Scottish Premier Division: Partick - 0 Rangers - 1 Peter Lovenkrands spared Rangers' blushes with a fine solo finish to down stubborn Partick at Firhill yesterday afternoon.

But the Dane was not able to celebrate his goal against the bottom club for long as he was taken off on a stretcher with what looked a serious ankle injury.

The result was hard on Thistle, who were unfortunate not to claim a point.

Lovenkrands' injury puts his involvement in Rangers' impending cup games in grave doubt, but his goal did at least cut Celtic's lead at the top - the leaders were 5-1 winners over Kilmarnock on Saturday - to 11 points.

Celtic are just one win away from equalling the all-time record of 22 successive league wins set by Morton in the 1963-64 campaign.

Both Rangers and Partick, when they were not conceding fouls, adopted a shoot-on-sight policy that yielded poor results.

They had also made changes for the occasion, with Rangers handing an instant debut to new signing Frank de Boer, in for the suspended Craig Moore.

For all the endeavour on view there was little to lift the spirits until Lovenkrands struck the game's decisive blow.

Goalkeeper Stefan Klos hoofed the ball upfield, substitute Ronald de Boer flicked on to send the Dane away down the left and, after he beat the sub-standard Jean-Yves Anis he fired across Arthur with a perfectly-placed low drive.

PARTICK: Arthur; Murray, Madaschi, Milne, Anis, Rowson, McBride (Andy Ross 90), Ian Ross, Waddell (Bonnes 65), Grady, Britton (Thomson 85). Subs not used: Langfield, Forrest. Booked: McBride, Waddell, Rowson.

RANGERS: Klos; Khizanishvili (Ross 66), Ball, Berg, Frank de Boer, Ricksen, Capucho (Ronald de Boer 54), Nerlinger, Lovenkrands (Malcolm 81), Namouchi, Mols. Subs not used: McGregor, Walker. Booked: Ricksen, Ball, Khizanishvili. Goals: Lovenkrands 76.

Referee: S Dougal (Scotland).