High five eases jubilant Gers towards silverware
No matter how you work out the numbers, they all add up to Rangers being crowned champions before the clocks go forward.
Time is on the side of Steven Gerrard’s team because they went 23 points clear by winning his 150th game in charge.
It was the Light Blue’s 12th home league victory in a row and came with five different players hitting the net.
Gerrard refuses to discuss how close his side is to taking the title, but he did admit the performance against Ross County was the type he’s been working towards since becoming manager.
He said: “We played with a real urgency. We did all the right things and, in possession, we played some lovely football.
“We could have had the game won in 15 minutes, which is how we wanted the players to start.
“It’s about variety in our play. We can’t be predictable with teams in front of us.
“To have five different scorers is always fantastic, but that has been the case since the beginning of the season.
“We’re not heavily reliant on just the one person.
“That’s where we needed to get to as a group because, over the course of 60 games, it doesn’t work if you’re just relying on one or two.
“I don’t get involved in numbers or stats, but I’m very proud to have been Rangers manager for 150 games.
“Does there come a time when you have to accept that a title is there for us? No. Only when it’s done, if it gets done.”
To have any chance of getting a result against this Rangers team, you need something to hold on to.
Unfortunately for Ross County, Rangers were in no mood to offer them a glimmer of hope.
The movement of the attacking players was just too much for the visitors.
Kent, Aribo and Hagi never stopped running and that made it incredibly difficult for the defenders.
The days of Rangers teams indulging themselves with a slow, ponderous build-up seem to be long gone.
It’s a trait that dogged Ibrox sides of the recent past and something Gerrard has worked to eradicate.
County tried hard to stem the tide, but often looked like men chasing a chip wrapper in a gale.
To their credit, they hit the woodwork twice after the break despite being 3-0 down.
A Paton shot hit the post just 25 seconds after half-time and Iacovitti’s header came back off the crossbar in the 53rd minute.
Finding the net on either occasion might have given Rangers something to think about, although it was more likely to increase the Light Blues’ lust for goals.
The contest was really over after only six minutes when Morelos nodded a cross into the area and Ryan Kent sent a header looping past Laidlaw.
James Tavernier then failed from the penalty spot for the second time in a row after Morelos caught Iacovitti in possession and was hauled down by the defender.
The captain, who missed against Aberdeen, sent a low effort that was comfortably stopped by Laidlaw.
It was another headed goal that doubled Rangers’ lead. Iacovitti slipped at a corner and Helander was unmarked as he finished.
Joe Aribo made it three with a strike that was a real thing of beauty. He ran towards the byline on the right, cut inside past two defenders and produced a brilliant strike that zipped past the goalie’s outstretched arms.
Ryan Jack hit the net just after coming off the bench. He started and finished a passing move that involved Itten and Hagi.
Connor Goldson was next to get in on the act when he climbed high to head home a Barisic corner.
The Ibrox men strolled to a convincing victory and are now just a maximum of nine wins away from claiming the Premiership title.
All the statistics from this game will seem almost unimportant compared to a long-awaited glint of silverware.