St Johnstone ... 3 Rangers .... 1

SAINTS may have surprised themselves a little with this gritty victory, but that would be nothing compared to the waves of astonishment that must have rolled over the rest of the country as a title joust that seemed all over bar the prize-giving has been resuscitated by the McDiarmid Park side's bold effort.

Bearing in mind they lost 7-0 to the same side on the same pitch earlier in the season, the resilience and determination of Sandy Clark's team deserves every recognition.

Rangers, on the other hand, looked surprisingly jaded, lack-lustre and short on the urgency you would have thought would have been on tap at this stage of the race.

Their defence looked decidely uncertain at times, and, apart from a spell after they equalised early in the second half, they did not look likely to overwhelm the Perth team.

Saints had been given a cracking start when, after 13 minutes, they went in front. Jim Weir headed home to score his first goal in his first start of the season, a straightforward set-piece effort that will be the subject of much talk by manager Dick Advocaat in training this week.

The Perth lot held out well, thanks to some fine saves by Alan Main, until Craig Moore, in his first match after returning from a five-month exile at Crystal Palace, headed Rangers back into the game in 57 minutes.

That, we thought, is the starter for an Ibrox victory, and, for a brief spell, it began to look like that but the home team never lost their rhythm entirely and when substitute Simao put them in front again after more sloppy defending by Rangers in 71 minutes their dander was up once more.

They sealed a remarkable night by snatching a breakaway third goal through Kieran McAnespie in the final minute. Now the Ibrox side's lead has been reduced to six points ahead of Celtic.

There is some excitement yet to come.

Rangers fans were still singing their triumphal ditties after the opening burst by their team, during which they had nearly all of the play, when Saints struck with a well-taken goal that installed silence in the ranks for a spell.

Weir, went up to help the Perth cause at a free-kick given after Amoruso fouled Grant. The ball was hoisted into the penalty area by McAnespie and there was Weir, back in the side to replace the suspended John McQuillan, high above all others to head into the net.

Before that he had given the Ibrox defence a warning about his power in the air when he had reached a corner and it needed a blocking leap by A|moruso to halt him.

Otherwise, Rangers had the intitiative. Main fumbled a hard-hit effort by van Bronckhorst, but clutched it at the second try and then had a series of good saves.

He came out very speedily, for instance, to clear a super through ball by Albertz from Wallace and Johansson before Kane was booked a bit harshly for showing his studs as he challenged Vidmar.

Next up was Albertz with a shot Main held comfortably, but Wallace was even more aggrieved when he reached a low cross from McCann and steered it towards goal, only to see Main reacting quickly to beat out his effort.

Shortly after their goal, Saints were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box, which was blocked by the 'wall', but Kane tried a chip from the rebound which landed just behind the bar.

The Perth team should have gone two up when the ball broke off a Rangers defender and left Grant in the clear, but the striker hit his effort against Klos and a golden chance was gone.

Rangers and their fellow travellers were beginning to get frustrated as Main and his colleagues continued to stand firm, with the keeper in particularly defiant mood, as he showed with another save after Wallace fed Johansson.

Rangers laid siege to the Perth goal as soon as the second half began and one fine pass by Kanchelskis - his first of the night - was well controlled by Johansson, but he could only push the ball towards goal and Main made an easy save.

Dods was booked for a foul on Wallace about 22 yrds out, but Kancheslkis, for whom the ball was teed up, saw hs ferocious shot diverted for a corner.

That, none the less, set up the equaliser. When van Bronckhorst's corner came over Main missed it, the ball was headed back into the danger area by Vidmar and Moore finished off the job by putting it over the line. Suddenly, singing was back in vogue.

Albertz sent a glorious pass to Wallace, whose little touch on was heading for Johansson but two defenders squeezed him out.

Saints had brought on Simao for McBride after the equaliser, but the Portuguese had to get down to hard work, like his colleagues, before using any of his creative talents. However, in a few more minutes he was to become the latest Saints hero.

McAnespie took a free kick on the left, Dasovic nodded it down, and, as the Ibrox defence hesitated, Grant nodded the ball across goal, where Simao steered it over the line with his body. That lifted the home side and they were back in attack again soon after.

Meanwhile Rangers brought on Amato for Vidmar.

Saints, too, tried more replacements, Griffin for O'Halloran and Lowndes for Grant, but it was Simao who broke clear in the final minute to set up the third goal for Kieran McAnespie.

ST JOHNSTONE - Main, Weir, Kernaghan, Dods, Bollan, McAnespie, O'Halloran, Dasovic, Kane, McBride, Grant. Substitutes: Preston, Griffin, Ferguson, Lowndes, Simao.

RANGERS - Klos, Porrini, Moore, Amoruso, Vidmar, Kanchelskis, Van Bronckhorst, Wallace, Johansson,Albertz, McCann. Substitutes: Amato, McInnes, Wilson, Brown, McKnight.

Referee: H Dallas (Motherwell)

Turning Point

Manager Sandy Clark's decision to put on Simao was a winning move.

The little Portuguese was in the right place at the right time to deflect in Saints' second goal and then made the running for McAnespie to score the one that finished off Rangers.