Morelos takes heat off Caixinha

Colombian striker at the double in Dingwall and Herrera also scores to ease pressure on Rangers

On a day when many felt anything less than victory would ramp up genuine pressure on Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha, he saw two of his summer recruits claim the goals which secured three fully deserved points in Dingwall.

A first-half double from Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos, who has now scored five in his last four appearances, put Rangers in control before Thomas Mikkelsen pulled one back in a secondhalf surge from Ross County.

Caixinha’s men were flirting with another result which would have intensified the scrutiny he faces but substitute Eduardo Herrera’s first goal for Rangers ensured the victory which keeps them in touch in the top half of the table.

It was a third straight Premiership defeat for County, who were left to rue an extraordinary blunder by goalkeeper Scott Fox which gifted Morelos his second goal of the afternoon.

In Morelos, Rangers may just have found the kind of penalty-box predator they have lacked for some time. The 21-year-old provides a genuine focal point in attack for Caixinha’s side which, with the right kind of service and support from those around him, promises to be productive.

He screwed his first effort of the afternoon well wide inside the opening 30 seconds but it was an immediate indication of the danger he would pose the County defence.

Morelos also appears to possess a good level of tactical awareness, taking up positions which allow him to bring more to his side than just that most valuable commodity of scoring goals. He held the ball up cleverly to set up an opportunity for Kenny Miller, with the veteran front man blazing over in the tenth minute.

County were offering little as an attacking force, their direct approach usually just handing possession back to Rangers. The visitors took some time to find any sustained rhythm in their play and Caixinha was an animated figure on the touchline as he demanded a greater tempo from his side.

Morelos was primed to give them the lead when he surged powerfully into the box but, just as he was about to get his shot away, he was denied by a brilliant tackle from Marcus Fraser.

It sparked a rapid counter attack from County which saw James Tavernier executing a similarly well timed block to prevent Ryan Dow testing Wes Foderingham.

Daniel Candeias provided Rangers with a regular outlet down the right with his pace and clever footwork and he used them both to good effect in the build-up to Morelos’ opening goal in the 31st minute.

Tavernier’s overlapping run was picked out by Candeias and the right back hit the byeline before delivering an inviting cross towards the far post. Morelos leapt above Fraser to direct a fine header beyond the stretching right arm of Fox and into the corner of the net.

Mcintyre was not slow to recognise that a change was required in his setup and midfielder Jamie Lindsay suffered the indignity of being substituted before half-time, making way for a striker in the shape of Mikkelsen.

Before it had the desired effect for County, Rangers continued to dominate. They had loud appeals for a penalty turned down when Morelos went down under Jason Naismith’s challenge, the full-back clearly getting his toe to the ball as he made the risky intervention.

Rangers doubled their lead four minutes before the interval, courtesy of Fox’s aberration. The goalkeeper was ill-served by an overcooked back pass from Fraser but appeared to have cut out the danger with an initial challenge on the advancing Morelos. Inexplicably, however, Fox then hesitated with Morelos still lurking behind him. The striker took full advantage, nipping in to rob the ball off Fox’s toes before rolling it into the empty net.

Bruno Alves came close to making it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time, his well-struck free-kick taking a deflection off the defensive wall which sent the ball narrowly wide.

Mcintyre needed a positive response from his side at the start of the second half and they duly delivered, finally managing to force themselves on to the front foot for a sustained spell. They saw a penalty appeal rejected when Mikkelsen went down under a Tavernier challenge and again it looked like the correct call from referee Craig Thomson. As Rangers began to look increasingly uncertain in defence, Tavernier was inches away from putting the ball into his own net.

County were rewarded for their more ambitious and robust approach when they halved their deficit in the 59th minute. Michael Gardyne and