When will Rangers win the Scottish Premiership?

Ryan Kent celebrates after scoring Rangers' opener against St Mirren
Ryan Kent celebrates after scoring Rangers' opener against St Mirren / Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
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Rangers' win over St Mirren at Ibrox edged Steven Gerrard's team ever closer to their first title of the SPFL era.

It was a win that felt defining. Their fans celebrated it wildly, and after ten years of misery, they've earned their party...not that we're excusing the lack of social distancing on show.

But for all the vibrant scenes of celebration around Glasgow on Saturday, it's worth noting that the title isn't mathematically secure just yet.

Rangers are 21 points ahead at the top of the division. Celtic have 21 points left to play for. That means the Hoops can still win the title...as long as they win all their games, Rangers lose all theirs, and there is a 26-goal swing between the sides.

It all means that the next time Rangers pick up a point, it's all over. Their next match? Celtic at Parkhead. You couldn't write it.

Winning the title at the home of their rivals would be a poetic end to a trying decade for the Gers, but it may not even come to that. They could be crowned champions this weekend, should Celtic drop points in their lunchtime match with Dundee United on Sunday.

John Kennedy's team will of course be desperate to prolong the inevitable and make the Ibrox side wait until after the derby to clinch the trophy. Should they win on Sunday and inflict Rangers' first league defeat of the season, Gerrard's side would have to wait until the weekend of 28 March to get their hands on the title.

It's not clear yet who they would be playing. In Scotland, the league is divided into two halves for the final five matches of the season, with fixtures drawn after 33 rounds have been completed. Currently, Rangers would be facing one of Hibs, Aberdeen, Livingston, St Mirren...or Celtic.

But it doesn't really matter all that much. The task at hand for the champions elect is to take a single point from one of their final six games, and considering they've taken at least a point from their previous 32 matches, you'd fancy them to get there.

Their fans certainly do. The scenes at Ibrox and around Glasgow on Saturday suggested that the league is already won, with fans and players alike letting their voices be heard.

Even St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin, who had just watched his team go down 3-0 at Ibrox, was in no rush to take it away from them.

"[The fans] shouldn't be there but can you blame them?" he said. "I walked through 100 of them and it was all good humour, no malice. They generated a good atmosphere and the Rangers players didn't let them down today.”

What was Gerrard saying to it?

Respect the guidelines...but have fun. As much fun as he had, sliding down the length of the Rangers dressing room in a full suit and tie.

"I have got to let the players enjoy this," he told Sky Sports. "It's been a journey of ups and downs, I've only been part of it for three years, but for the past ten years these fans, ex-players, staff have been through everything. It's only normal that people want to enjoy themselves.

"The priority is that people stay safe and respect the guidelines and rules, but there is another side where you have to realise what these people have been through. I'm absolutely delighted to be in this position, now we've got to go and finish the job off."