Derek McInnes demanded a response from his Rangers side after two dropped points at Dundee last weekend, and he got one in emphatic style. Rangers swept St Johnstone aside 4-0 in a dominant display that, on the balance of play, barely flattered the home side.
Kevin Kelsy (Credits: BBC Sport)
The only wobble came early in the second half, when Saints briefly threatened to work their way back into the contest. Otherwise it was one-way traffic, with Rangers creating chance after chance and looking like a team rediscovering its attacking edge.
Rangers St Johnstone 4-0: Kelsy and Naderi Lead the Line
McInnes made a bold call before kick-off, dropping Djeidi Gassama to the bench and going with two strikers up front. The decision paid off handsomely. Kevin Kelsy and Ryan Naderi linked up superbly, combining for the opening goal before both got on the scoresheet themselves.
Kelsy finished with a brace, while Naderi added a goal and an assist. With Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti still unavailable, the partnership gave McInnes real evidence that his current front two can carry the attack.
Former Rangers forward Peter Lovenkrands, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound, said goals change everything for a striker. Confidence grows, touches sharpen, and the whole approach to the game improves. He added that the performance will do Kelsy’s confidence a world of good.
Dominant Numbers Back Up the Scoreline
The match statistics told the story of Rangers’ control. They racked up an expected goals figure of 4.57 against St Johnstone’s 0.58, fired in 21 shots with nine on target, and created eight big chances to the visitors’ two.
Set-pieces finally delivered too. Rangers forced 13 corners, and the 11th of the afternoon produced a goal as Kelsy got on the end of Emmanuel Fernandez’s flick-on to tuck home his second. It was the first goal Rangers have scored from a corner all season.
Former midfielder Andy Halliday pointed out that set-pieces were one of Rangers’ main strengths last season, but delivery has been poor this term, with James Tavernier no longer taking most of them. Getting back to being a genuine threat from corners and wide free-kicks, he said, would add another string to the team’s bow.
McInnes Eyes Hearts Trip After Best Display in a While
McInnes described the performance as arguably as good as his side have produced in some time, and it sets them up nicely for Wednesday night’s Scottish Premiership trip to Hearts. That match marks his first return to Tynecastle since leaving the Edinburgh club for Glasgow in the summer.
He knows how tough the fixture will be, recalling an unbeaten home season at Hearts last year and their strong record at Tynecastle. But with strikers scoring and wins being chalked off steadily, he believes his team can go anywhere expecting a result, while making sure it is a tough night for the opposition too.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.