included victories over Motherwell, Hibernian and Kilmarnock.

Rangers dominated possession with 59% of the ball compared to St. Mirren’s 41%, which helped them control the tempo and create more opportunities, as shown by their 50 successful dribbles against just 25 for the visitors. They also edged the corner count at 5-4, pointing to more attacking threat, while recording two assists that led to their goals, unlike St. Mirren who had none.

On the discipline side, St. Mirren picked up two yellow cards while Rangers had one, and the visitors took one penalty but failed to score from it, adding to their frustration. Both teams made good use of their benches, with Rangers bringing on five substitutes like Max Aarons for Mikey Moore at 69 minutes and Danilo for Youssef Chermiti at 79, while St. Mirren used four, including Dan N’Lundulu for Jonah Ayunga early at 37 minutes, which kept the energy high but couldn’t turn the game around.

The match turned on a few big moments, starting with Thelo Aasgaard’s opener for Rangers in the 39th minute, assisted by Jayden Meghoma, which shifted momentum after a cagey start. Emmanuel Fernandez then made it 2-0 in the 52nd with help from Youssef Chermiti, seemingly putting Rangers in control. St. Mirren’s substitutions, like Conor McMenamin coming on for Roland Idowu at 57 minutes, added some spark, but yellow cards for Idowu at 55 and Marcus Fraser at 59 disrupted their rhythm.

Late drama came with a VAR decision at 74 minutes involving Conor McMenamin, leading to a missed penalty by Marcus Fraser in the 76th, saved by Jack Butland who picked up a yellow card shortly after. Mikael Mandron’s goal in the 82nd gave St. Mirren hope, but Rangers’ changes, such as Clinton Nsiala replacing John Souttar at 80 minutes and Findlay Curtis for Mohamed Diomandé in stoppage time, helped them see out the win despite the pressure.

Rangers lined up in a 4-3-3 shape that allowed them to press high and build from the back, with strong partnerships in midfield where Mohamed Diomandé provided energy before being replaced by Findlay Curtis late on. Thelo Aasgaard stood out with his goal, while Emmanuel Fernandez added threat up front, and Youssef Chermiti contributed an assist before making way for Danilo. Defensively, John Souttar anchored things until Clinton Nsiala came on, and Jack Butland’s key save and yellow card highlighted his role in goal.

St. Mirren set up in a 3-5-2 formation that focused on width and counter-attacks, with midfielders like Roland Idowu and Killian Phillips trying to link play before their substitutions for Conor McMenamin and Liam Donnelly respectively. Mikael Mandron was a focal point in attack, scoring their only goal, while Jonah Ayunga started up front but was replaced early by Dan N’Lundulu, who later made way for Evan Mooney. Marcus Fraser’s involvement in the missed penalty and his yellow card underlined the defensive challenges they faced.

Coral’s Man of the Match goes to Mikael Mandron for his determined performance, netting one goal that gave St. Mirren a late lifeline despite the defeat. He didn’t rack up assists or big chances created, and had no key passes recorded, but his strike in the 82nd minute showed real fight and kept the visitors in the game until the end.

Recent Premiership matches:

• Win: 2-1 vs St. Mirren (H)
• Win: 1-0 vs Motherwell (H)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Hearts (A)
• Win: 1-0 vs Hibernian (H)
• Win: 3-0 vs Kilmarnock (A)

Recent Premiership matches:

• Loss: 1-2 vs Rangers (A)
• Draw: 0-0 vs Kilmarnock (H)
• Win: 1-0 vs Livingston (H)
• Win: 2-0 vs Dundee United (H)
• Draw: 3-3 vs Aberdeen (A)

Rangers have just beaten St. Mirren 2-1 at home, a result that keeps them in third place on 35 points and builds on their strong recent form with four wins in their last five league games. They’ll face a tough test next against Celtic on 3 January 2026 at 12:30, with the opposition sitting second on 38 points, so a win could close the gap at the top and boost their chase for the title.

St. Mirren have just lost 1-2 to Rangers away, leaving them in 10th place on 18 points after a mixed run that included a draw with Kilmarnock and wins over Livingston and Dundee United in their last five. Their next fixture is against Motherwell on 3 January 2026 at 15:00, with the hosts currently fourth on 33 points, making it a chance to pick up vital points and climb away from the lower end of the table.

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