Rangers reaction: Club has unearthed gem, man who has raised bar, referee's phonecall - plus player ratings

We pick out some of the talking points from Rangers’ 4-0 win over Ross County in the cinch Premiership ...

Don Robertson probably did call Malky Mackay

Ross County manager Malky Mackay was not apoplectic when speaking to the media after his team had lost 4-0 at Ibrox, but he certainly wasn’t happy with referee Don Robertson’s decision not to dismiss Rangers defender James Sands for a collision with Staggies forward Jordy Hiwula. In real time, it looked a foul, and having watched the highlights back again, Sands is an incredibly lucky boy to avoid an early bath (although his manager gave him one, replacing him at half time). VAR would have helped the official get it right but, to be frank, there were four of them on duty and one of them should have spotted Sands haul Hiwula to the ground. Mackay said that Robertson would call him if he got the decision wrong having watched it back on television – one suspects that phonecall did take place. County may still have lost the match but it’s hard to imagine the pasting they took from the 25th minute onwards happening had Rangers been reduced to ten men.

Rangers have unearthed a gem

Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence went down with an injury against Ross County, but his manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst does not expect him to miss a match.

The free-transfer signing of Tom Lawrence was largely unheralded this summer. The former Derby County midfielder, however, has slotted in seamlessly to this Rangers team and gives them not only creativity, but a player who can shoot from range and put in dangerous set-plays. In this league, and in particular when opponents sit deep on Rangers, that is a useful commodity. Lawrence was once again impressive against Ross County and he seems to have cemented his place in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s starting XI. He went down injured and required treatment late on in this match, but Van Bronckhorst said his condition is fine and he won’t miss any matches.

Borna raises the bar

It would be fair to say that Rangers left-back Borna Barisic has lifted his game since the arrival of Ridvan Yilmaz. Many expected the Turk to take Barisic’s place right away, given that the Croat had displayed some defensive frailties under Van Bronckhorst. But to Barisic’s immense credit, he has upped his level, showing defensive diligence and maintaining his attack-minded philosophy. Yilmaz will have a hard time ousting him, although he’s likely to play against Queen of the South on Tuesday in the Premier Sports Cup.

Rangers player ratings: McLaughlin 7, Tavernier 8, Goldson 7, Sands 6 (King 6), Barisic 8, Lundstram 8, Lawrence 8, Kent 9 (Matondo 3), Tillman 7 (Arfield 4), Wright 7, Colak 8 (Davis 6).