Exactly a year ago, Rangers' calamitous 2020 domestic form continued as they were beaten at home by Hamilton Academical to slip 13 points behind Celtic.

It was just days after they were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by struggling Hearts, and it was the fifth time in eight games that Steven Gerrard's side have dropped points. Captain James Tavernier wrote in his programme notes before that game about pressure getting to them.

Since then, though, Rangers have not lost a league game - a run of 32 matches. They boast an 18-point lead and are on the cusp of the Scottish Premiership title, which would end nine years of dominance by their rivals across the city.

BBC Scotland takes a look at the remarkable turnaround in Govan.
Gerrard's doubts after 2020 slump

"I just need to think," Gerrard said in the wake of a 1-0 Scottish Cup loss to Hearts at the end of February 2020. The insinuation was the former Liverpool captain was considering his future.

"I am feeling pain right now because I am desperate to win here. Looking from the side today, I didn't get the impression that the feeling amongst my players was the same.

"We have given these players everything, held their hand on and off the pitch and improved everything for them. But it is tough when every other performance you feel the way you feel. This is the toughest moment I have had since I have come here."

Alfredo Morelos was dropped for that Hearts loss after failing to return from a trip to Colombia by the agreed time. The striker had scored 28 times before Christmas but added just one more after it.

Rangers played just one more league game after the Hamilton defeat - a nervy 1-0 win at Ross County - before the season was halted. The title was eventually handed to Celtic on a points-per-game basis, and Gerrard had nearly five months to work out where it all went wrong before the following season.
Rangers revived & rampant in new season

Of their 31 league games this term, Rangers have conceded in just eight. Only once have they conceded more than one goal in a Premiership match.

Seven teams - including Celtic - haven't breached their defence, with Hibernian, Motherwell and Dundee United accounting for seven of those nine goals.

And no-one has managed to beat them in the league, with St Mirren's epic 3-2 League Cup quarter-final victory in Paisley the only blot on their record.

Even in Europe, the likes of Benfica, Standard Liege, Lech Poznan and Royal Antwerp have failed to come out as victors against the Ibrox men.
Relentless consistency of performance & selection

A foot injury ruled out Filip Helander for a large chunk of Rangers' early 2020 slump and his absence was crucial. Since signing in summer 2019, the Swedish centre-back has played 27 leagues games and has yet to be on the losing side.

Fellow defender Connor Goldson has just become the quickest Rangers player to reach 150 appearances for the club, managing it in 965 days.

Borna Barisic, James Tavernier and Ryan Kent have played over 40 games this term, and Steven Davis, Scott Arfield and Glen Kamara are closing in on that number.

And after a slow start in which he had scored only once in the league pre-Christmas, Morelos now has six in the past eight games.
'Three years in the making'

Former Scotland head coach Shelley Kerr on BBC Sportsound

What has been really interesting is that this is by design from Rangers - this has been three years in the making. They've been a pleasure to watch. Of late they're just ticking the games off.

They've got great depth in their squad and even the infrastructure off the pitch is fantastic - that's why I say it's by design. They've got a real good style that they play and that's what we want - entertainment.