WHISTLERS BACH TO SQUARE ONE
while trying to create space for himself at the set-piece.
Clarke and Killie shirts saw red as Muir flashed crimson. Adding to their woes, Alex Bruce limped off as McAleny was sacrificed for back-up keeper Jamie MacDonald.
The ball was not in play at the time of the incident and so Muir’s decision not to award a penalty was spot on.
Rangers began to stretch Killie left and right as Tavernier lashed a strike from 20 yards off the underside of the bar before his leading role in No.2 on the stroke of half-time.
The 27-year-old delivered a pass to Candeias again on the right and his sweet delivery to the back post dared Morelos to bullet it home with his head. The extra man allowed Rangers to play with an authority rarely shown against Killie having won only two of nine previous head-to-heads.
Killie struggled to lay a glove on them never mind find a way into the game.
But Arfield was too casual in trying to place the ball behind MacDonald instead of bursting the net from eight yards while Kent sent a curling right-foot shot inches wide.
Even Morelos, with a third of a three-match ban still to serve, flunked his lines from 16 yards but he did see a fine shot pushed into the side-netting.
As Killie tired Rangers began to run riot with the visitors struggling to keep the scoreline within the realms of respectability.
Halliday had been on only three minutes when he put his laces through Kent’s cross, firing high into the net.
Little more than a minute later Morelos completed his hat-trick, running on to another Candeias assist before firing a fierce drive inside MacDonald’s lefthand post from 14 yards.
And the Morelos show was completed seven minutes from time when he found space in the box, turning the Killie defence on to their heels before drawing a low shot into the net from 12 yards.