GLASGOW (Reuters) - Rangers moved equal top with champions Celtic on points with one match left after a 3-0 win over St Mirren in the Scottish Premier League on Monday.

Kris Boyd scuffed in an early opener in the fourth minute and Jean-Claude Darcheville slammed home a second 20 minutes later before prodding in another after the interval.

Rangers' win sets up a fraught finish to the title race on Thursday when they travel to Aberdeen while Celtic are at Dundee United. Both have 86 points from 37 games, but Celtic have a superior goal difference of four more than Rangers.

Boyd grabbed an easy first goal following good work by Steve Davis.

He cut in from the left and dragged the ball past two defenders on the edge of the box before lofting a diagonal pass to the right of the area where Kirk Broadfoot pulled it across the face of goal for Boyd to force home from four metres.

The second came when Saints' Stephen O'Donnell stumbled on the ball 25 metres out to allow Davis to rob him of possession then play a pass in front of Darcheville.

The French striker advanced into the penalty arc and drilled a fierce low shot into the bottom right corner.

Rangers struggled to conjure up another chance until the second half and again Darcheville was involved as he cracked a snap shot from 15 metres only to see Saints keeper Mark Howard dive down to flip the ball around the right post.

However, Darcheville hit his second and Rangers' third as he latched onto a fine diagonal pass from the left by skipper Barry Ferguson and stabbed a low shot from 12 metres through the legs of the sliding keeper in the 69th minute.

(Editing by Rex Gowar)