Rangers get away with one as £3.5m man takes his chance and new arrival has instant impact

But make no mistake, this 2-1 win over Livingston at Ibrox could have gone the other way with Rangers surviving a strong penalty claim against them and requiring a big save from goalkeeper Jack Butland to avoid falling behind before Mohamed Diomande got the winner with 12 minutes remaining.

Having taken a ninth minute lead through an Emmanuel Fernandez header - brought in for only his second league start to replace the injured John Souttar - the hosts appeared set for a more comfortable afternoon than the one that panned out.

What followed was typical of what Rangers have produced all too often under previous managers in recent times as they conceded a poorly-defended equaliser and then struggled to break down stubborn opponents. Only this time they got the job done with Rohl taking credit for impact substitutions and tactical tweaks that helped drag his side to a fourth successive league win under his tenure.

Fernandez's lack of action since his £3.5million switch from Peterborough has been one of several sticks used to beat sporting director Kevin Thelwell over the Ibrox club's perceived summer recruitment failures.

The 6ft 4in centre-back may not have looked overly convincing in his early season displays against Alloa and St Mirren before disappearing from sight but he was given a chance to partner Nasser Djiga in defence here. There were more good moments than iffy moments from the 24-year-old - with the jury still out on whether he has what it takes - but he at least now has more goals than Youseff Chermiti with his opener against Livingston doubling his Rangers tally after also scoring a header against Alloa back in August.

In the week that Rangers appointed their first-ever set piece coach it took them just nine minutes to score from a corner kick. Scott Fry arrived from Lincoln City on Tuesday and his impact was instant as James Tavernier floated the first corner of the match onto the head of Fernandez who sent a towering header into the net.

It was one of only two efforts on target Rangers had in the match, which tells the story of their attacking output across the 90 minutes.

Livi had taken just eight points from their first 12 matches but were in no mood to become lambs to the slaughter. There was a sense that a Rangers defence without the leadership and experience of injured duo Souttar and Derek Cornelius might be vulnerable and so it proved on 18 minutes as a long ball from Stevie May sent Yengi galloping into a big space between the two centre-backs to roll the equaliser past Butland for his first goal of the season.

A minute later came a major let-off for Rangers as Livi worked the ball into the box where Yengi saw a goalbound effort blocked by the arm of Fernandez. Even upon first viewing from the stand it appeared a strong shout for penalty - a view backed up by replays - but neither referee Ross Hardie nor VAR John Beaton felt compelled to act. Scottish FA guidance suggested the decision not to request a VAR review was due to the short proximity and natural position of the arm. Another one for SFA head of referees Willie Collum to explain.

Rangers failed to create anything of note before the break and the question was whether Danilo would last beyond the interval after failing to reappear for the second half in each of his last three Rangers appearances. It was the ineffective Thelo Aasgaard who was hooked this time with Bojan Miovski on for the start of the second half.

A second half onslaught did not materialise, though, with Rangers unable to convert possession into meaningful moments. They finally manufactured a chance on 70 minutes - with the the help of substitute Nedim Bajrami - but Djeidi Gassama shot wide when he should have scored.

Within 60 seconds, Yengi was through one-on-one with Butland after a slip from Tavernier in defence but the Rangers goalkeeper made a brilliant stop with his legs. Perhaps the club should just give the Englishman his Player of the Year award now.

That proved a defining moment as with 12 minutes left, Tavernier clipped a ball over the defence for Miovski to chase, the sub reaching it just ahead of outrushing goalkeeper Jermone Prior to nudge it sideways for Diomande to roll into the empty net.

A raised flag for offside stopped the Rangers celebrations in their tracks before VAR determined that Miovski was onside and the goal stood. The home fans chanted Rohl's name as the players took in a lap of applause at full-time, but there was an acceptance the Rangers had got away with one.