Rangers 5 - 0 Dundee United: United’s bid to foil Well ended

Scorers: Rangers - Whittaker (6O), Aluko (17, 20), Ness (57), Bedoya (84)

Bookings: Rangers - Edu

Attendance: 43,383

This comprehensive victory for Ally McCoist’s side, wrapped up by three goals inside the opening 20 minutes, would be celebrated as much in Motherwell as it was by the home support inside Ibrox. Defeat for United ensured former Rangers favourite Stuart McCall will lead the Fir Park club into the Champions League qualifiers in July as a result of their third-place SPL finish.

While United must now content themselves with nailing down a Europa League slot, this was a performance from Rangers which provided their fans with some light relief in troubled times. It was their biggest victory of the season, sparked by the opening burst when Steven Whittaker’s opener and a double from the excellent Sone Aluko put them in control. Further strikes after the break from Jamie Ness and substitute Alejandro Bedoya completed a rout which confirms Rangers as runners-up in the SPL, despite the 10-point penalty imposed for going into administration.

United were entitled to arrive in Govan with a fair degree of optimism they could secure the victory they needed, given their dominant display at the same venue in February when they eliminated Rangers from the Scottish Cup. But, through a combination of wretched defensive frailty on United’s part and significant attacking urgency from a Rangers side who played with considerable freedom and fluency in the opening stages, hopes of that third-place finish for Peter Houston’s men quickly evaporated.

United had tried to seize the initiative and actually began on the front foot, Allan McGregor forced into a decent save inside the opening two minutes as he dived to his right to turn a well- struck 25 yard free-kick from Garry Kenneth behind for a corner. That initial encouragement for the small band of United supporters was soon forgotten, however, when Rangers made their sixth minute breakthrough. McCoist’s deployment of a 3-5-2 formation, allowing Whittaker and Lee Wallace to surge forward as wing-backs, perhaps drew some inspiration from Sunday’s Old Firm defeat when Celtic’s similar strategy caused Rangers so many problems.

It was Whittaker who gave McCoist’s men the lead with a fine goal. Salim Kerkar, alongside Aluko up front for Rangers in the absence of the injured Andrew Little, combined with Rhys McCabe to create the opening for Whittaker on the right side of the United penalty area. Dusan Pernis was beaten by a curling left-foot shot from Whittaker which nestled inside the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

United attempted a rapid response, calling McGregor into action again when a flowing move culminated with Gary Mackay-Steven’s stinging shot being brilliantly touched over the crossbar by the Rangers No 1.

The visitors looked as if they had the creativity in midfield and up front to trouble Rangers but were undone by their shortcomings at the back which were ruthlessly exposed by the hosts, especially Aluko. The winger doubled Rangers lead in the 17th minute. A sloppy defensive header from Kenneth was seized upon by Kerkar who quickly fed the ball to Aluko on the left. The former Aberdeen man drove at the United defence which offered little in the way of significant resistance. Aluko’s weaving run took him into shooting range and he guided a left-foot shot across Pernis and into the corner of the net.

Rangers made it 3-0 three minutes later as Aluko repeated the treatment on the opposite flank. His surge down the right saw him waltz away from a couple of lacklustre challenges before spearing a low right-foot shot across Pernis and just inside the post.

It had already turned into a damage limitation exercise for United and they were both relieved and fortunate to reach the interval without falling even further behind. Pernis made a smart save to deny the marauding Wallace, then Kerkar should have done better than head a Whittaker cross straight at United’s Slovakian ‘keeper as Rangers continued to finds yawning gaps in the visitors’ defence.

Houston made two substitutions at the start of the second- half as he sought to at least stem the tide flowing against his side. Keith Watson replaced the hapless Kenneth, while Barry Douglas came on for Mackay-Steven as United switched to a 3-5-2 formation in a bid to stop being overrun in midfield by their hosts.

But while United enjoyed a greater share of possession, they still looked dreadfully vulnerable at the back. Aluko, on the prowl for a hat-trick, swept into the United penalty area once more in the 51st minute but on this occasion saw his right-foot shot well saved at his near post by Pernis.

A fourth goal for Rangers seemed inevitable and it duly arrived six minutes later. It was a moment to savour for the scorer, Jamie Ness. So highly regarded at Ibrox, the elegant young midfielder has been plagued by injury problems which have sidelined him for most of this season. Ness swept a right-foot shot high beyond Pernis from around 14 yards after United were again guilty of calamitous defending which saw Sean Dillon fortunate not to concede a penalty for handball in the build-up to the goal.

Ness departed shortly afterwards, to a generous round of applause from the home fans, and was replaced by Kirk Broadfoot. The game was well and truly up for United but they did at least start to provide some service for strikers Jon Daly and Johnny Russell. Skipper Daly should have done better than send a close range header wide, then Russell was denied by a fine close-range save from McGregor.

But it was Rangers who finished in the ascendancy, substitute Bedoya completing a miserable night for United as he scored his first goal for the Ibrox club with six minutes remaining. The American winger, who had replaced Aluko, latched on to a through ball from his compatriot Maurice Edu and drove a firm low shot beyond Pernis from just inside the penalty area.