Rangers 4-0 Dundee: All too easy for Gers as Glen Kamara leads rout against former club

In a week which saw Rangers post their most encouraging financial figures for some time, Glen Kamara continues to emerge as potentially the best £50,000 they have ever spent.

Glen Kamara celebrates his opener with Alfredo Morelos. Picture: SNS Group

The Finnish international midfielder has hit the ground running since his deadline day move from Dundee last month and he shone in an emphatic victory over his former club.

Kamara set the tone for a blistering opening to the match by Steven Gerrard’s side, netting the first of three goals in a 19-minute period. James Tavernier doubled the lead before Alfredo Morelos’ put Rangers in total control with his 28th of the season. A late strike from substitute Jermain Defoe garnished a satisfying night’s work for the Ibrox men, albeit one soured slightly from their perspective by news of Celtic’s late winner at Tynecastle which maintains the eight-point gap between the rivals at the top of the table.

The energy and intensity which characterised Rangers’ demolition of Hamilton Accies on Sunday was repeated here as Gerrard’s men once again had all three points effectively wrapped up before half-time.

James Tavernier celebrates after putting Rangers 2-0 up. Picture: SNS Group

Dundee, with their central defensive pairing of Darren O’Dea and Ryan McGowan less than convincing, had no answer to the early blitz of pressure from the hosts who pressed relentlessly all over the pitch and passed with pace and invention in the attacking third.

Rangers’ breakthrough after just four minutes was a tough one to swallow for the hardy band of travelling fans as Kamara, a man whose skills they had appreciated in dark blue colours in the first half of the season, struck his first ever goal in club football. He produced a superb first-time finish with his right foot from around eight yards as he connected with Tavernier’s free-kick from the right.

As the fans in the Broomloan Road stand behind Dundee goalkeeper Seny Dieng’s goal rose to acclaim Kamara, he tempered his celebration in a show of respect to the visiting support.

There was no let-up in the tempo of Rangers’ work as they imposed their authority on proceedings, Ryan Kent seeing his low shot clutched by Dieng just a minute later. But the Swiss ‘keeper was soon beaten for a second time following an eye-catching Rangers move down the right.

A succession of incisive first touch passes culminated in Scott Arfield sending Morelos free in the penalty area. The striker’s firm low shot was parried by Dieng, the ball breaking free into the path of Tavernier who had followed up the move and had a simple finish into the gaping net for the Rangers captain’s 14th goal of the season.

O’Dea was enduring an especially torrid time trying to subdue Morelos and the former Celtic man raised a complaint with referee Don Robertson about an off the ball clash between the pair which was waved aside by the official.

Morelos, as ever, was never far from the heart of the action and he made it 3-0 for Rangers in the 23rd minute. It was another fine move from Rangers, involving Kamara and Kent, before Arfield’s low cross from the right took a slight deflection on its way to presenting Morelos with a tap-in from little more than a yard out.

Morelos and Daniel Candeias both missed decent chances to add to the scoreline before the interval as Rangers remained firmly on the front foot and Gerrard’s only complaint would have been his team’s failure to further improve their goal difference in that spell.

Rangers, with Steven Davis on for Arfield at the start of the second half, continued to dominate and Dieng made a smart save to deny Morelos. But Dundee at least began to produce some threatening moments on the counter with Sunderland loanee Ethan Robson missing a couple of premium chances to pull one back.

Robson’s second miss, after Dundee substitute Kenny Miller’s shot had been saved by Allan McGregor, was a shocker as he shanked the ball wide of an open goal from around 14 yards.

Rangers were soon back in the ascendancy and Borna Barisic was desperately unlucky not to increase their lead when his sweetly struck free-kick struck the underside of the crossbar but bounced down on the line before being cleared.

Defoe finally got the fourth goal Rangers’ pressure merited, latching onto Ryan Jack’s through ball and smashing a shot beyond Dieng, pouring salt in Dundee wounds as they slipped back into the relegation play-off place.

RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Worrall, Goldson, Barisic; Jack, Kamara, Arfield (Davis 46); Candeias (Defoe 66), Morelos, Kent (McCrorie 72). Subs not used: Foderingham, Lafferty, Katic, Coulibaly.

DUNDEE: Dieng, Horsfield, R.McGowan, O’Dea, Ralph; Curran (Miller 68), Robson, Woods, Dales (O’Sullivan 87); P.McGowan; Wright. Subs not used: Parish, Kerr, Kusunga, Hadenius, Moore.