Russell Martin revealed he walked straight down the tunnel after Rangers’ first league win of the season so his players could celebrate with the travelling fans after chants were aimed at him at full time.
Max Aarons’ stoppage-time winner saw Rangers secure a 2-1 victory at Livingston, their first of the Scottish Premiership campaign in six games.
The Ibrox side went ahead in the first half following James Tavernier’s volley from close range and had the chance to double their lead, but Tavernier saw his penalty kick saved by Jerome Prior.
Martin’s side conceded an equaliser in the 67th minute after Mo Sylla headed in unmarked but managed to find a winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, with Aarons picking up a loose ball from a corner to score his first goal for the club.
Rangers were unable to avoid late drama despite dominating at Livingston on Sunday afternoon with 64.9% possession and seven shots on target compared to the hosts’ three.
Rangers Secure First Premiership Win
Martin, speaking post-match, explained why he walked down the tunnel quickly after the game and praised his Rangers side for ‘showing a lot of character’ to grab a late winner:
“They saw a team that’s really fighting and running for each other, for me, for the coaching staff. We just need to win a lot.
“I have nothing to say about that really. I can’t control any of it. I’m really pleased for the players but it’s why I walked down the tunnel so quickly as well because it’s then aimed at me and it’s not about me.
“It’s about the players that won a game of football today by being really brilliant in the first half and then really gritty and showed a lot of character in the second.”
Martin, who took over as Rangers manager in June, won just his fifth game in 15 on Sunday and secured his second victory in the last three matches.
Rangers beat Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals the previous weekend and suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Belgian side Genk in their Europa League opener.
The Ibrox side are back in Europa League action on Thursday when they travel to Austria to face Sturm Graz before visiting Falkirk on Sunday.