I watched Rangers beat St Mirren and spotted penalty controversy, growing Ibrox influence and big achievement

Derek McInnes' side had been held to draws in their previous two league fixtures away from home against Dundee and Hearts, but goals either side of half-time from Ryan Naderi and Dan Neil ensured there would be no repeat disappointment at the Marbill Coaches Stadium.

The result leaves the Ibrox side just one point behind Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although the league leaders have the opportunity to extend their advantage when they face Kilmarnock this afternoon.

Lewis Anderson watched the action unfold in Paisley for The Scotsman and picks out his three main takeaways from the game.

Twelve unbeaten – but are Rangers the real deal?

Rangers have now gone 12 matches without defeat in all competitions, a remarkable improvement given the uncertainty that followed McInnes' rocky start to life in Govan. Their success last night was thoroughly deserved but there remains considerable scope for improvement, particularly in the final third.

McInnes has warned that his team are not yet the finished article. There are still familiar frustrations he must continue to address. Rangers' inability to turn promising attacking situations into goals meant St Mirren remained in the contest for longer than they should have, while some questionable decision-making in the final third prevented the visitors from recording a more emphatic winning margin.

At the opposite end, though, Rangers continue to demonstrate the defensive resilience that has underpinned their domestic revival. Six clean sheets in 12 league outings represent a major achievement and provide McInnes with a solid base on which to build from. Olwethu Makhanya was fortunate to escape punishment for a couple of uncharacteristic errors on this occasion, but his defensive partner Emmanuel Fernandez produced a commanding performance to make up for it.

Rangers now have an international break to regroup before returning to Premiership action with a trip to Motherwell on November 21. McInnes will hope his players return refreshed, with the opportunity to build on their unbeaten sequence and address the attacking shortcomings that continue to prevent his side from reaching their full potential.

Penalty controversy

The game's major talking point came midway through the first-half when Rangers were awarded a penalty following a challenge by Samuel Ramos on James Penrice. The St Mirren man appeared to make minimal contact with the Rangers left-back inside the area, but referee Nick Walsh was quick in pointing to the spot.

Unsurprisingly, the decision did not go down well with the home support and Buddies boss Craig McLeish. They felt the contact from Ramos was insufficient to warrant a spot-kick, particularly given the nature of the challenge and Penrice's theatrical reaction as he went to ground. There was an expectation that VAR might intervene, but after a short review the incident, the official’s on-field decision was allowed to stand.

The award subsequently left onlookers and television pundits questioning whether there had been enough contact to justify the referee’s decision, with Chris Sutton stating in commentary “Penrice has played Nick Walsh like a piccolo.” While Rangers will argue that Penrice was impeded, St Mirren were left feeling aggrieved by a call that had a significant bearing on the contest.

The controversy provided Saints with a legitimate grievance and raised questions about the threshold for awarding penalties, particularly when VAR elects not to overturn the referee's original judgement. One that is sure to divide opinion...

Workhorse Naderi continues to justify growing importance

Ryan Naderi has emerged as an increasingly influential figure during a period in which injuries to Youssef Chermiti and Lawrence Shankland have left Rangers short of attacking options. The forward has responded admirably, combining his physical presence and willingness to lead the line with an impressive goalscoring return. His six goals and three assists in his previous eight league appearances underline the extent of his recent contribution.

Against St Mirren, he provided further evidence of the growing importance he is assuming under McInnes by putting the disappointment of an early miss quickly behind him to break the deadlock from the penalty spot after 18 minutes. The German was coolness personified in his stuttered run-up before sending he goalkeeper the wrong way. Amid a hectic run of fixtures, his ability to deliver consistently is proving invaluable.

Beyond the numbers, it is Naderi's all-round game that appears to have particularly caught his manager’s eye. McInnes was effusive in his praise of the striker's physicality, work-rate and ability to stretch opposition defences post-match. His willingness to run the channels, attack space and bring others into play offers Rangers another dimension in the final third.

McInnes also revealed that Naderi has been practising penalties regularly in training, with that additional work translating into greater assurance when stepping up under pressure. Having inherited a squad without an established penalty specialist or set-piece take following James Tavernier’s exit, the Rangers boss will be pleased to have identified a player increasingly comfortable taking responsibility in decisive moments. Naderi's conversion was another demonstration of that growing confidence.

Naderi has certainly taken his opportunity to impress and strengthened his claim for a regular starting position. There is still room for improvement, but his relentless energy makes him an increasingly difficult player for McInnes to overlook. The question now is whether he can maintain those level when Rangers' attacking options return to full fitness. For the time being, he is making a compelling case to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

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