Barry Ferguson got his first Ibrox win as Rangers manager at the sixth attempt with a thumping 4-0 William Hill Premiership victory over Aberdeen.
After a mostly lifeless first half, Gers attacker Vaclav Cerny opened the scoring in the 55th minute before striker Cyriel Dessers doubled that lead five minutes later, with substitute Hamza Igamane notching in the 70th minute and left-back Jefte adding gloss in added time with his fortuitous goal.
It was a first home win for the Light Blues since beating Ross County on February 2, with interim boss Ferguson – installed the same month until the end of the season – culpable for the previous five games without a victory.
With two fixtures remaining, Scottish Gas Scottish Cup finalists Aberdeen remain three points behind third-placed Hibernian and cannot be happy with their second-half capitulation.
It was a much-needed win for Rangers and Ferguson but for frustrated Gers fans, the impending takeover by an American consortium of Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises cannot come quick enough as a trophyless season nears its end.
It was certainly not a dynamic start in front of plenty of empty seats.
In the 22nd minute Dessers knocked a through ball from midfielder Mohamed Diomande past the near post.
Five minutes later, the unmarked striker headed a cross from captain James Tavernier wide of the target from eight yards and a glorious chance was gone.
The Dons responded quickly and Gers keeper Liam Kelly had to save from Topi Keskinen, who had burst into the Light Blues penalty area to take a Jamie McGrath pass.
The match, however, really came to life just before the break
Dessers had the ball in the net from a Connor Barron pass, driving low past Aberdeen keeper Dimitar Mitov only for VAR to rule offside.
Seconds later, Aberdeen striker Oday Dabbagh scored at the second attempt from a Leighton Clarkson free-kick, although he too was offside.
Igamane replaced Nedim Bajrami for the start of the second half, while for the Dons, Kevin Nisbet and Pape Gueye came on for Dabbagh and Jeppe Okkels.
It was the Dons who initially looked the more sprightly, with Keskinen striking the post with a drive from inside the box with the ball rebounding back into play and Rangers escaping.
In the 51st minute Ibrox defender John Souttar headed wide from a Tavernier corner but the breakthrough came when midfielder Nicolas Raskin threaded a ball through the centre of the Dons defence and Cerny raced through to poke the ball low past Mitov.
Dessers then headed a Cerny free-kick high over the bar but frailties in the Ibrox defence surfaced soon afterwards with Kelly forced into a double save, first from Gueye and then Keskinen.
However, moments later Dessers made amends for earlier misses when he converted a cut-back from Raskin and the points looked safe.
As the Dons defence opened up again, Jefte scooped as shot over the bar as did Aberdeen’s Dante Polvara at the other end but it was a piece of magic from Igamane, flicking the ball up and volleying past Mitov from 25 yards, which brought number three.
As Rangers kept pressing Mitov saved a header from defender Leon Balogun and efforts from substitutes Danilo and Tom Lawrence before Cerny’s shot from outside the box went in off Jefte to seal a fine win.
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