Ross County outclassed by triumphant Rangers
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Ross County 0
Rangers 4 (Morelos x2, Jack x2)
Ross County suffered a second heavy defeat inside two weeks at the hands of Glaswegian opposition as they lost 4-0 to a Rangers side that were just too good for them.
Only one team ever looked likely to score for the vast majority of the match, and doubles from Ryan Jack and Alfredo Morelos put the result beyond doubt.
The Staggies actually started fairly promisingly from kick off, pressing Rangers very high up the park and forcing them to play in their own half for the first few minutes.
But the visitors soon settled into the contest and took control, slowly but surely winning the territorial battle and putting their stamp on the match.
The first sight of goal still came from a defensive error though, as Liam Fontaine's poor header fell to Scott Arfield.
Arfield played a nice one-two with Alfredo Morelos, before forcing County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw to dive to his left to make a good save.
Rangers took the lead after 19 minutes though, when an explosive burst of pace from Sheyi Ojo earned him space inside the County half and he sent a low ball across the face of goal that left Morelos with an easy tap in for his 17th goal of the season.
Joe Chalmers did threaten some resistance a couple of minutes later with a free kick that went close without ever troubling Wes Foderingham.
And from there it was one-way traffic, with the visitors doubling their advantage just before the half-hour mark.
A throw in down the left flank for Rangers was not cleared by the home defenders, and Ryan Jack picked the ball up to curl it into the far bottom corner, out of Laidlaw's reach.
His second 10 minutes before half time was almost exactly the same, if starting from a slightly more central position, as the Glasgow outfit asserted their dominance.
To add insult to the injury of a disappointing first half for Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson, Tom Grivosti was forced off injured in the 40th minute, replaced by Keith Watson.
Things nearly went from bad to worse after the half-time interval, as Joe Aribo hit the post within a couple of minutes of the restart.
Ross Draper did see a deflected effort hit the post in the 70th minute, with Foderingham wrong-footed and everyone else left watching, but it was Rangers who scored the fourth goal of the match.
A nice team move saw the ball come all the way across the pitch before it was threaded through for Morelos to score his second of the match.
Jermain Defoe had a chance to make it a fantastic five for the Gers with around five minutes left on the clock, but he was always underneath the header and it went over the bar.
Rangers were just too good on the night for County, who could barely get close enough to the opposition at times to even foul them.
They struggled to cope with Morelos' runs in the channel, and the speed and trickery of Aribo and Ojo released any pressure the visitors were put under.
Going forward, Foderingham had a quiet evening as the Staggies were reduced to shots from distance.
It was hardly a stellar performance from County, but as attentions now turn to Hamilton on Saturday afternoon they must feel that the more important game of the week to get three points in is still to come.
