After Strain was sent off for a blatant handball on the half-hour mark, the visiting skipper slotted away a penalty.

Despite a couple of good saves from Zach Hemming, Rangers didn’t look like they were going to expand their lead until Abdallah Sima scored the second with 20 minutes remaining and Tavernier fired a magnificent stoppage-time strike.

That was enough to snap St Mirren’s six-game unbeaten home run since the start of the season, propelling the Ibrox club above them and into second place on goal difference.

More crucially, it guarantees that Rangers will not finish the weekend any further behind Premiership leaders Celtic.

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Both managers went with speed up front, with 17-year-old Zak Lovelace making his Rangers debut and Toyosi Olusanya coming in for the visitors.

Defenses were put under immediate strain as football ebbed from end to end, thanks to two sets of full-backs displaying customary attacking desire.

The early promise had faded into a drab midfield struggle when Lovelace demonstrated why he had been picked over numerous big-money summer arrivals with a dangerous cross into the six-yard box.

Sima missed to bury it at the far post, but replays revealed that it had been deflected by the backtracking Strain on its way to the on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion forward.

Tavernier scored his sixth goal of the season, but even that – and the extra man – was insufficient to give Rangers meaningful possession domination.

Before halftime, Hemming had to save a Connor Goldson header and a close-range Nicolas Raskin volley.