James Tavernier scores from the spotSNS

James Tavernier is Rangers' top scorer in the league this season

At a glance

  • Rangers unbeaten in eight as they punish 10-man Kilmarnock for early red card

  • Dom Thompson sent off after three minutes with goals from James Tavernier, Bojan Miovski, Andreas Skov Olsen, Oliver Antman and Mikey Moore cementing victory at Ibrox

  • Greg Kiltie gifted goal by calamitous Jack Butland blunder

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Rangers narrowed Hearts' lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to three points as they eventually dismantled 10-man Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

With the league leaders dropping points in Paisley last night, Danny Rohl's side knew there was a chance to reduce the gap and, in pursuit of that goal, they made the perfect start.

There were only three minutes on the clock when Djeidi Gassama nipped in behind Dom Thompson, with the Killie full-back dragging down to the Rangers winger.

Tavernier tucked the penalty away, Thompson was sent off, and any fears about an upset were immediately allayed.

The first 15 minutes or so continued that narrative as Mikey Moore tore Kilmarnock's right-hand side apart but the visitors started to slow the play down and even had a chance to equalise through Bruce Anderson, but the striker squandered it.

The single goal deficit at half-time was a surprise but in the second half, Rangers motored away from their tiring visitors.

Bojan Miovski, out of sorts for most the night, curled in a brilliant second from the edge of the box before Andreas Skov Olsen got his first in royal blue.

Kilmarnock were gifted a consolation by Rangers' goalie Jack Butland, who completely fluffed a back pass and allowed Greg Kiltie to score from close range. The gap was too big by that point, but a moment to forget for the Rangers keeper.

But really, Kilmarnock had tired by then. Rangers' fourth and fifth - tucked away by Oliver Antman and Moore from close range - looked easy, as they knocked the ball around slow legs and tucked them away inside the box.

With Celtic's match against Aberdeen postponed, Rangers move second while Kilmarnock remain rooted in 11th.

Analysis: Rangers break down Killie resistance to rack up rout

How quickly the mood of this title race changes. On Sunday, Rangers slipped to third with a disappointing draw against Hibernian.

After the morale-boosting win against Kilmarnock, the momentum is back with Rohl's side.

They were handed a gift after just 193 seconds when Thompson clambered all over the back of Gassama and got sent off. It would be easy from then on, surely?

Not so. After an explosive start, it started to quieten down and Ibrox got restless as they waited for the second to knock the wind out of Kilmarnock.

But it was worth the wait when it came. Miovski's goal was the pick of the bunch, but the other three weren't bad either. All were intricately worked down the left, with Moore instrumental every time.

Tuur Rommens, brought on in the second-half for his debut, enjoyed a fine debut, charging up and down from left-back while on-loan Spurs teenager Moore had his best game for Rangers.

The gap narrowed with Hearts, the goal difference boosted significantly, no injuries picked up. Job done and then some for Rohl.

The attacking stats from Rangers v KilmarnockSNS

The scoreline felt a little harsh on Kilmarnock, who battled admirably with 10 men for as long as they could.

There were spells in the first half that they showed promise with a couple of intricate passing moves. Tyreece John-Jules in particular stood out, able to create from deep and dance away from defenders.

The forward was also at the centre of a contentious decision, when he went down when trying to latch on to a long ball over the top, appealing that his ankles were clipped by Tavernier. Video assistant referee (VAR) Chris Graham was unmoved.

As the second-half wore on, the man disadvantage took its toll.

It feels like a bitter blow given the 3-0 win over Aberdeen that would have boosted morale so massively, but now Neil McCann must pick his side up again.

What they said

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl: "Nice goals. We played with courage. Even after the red card, I felt we had a situation in the box with the opponent. We never played backwards.

"It's not always easy against 10 men because you have to break them down. You have to prepare, have good structure, be aware of counter attacks. In the end, the players did a fantastic job today."

Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann: "I feel a wee bit of an injustice when you look at the scoreline, I think it flatters Rangers.

"Towards the end, you could see they're good players and we're out on our feet because we've tried to get something from the game.

"I'm so disappointed, we lost a man so early in the match. I've got my thoughts on that. But you have to suck it up and continue to trust the players and the game plan - although it goes up in smoke a wee bit."

What's next?

Rangers are in Scottish Cup action on Sunday afternoon against Queen's Park, aiming to avoid a repeat of last season's upset (14:00 GMT). Kilmarnock wait until next Wednesday to get back to league action, hosting St Mirren (19:45).

Player of the match

M. Moore
8.38
47 M. Moore
8.38
25 T. Rommens
7.19
7 A. Skov Olsen
7.18
10 M. Diomandé
6.82
43 N. Raskin
6.74
5 J. Souttar
6.65
2 J. Tavernier
6.56
20 R. Naderi
6.51
18 O. Antman
6.50
28 B. Miovski
6.37
24 N. Djiga
6.27
30 J. Meghoma
6.18
23 D. Gassama
6.10
11 T. Aasgaard
5.81
3 M. Aarons
5.56
1 J. Butland
5.47
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