Rangers win and close the gap to eight points

Dundee 0 Rangers 2

The champions had been accused of ruthless off-field treatment to a club that is still threatened by extinction over the sale of Gavin Rae.

Rae, whom Dundee insist is worth twice Rangers’ latest offer of £125,000, took no part in game that was settled by first half goals from Nuno Capucho and Michael Ball. It was a comfortable, rather than comprehensive, dismissal of a youthful home side, who now find themselves edging ever nearer to a relegation battle.

Rangers manager Alex McLeish is confident pacy forward Peter Lovenkrands has not suffered a serious injury ahead of the Old Firm showdown. The Dane was taken off before the end of his side’s 2-0 win . McLeish said: “He has hurt his knee and his ankle but we don’t think it is too bad. He jumped with big Lee Wilkie in a defensive situation.

“We think he will be okay. Shota Arveladze’s groin was a bit tight but the doc said just to keep an eye on him.”

Striker Michael Mols was missing altogether with a hamstring problem. McLeish added: “Michael has had a hamstring tightness over the last four or five weeks, maybe even longer.

“It’s more like a nerve problem so we thought it would be ideal to rest him.”

McLeish was pleased to have cut Celtic’s lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League to eight points thanks to first half goals from Nuno Capucho and Michael Ball.

He said: “It was important not to lose any more ground. I thought we were generally in control but for the final ball and with better finishing it could have been a lot more comfortable for me in that dugout.

“We started the game really well and I thought that was key to the victory. Peter had a chance and then Chris Burke put in a great cross for Nuno. Chris Burke’s delivery from wide areas was of a very high standard today.”

Dundee manager Jim Duffy conceded that Capucho’s sixth-minute goal had been a blow from which his side had failed to recover.

He said: “The start was the biggest problem. We lost a goal early on and that allowed Rangers to dominate the match. Mikel Arteta was getting on the ball and stroking it about and we were chasing shadows for 20 minutes.

“After that we settled down and once we had our first shot at goal the crowd got up and the players got more confidence.”

Ball’s goal had come direct from a free-kick.

“The second was a bit of a freak goal, although it happens quite a lot in games when people make runs and the goalkeeper was looking to see if there was a little flick coming but it went straight in.

“Nobody touched it. It also gave us a mountain to climb.

“In the second half there was a lot of endeavour from our side but no real finesse or punch on the end of it.”

DUNDEE: Speroni, Mackay, Wilkie, Mair, Hernandez Santos, Sancho (McLean 67), Smith, Fotheringham, Brady, Novo, Linn.

RANGERS: Klos, Ricksen, Moore, Berg, Ball, Burke, Malcolm, Arteta, Lovenkrands (Vanoli 79), Capucho, Arveladze (Nerlinger 67).

Referee: D McDonald (Scotland).