Rangers pick up fresh injuries but are healing as a team - even if one player had mini-strop

Six days, three wins, nine points. This has been a highly profitable little spell for Rangers.

After victories on the road at Aberdeen and Falkirk, Rangers returned to Ibrox for what looked, on paper at least, a far trickier assignment against a much-vaunted Motherwell side. In the end, the main gripe was that the hosts did not win by more.

For the third consecutive game, a solitary goal advantage was enough. Rangers prevailed 1-0 thanks to an early strike by substitute Ryan Naderi that came gift-wrapped in claret and amber ribbons.

Ryan Naderi scored Rangers' winner against Motherwell at Ibrox. | SNS Group

Twelve minutes in, only Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen can explain why he attempted to take the ball past the advancing Naderi on the edge of his own penalty box. His clumsy footwork allowed the German to pinch the ball off him and score one of the easiest goals of his career.

Rangers should have added to their tally. Kim Minsu missed a penalty midway through the first half and in the second period, substitutes Daisuke Yokota and Kevin Kelsy - the latter making his debut - passed up seriously good opportunities. In the end, it did not alter the outcome.

Much was expected of Motherwell, who won at Ibrox on their previous visit. While they dominated the ball, especially in the first half, Alfred Johansson's team lacked a cutting edge when it mattered and were kept at arm's length by Rangers, whose centre-half Emmanuel Fernandez was excellent. The Nigerian has been criticised for slackness this season but he was bang on it here. The defender came off in stoppage time in a bit of discomfort - not what his manager Derek McInnes, who was serving the second of his two-match ban in the stands, would have wished for.

Of more concern will be the injury sustained by captain Lawrence Shankland, who was forced to vacate the pitch after just six minutes, clutching his hamstring. The striker suffered a similar issue last season at Hearts and was replaced by Naderi, who was given the nod over Kelsey - to the consternation of some fans.

They were cheering six minutes later. Motherwell defender Martin Moormann sent the ball back to Paulsen and at the edge of the penalty box, the New Zealander tried to take the ball past the advancing Naderi, only to be cheaply dispossessed. The German had the simple task of walking in his third goal of the season.

This put Rangers' tails up. Djeidi Gassama saw a shot deflected over a surging run and Kim had a header parried by Paulsen following good work from Gassama and Findlay Curtis.

Motherwell had been in the match right from the word go and they nearly equalised on 26 minutes when former Rangers youngster Alex Lowry saw his low shot well fielded by home goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.

Gassama’s strop over penalty

Three minutes later, Rangers were given an excellent chance to double their lead when Tom Sparrow fouled Gassama after a chip into the box by the impressive Dan Neil. Gassama and Kim argued over who should take it; the South Korean won the battle and then subsequently screwed his effort wide. A penny for the thoughts of the disgruntled Frenchman, whose strop was sorted out by words from teammate Nicolas Raskin.

Motherwell dominated the ball for the rest of the half without anything noteworthy. The final chance came Rangers' way in the first minute of stoppage time when Paulsen saved a Gassama header after Dujon Sterling delivered an inviting cross.

Motherwell freshened up their attack at the break, with Jardell Kanga coming on for Ibrahim Said. But the better opportunities were coming at the other end, as Rangers started to press for a second goal.

It really ought to have come. On 54 minutes, Paulsen saved from Kim and while Curtis' shot from the rebound was dragged across goal, it came into the path of James Penrice and he stabbed the ball off the post.

Raskin was next to go close with a shot on 66 minutes from just inside the penalty box that would have gone in had Moormann not cleverly positioned himself on the goalline to clear it.

Kelsy, signed for £9 million on deadline day, was introduced alongside Yokota on 69 minutes and both produced really poor finishing to put the game out of reach.

Maybe Yokota was still feeling his way into the game on 71 minutes when Lukas Fadinger decided to pass the ball straight to the Japanese eight yards out. It was an awful bit of football by the Motherwell man, but Yokota sent his shot badly over the bar. Kelsy's chance was perhaps even easier three minutes later when Penrice's cutback was deflected into the Venezuelan's path on the penalty spot but his effort clipped the bar on its way over.

These weren't costly; on another day Rangers will need to be less wasteful. St Mirren visit Ibrox on Wednesday before an Old Firm double-header against Celtic, where such profligacy is unlikely to be tolerated.

Nevertheless, Rangers have responded well to their embarrassing European exit at the hands of Jablonec last month. As McInnes blends 14 new signings together, generating a winning habit and momentum is important. They dealt well with Motherwell, who did lots of pretty passing but created nothing truly beautiful. Having 59 per cent of the ball at Ibrox looks good - but the scoreline is the most important thing. They have the weekend off before welcoming Aberdeen to Fir Park a week on Tuesday.

Rangers' immediate schedule is far more pressing - but at least there is some positivity seeping back into Ibrox.