Hagi runs riot and key man is BACK as Rangers take the baseball bat to suffering Staggies – 3 talking points
It was shoot on sight for bullish Rangers as Ianis Hagi, John Souttar and James Tavernier bundled Ross County over in a 4-0 Ibrox rout.
The home team were in the mood from the get-go and Hagi barged into the right place at the right time to force home the opener on 18 minutes. Vaclav Cerny's shot was spilled by keeper Jordan Amissah and the Romanian was where he had to be to force in the rebound.
It was by no means the prettiest brace Hagi will ever score but Rangers were firmly in control when he found his second just seven minutes later. His free-kick deflected off the wall and under-siege Amissah was helpless, diving to his left as the ball crept in on the other side.
READ MORE: Rangers 4 Ross County 0 as it happened with Hagi, Souttar and Tavernier on target in stroll
Souttar was back in the team and he soon got in on the fun with his first goal of the season. He hadn't played since that Europa League draw with Tottenham and while he wasn't fit to play the full 90 here, he made his hour on the pitch count when he arrived at the back post after a Nicolas Raskin knockdown to force the third goal over the line.
Souttar had only scored three times in Rangers colours prior to today but thought he had his second in just 51 minutes of football here. He was well placed to bundle home a rebound after Tavernier's shot from distance, but it was ruled out after Cyriel Dessers was deemed to have interfered from an offside position.
The damage wasn't done there though. Just as County thought they might have seen the worst of it, ref Steven McLean was called over to the monitor to check a foul by Kacper Lopata on Cyriel Dessers. The penalty was given, Tavernier stepped up from 12 yards, and you know the rest.
It's a rare week's break for Rangers now with Queen's Park up next in the Scottish Cup while County have a fortnight to lick their wounds. Here are our 3 talking points from Ibrox.
The catalysts for chaos
Sometimes winning a game of football requires subtlety and nuance. Other times you just need to take a baseball bat to the opposition and see what happens. This was the latter approach from Rangers, and it didn't half work.
Fearlessness in front of goal goes a long way in football and, in Vaclav Cerny and Ianis Hagi, Rangers have found some of that. Cerny's ingenuity cutting inside has so often been the difference for them this season and almost everything in the early stages went through him. Hagi's opening goal doesn't happen if not for Cerny's willingness to come inside and have a shot – even when there isn't a clear sight of goal.
As for Hagi, it was about as ugly a double as you'll see, but both came from positive play in the face of County defiance, gambling with a run for the opener before taking a pop from distance over a free-kick for the second.
When you've got two technically gifted players who are ready and willing to cause chaos, then winning games of football can be as simple as giving them the ball and watching what happens next. If it's working, why make it any more complicated than that?
County feel the heat
It's been a funny old season for County. Over the piece, the feeling is Don Cowie has done a good job, yet they've now won just six games in 25 and, rather than looking up the way, they're glancing nervously over their shoulders at a resurgent St Johnstone who are now just five points back. A trip to Ibrox is hardly a golden chance to rack up the points, but the passive manner of the defeat did feel a little worrying.
They've shown an ability to take points from the teams around them, and with a sinking Motherwell up next before facing Dundee and St Johnstone, their fate is well within their own hands. But you sense they need a run of positive results soon, or things could get even more nervous for the Dingwall men in the weeks ahead.
Souttar back with a bang
The sight of Souttar back on the teamsheet was one for sore eyes as far as Rangers are concerned. As was the sight of him hitting the back of the net for only the fourth time in light blue.
Much has been made of the need for new arrivals before Monday's deadline but Souttar being back and fit to start is as good as any signing Clement could hope to make over the next 48 hours. They looked a more assured defensive unit for having him in it – not that they had too much defending to do against a County team who looked well beaten from the minute Hagi squeezed his opening goal over the line. But he's a night and day step up from Robin Propper and if he can remain fit between now and May, then he and Clinton Nsiala may be the stable defensive partnership fans have been crying out for.
He was mobbed by his teammates when he rattled in his first goal of the season and the smile on his face spoke of a man buzzing to be back after his latest spell of injury torment. His injury record is a worry and questions remain whether he can be relied upon for the rigors of the domestic and European scheduling. But the simple fact remains that this is clearly a stronger Rangers team for having him in it.
