Rangers: What have we learned from Danny Ruhl’s debut at Ibrox?

There were quite a few ‘firsts’, which all added up to something significant – the first win of the Ruhl era, as Rangers finally lost the stigma of being the only team in the Scottish Premiership not to win in front of their own fans.

Rangers’ first goal for new defender Derek Cornelius, solid at the back and a major threat at the other end of the pitch.

A first Premier League goal since January’s derby win over Celtic for Brazilian striker Danilo, a man largely forgotten amid the arrival of fellow strikers Cermeti, Mevski, Antman, Gassama and Mickey Moore. The manner in which he converted the only real chance he had, with a perfect header from Meguma’s excellent pass, suggests his vision of goal has not abandoned him and he makes a case for further integration in the coming weeks and months.

But the most important goal was undoubtedly Shermiti’s goal. A £8m price tag is expensive when you’re under-performing, and he looked largely wasted in a Rangers shirt until Sunday. The Portuguese striker looked more dangerous against Kilmarnock, and his powerful shot released the pressure on the field and the weight on his small shoulders. It was his first football goal since May 2023. His manager believes in his talent.

“This is a big goal for him,” Ruhl told BBC Scotland after the match.

“He came here with a good reputation and cost a lot of money. He is demanding of himself as well. We will improve him step by step. He has something special and I think we saw that with the goal today.”

“He still has things to improve, especially in pressing, at what moment he should move, with what force, and at what moment he should drop back to cover the inside and the middle. We can work more on the next parts of his game.”