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| Kris Boyd © Action Images |
A rampant first-half display by Rangers saw the Ibrox side return to the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock.
Kris Boyd came back to haunt his former side with an early
opener before Kenny Miller doubled the lead in the 25th minute.
Steven Whittaker got the third ten minutes before the break as the
home side looked liked scoring with every attack.
However the score-line didn't tell the full story and Kilmarnock
spurned several chances, with Rangers' clinical finishing the
difference between the sides.
The win puts Walter Smith's side one point clear of Celtic who
face Dundee United on Sunday.
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies was disappointed with his
side's shocking defending after making a good start.
"I don't think we have enjoyed as much possession or pushing the
'keeper into making as many saves as that before at Ibrox,"
Jefferies said.
"If we had defended in the first-half like we did in the second
we would have given them a much tighter game."
Rangers boss Smith was delighted his side had managed to win
convincingly.
"We scored three and created quite a number of other
opportunities which we failed to take," Smith said.
"In the second-half we never quite reached that level again but
after an international break you are always happy to come away with
a win."
After a week where the state of the national team came in for
severe criticism in the wake of manager George Burley's sacking,
Rangers started the match with nine Scots in their starting
line-up.
Teenager Danny Wilson kept his place in the centre of defence
due to yet another late return from international duty by Algerian
defender Madjid Bougherra and the 17-year-old had his hands full
dealing with Kevin Kyle in the opening minutes.
The giant forward came close to opening the scoring when he
leaped above Wilson at the far post to head Garry Hay's floated
cross from the left goalwards but Allan McGregor made the save.
However it was the home side which took the lead in the seventh
minute, Boyd beating the offside trap and sending Kevin Thomson's
superb pass into the bottom corner to claim his sixth goal of the
season.
McGregor made a good save low down from a Manuel Pascali volley
before Naismith's fierce first-time hit from Boyd's knockdown was
blocked by the legs of Brown.
Rangers got their second in the 25th minute through Miller.
McCulloch cushioned a Whittaker long-ball into his path and he took
a touch before finishing low past Brown.
Kilmarnock were still creating chances and Kyle produced a fine
save out of McGregor with a drive from 25 yards out.
Whittaker made it 3-0 in the 35th minute when Miller raced down
the right-wing and picked him out with a cut-back. The defender's
first shot was blocked by Frazer Wright but the rebound fell to his
feet and he finished low past Brown at the second time of asking.
A second-half downpour seemed to dampen the quality on show from
both sides. Sasa Papac curled a shot round Brown's far post before
Miller hit a weak shot straight at the keeper after being played in
by Boyd.
At the other end Wilson dealt well with the aerial threat of
Kyle as he twice beat him to a header to clear the danger from
Hay's crosses from the left.
Lafferty replaced goalscorer Boyd and the Northern Irish
international saw his header cleared off the line before setting up
Thomson to fire a shot off the post at the death.
McGregor denied Killie a late consolation with a superb save
from Hay's free-kick in injury time.
Bottom club Falkirk picked up their first win of the season with
a 2-0 defeat of Hamilton, Motherwell drew 1-1 with Aberdeen,
Hibernian were held to a 1-1 draw by St Mirren while a last minute
goal by Jonatan Johansson - his first in the SPL for ten years -
secured a 2-1 win for St Johnstone over Hearts.
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