As Celtic Park seethed with anger during the defeat to Hearts last Saturday, Santa Claus was booed as he appeared to take care of the half-time draw.
A more festive welcome was received on the other side of Glasgow. As he emerged from the tunnel waving the freshly unwrapped Viaplay Cup, Santa was loudly cheered by a crowd reveling in the recent turnaround in Old Firm fortunes.
That's the way of football in this city. And for Rangers, the gifts bestowed here did not end with an amusing bit of interval one-upmanship.
By the time Santa arrived – straight from the North Pole of course – St Johnstone were already a goal and a man behind.
A late penalty from Hampden hero James Tavernier then ensured Philippe Clement's side moved to within two points of Celtic at the Premier League summit – with a game to go. After a week of making history, the momentum was successfully maintained as the Belgian extended his unbeaten run to 15 matches.
Cyriel Dessers (photo) came off the bench to give Rangers the lead in the 28th minute
Dessers was delighted with his goal as he quickly made an impression after replacing Kemar Roofe
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However, nothing comes cheap this time of year. For Rangers, the price tag was an injury to the cursed Kemar Roofe in the first half and the non-appearance in the second period of John Lundstram, who was on the receiving end of the challenge that led to Diallang's VAR-enforced red card Jaiyesimi.
In between, however, Cyriel Dessers continued his recent confidence by replacing Roofe and firing Rangers in front. It was a strike well taken.
Saints goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov then threw up a wall to prevent Rangers from scoring again until he got the penalty by knocking over Dessers. Craig Levein's men, who dropped to ninth place, ended a difficult evening without a shot on target.
For Clement, this was exactly the kind of mission his team must continue to fulfill if further success is to be achieved. Motherwell and Ross County are next for the potentially seismic visit to Parkhead on December 30. For now the Ibrox men are doing well.
Clement had given his players the opportunity to celebrate their first silverware of the season on Sunday evening before getting straight back to work. Still, rotation was essential amid a hugely busy competition schedule.
The Ibrox manager made five changes from Hampden, with one name particularly notable among those introduced.
Kieran Dowell's only previous involvement under Clement came in the final five minutes of a 5–0 win at Dens Park on 1 November.
The midfielder, signed from Norwich City this summer, had not started a match since Michael Beale's Viaplay Cup victory over Morton in mid-August. So this was a long-awaited opportunity to remember his worth.
An early delay caused by John Souttar suffering a bloody nose set the tone for a fractured opening period.
It wasn't long before Roofe faced a seemingly more serious problem. The ex-Anderlecht striker previously headed wide after a cross from Tavernier and saw a powerful attack blocked by Andrew Considine.
James Tavernier slotted home a late penalty to cap off a routine victory for the hosts
Rangers have now moved within two points of Celtic with a game in hand
The second of those actions would be his last significant involvement. It was clear he couldn't move as freely as he would like, but Roofe's upset was evident when he departed in the 16th minute. His jersey was pulled up to his face as he walked towards the tunnel and only stopped to receive the consolation from replacement Dessers and manager Clement.
That blow wasn't the only thing that bothered the Ibrox boss. When Abdallah Sima cleverly dummyed a low cross from Tavernier, Ridvan Yilmaz managed to stay on the ball when there was a hit. Clement turned on his heel in disgust.
Replacing Borna Barisic at left back, Yilmaz's first half was a confusing mix of good and bad. There was much more consistency on the other flank.
On 28 minutes, Connor Goldson stepped out of defense to feed Tavernier. The Rangers captain looked up briefly before curling a cross from deep in the center of the penalty area.
Saints defender Oludare Olufunwa couldn't make it on the bounce and after peeling off his marker, Dessers was in. He ran the ball across his body and calmly slipped past Mitov before celebrating with an archer's move for the home support. . Target hit.
St Johnstone had Diallang Jaiyesimi sent off shortly after the half hour
Two minutes later the Perth side found themselves in much deeper trouble. Ibrox responded with immediate fury when Jaiyesimi launched a challenge on Lundstram with some force, leaving the home midfielder writhing in pain.
Referee Alan Muir initially showed a yellow card, but the big screens soon confirmed that a VAR check was underway for serious foul play. After being called to the touchline, Muir withdrew his initial booking and produced a red card.
Levein responded by replacing Sven Sprangler with Chris Kane to try and provide a physical presence up front. However, getting the ball forward hadn't exactly been easy with a full complement of players. Now the difficulty was doubled.
Dessers and Sam Lammers both received shots from Mitov before half time. Of greater significance for Rangers was the fact that Lundstram did not appear again after that. His place went to Dujon Sterling.
The Ibrox men still needed a second goal to feel safe. However, Mitov proved to be a formidable obstacle to that goal.
The Bulgarian, a standout summer recruit from Cambridge, excelled in denying Lammers before Dessers optimistically claimed for a penalty on the follow-up.
Mitov then pushed one away from the Nigerian striker and excellently took home another goal from Lammers from the top corner. The Dutchman, who continued to get bogged down with unconvincing touches, started to take this personally.
Philippe Clement's side have taken over Celtic in recent weeks after a slow start to the season
Accuracy then failed Rangers. Sima hit a right-foot shot wide before Todd Cantwell – on for Lammers – hit over the top.
When Tavernier then hit the side netting after Mitov sent in a cross, fear began to creep around Ibrox. One chance was all St. Johnstone needed to completely change the mood.
It hasn't arrived. Instead, with six minutes to go, Rangers finally got the breathing space they needed. A through ball from substitute Scott Wright saw Dessers rush into the area.
Mitov came out to dive at his feet and down went the forward. The VAR agreed with Muir's penalty decision and Tavernier put it away.