Edu sends Rangers 13 points clear

Rangers moved 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League after on Saturday, surviving a late scare to edge Hamilton 1-0 at Ibrox.

Maurice Edu, in only his second league start of the season, scored the only goal in the 11th minute to move Rangers within three wins of retaining their title.

Hamilton were unbeaten in six league games going into the game and pressurised the home side for the full 90 minutes but lacked a cutting edge up front.

However, they thought they had sneaked a late equaliser when James McArthur, linked with a summer switch to Wigan, had the ball in the net but the midfielder had been flagged off-side.

“We found ourselves, while not being at our best today, through on the goalie three or four times and missed them all so we could have had a level of comfort,” said Rangers manager Walter Smith.

“Therefore there was a little bit of relief there when the goal was disallowed.”

Hamilton manager Billy Reid was bemused at the decision to deny his side an equaliser.

“I didn’t have any doubt it was a goal. They are telling me it was three yards onside so I am bitterly disappointed,” he said.

“I thought for long spells we were the better side and over the 90 minutes I don’t think anyone can deny we deserved a point.”

Rangers made just one change to the side that was thumped 4-1 by St Johnstone in midweek with Edu replacing Kevin Thomson.

The game sparked to life in the third minute when Kenny Miller dribbled into the box before having his shot from a tight angle palmed round the post by Thomas Cerny.

Edu smashed a shot off the base of the post from 25 yards from a Steven Davis cut-back in the 10th minute but the American got his name on the scoresheet a minute later.

Miller spotted the midfielder’s run into the box and rolled the ball into his path for Edu to slide it past Cerny from eight yards out.

Hamilton fired a warning shot to the Rangers defence when Brian Easton’s shot from Simon Mensing’s cut-back flew into the side-netting.

Kris Boyd, in search of his 100th league goal for Rangers, saw his strike from the edge of the box deflected wide and Davis sent a low drive the same way.

Allan McGregor, who conceded four in midweek, pulled off a superb finger-tip save from Flavio Paixao’s shot which looked destined for the top corner.

David Weir headed wide from a Davis cross before Miller fired well over from Boyd’s set-up as Rangers started the second-half with more purpose.

Davis should have doubled the home side’s lead in the 56th minute when he intercepted a slack cross-field pass from Martin Canning but one-on-one with Cerny he fired his shot off the keeper’s legs.

Boyd was replaced by Kyle Lafferty just after the hour mark but the Northern Irishman’s appearance failed to light up the game.

Naismith failed to direct his diving header on target and Edu could only get the faintest of touches to an in-swinging corner from Davis which bounced by the post.

Miller should have had sealed the win in the 77th minute when Davis picked him out in a packed Hamilton box but he cleared the bar with a snatched shot.

Rangers survived a scare at the other end when McArthur got on the end of Alex Neil’s neat chipped pass to knock the ball past McGregor but the linesman had already flagged him off-side.

Nacho Novo came on for Miller and missed a golden chance in injury time when he fired straight at Cerny.

Elsewhere, bottom club Falkirk moved to within one point of Kilmarnock with a 1-0 away win at Motherwell while St Mirren and Hearts ended 1-1.