Lawrence Shankland scored twice as Rangers held on for a 2-1 victory over Falkirk to make it back-to-back Scottish Premiership wins.
The Rangers captain proved decisive at Falkirk Stadium, producing two important finishes to give Derek McInnes’ side all three points in a competitive encounter. The result leaves Falkirk still searching for their first league win of the season.
Shankland opened the scoring to give Rangers an early advantage, before Falkirk responded and continued to threaten the visitors. Rangers were unable to completely control the game, but Shankland struck again to restore their lead and put his side back in front.
Falkirk refused to give up and continued to push for an equaliser, ensuring Rangers had to defend their narrow advantage during the closing stages. Despite the pressure, the visitors managed to protect their lead and secure another important three points.
The victory represents another positive step for McInnes, who has now overseen consecutive Premiership wins. Rangers will be encouraged by the result, particularly after being forced to work hard for the points against a Falkirk side that remained competitive throughout.
For Shankland, the performance was a timely reminder of his importance to the Rangers attack. His ability to find the net twice proved the difference between the teams and gave Rangers the cutting edge they needed.
Falkirk, meanwhile, will take encouragement from their performance despite another defeat. The Bairns created enough pressure to make Rangers uncomfortable but were ultimately unable to turn their opportunities into the result they needed.
Rangers will now look to build on this victory and maintain their momentum as the Scottish Premiership season develops, while Falkirk face the challenge of finding a first league victory and turning promising performances into points.
The final score may have been narrow, but Shankland’s finishing made the difference as Rangers left Falkirk with a valuable 2-1 win.