How Rangers completed perfect warm-up for first Celtic clash of season - barring one new injury concern

Six goals, including doubles for both Cyriel Dessers and Rabbi Matondo, a clean sheet and a place at the top of the table – for 24 hours at least – were just rewards for Philippe Clement’s side as they turned in their best performance of the season against an admittedly hapless Ross County side who offered little by way of resistance.

The challenge will rise substantially next weekend against Celtic but Rangers will at least travel across the city imbued with confidence on the back of a performance that began slowly before evolving into a rout in which they threatened to score with just about every attack.

Rangers’ temporary tenancy of Hampden hasn’t entirely been a comfortable one, and a sense of relief will greet their return to Ibrox next month, but the arrangement at least hasn’t proved detrimental to their trophy prospects, this a third successive victory over domestic opposition at the national stadium.

Like Motherwell and St Johnstone before them, County threatened sporadically in the first half but once Rangers moved through the gears there was only going to be one outcome. A second goal just before half-time confirmed as much as County visibly wilted, meekly succumbing to the inevitable.

The only negative on the day was the shoulder injury sustained by Leon Balogun late in the first half that saw the 36-year-old unable to continue. Rather than Leon King, Clement turned to Dujon Sterling to slot in at central defence which he did with typical efficiency, although given how rarely County were seen in Rangers’ half in the second period, it was hard to offer any considered evaluation of his capabilities in that role.

With new signing Hamza Igamane still not fit enough to feature and Danilo restored to the bench, the onus was again laid at Dessers’ feet to provide goals and once more he completed his assignment. It may take something more spectacular – a derby winner, for instance – before the Nigerian international becomes universally feted by the Rangers support but for now he continues on his mission to win over the doubters one by one.

His first goal after 18 minutes owed much to the work of Tom Lawrence – who took a pass from Jefte, spun away from his marker before playing a ball into Dessers’ feet – but the finish was still a convincing one.

There was even less for him to do at his second and Rangers’ third shortly before the hour mark. Matondo did the hard bit, driving to the goal line, before crossing for Dessers to bundle home from a handful of yards for his fifth goal of an already productive season.

He ought to have had an assist to his name, too, Lawrence squandering a terrific first-half chance after Dessers had spotted him in acres of space.

Matondo had missed a golden opportunity in the first half, too, striking the bar after Dessers had been stopped by a crunching Akil Wright tackle, but showed his clinical edge had not deserted him when he claimed the crucial second goal shortly before half-time.

James Tavernier teed him up with a cross from the right and the winger adjusted his body expertly to sidefoot in a finish that flew past Ross Laidlaw in the visitors’ goal.

County’s race was run at that point, the only outstanding matter thereafter the size of the defeat. Lawrence atoned for his earlier miss by squeezing in Rangers’ fourth after good work again by Matondo whose carefully weighted pass took the defence out of the equation.

The Welshman is another figure yet to fully cement his status as a reliable performer but he showed again he can finish as he fastened onto Vaclav Cerny’s pass for his second and his team’s fifth of an increasingly one-sided contest.

Like Dessers before him, Matondo was removed from the fray before he could pursue a hat-trick but he had done more than enough by then to merit the warmth of the applause that greeted his exit. Rangers weren’t done there, with Danilo poking in their sixth, again from close range, to underline his side’s utter dominance.

County couldn’t get off the pitch quickly enough come the end. They will lament the chance missed by Ronan Hale when clean through after just eight minutes – Jack Butland made a smart save – but, given Rangers’ performance, it would likely only have been a case of getting their consolation goal in first.