Rusty Rangers set out their stall for season with record 20 home league wins in a row

RANGERS 3 Hagi (8), Wright (78), Roofe (90) LIVINGSTON 0

Rusty Rangers made it 40 Premiership games without defeat and showed they have a firm grip on the title.

It wasn’t the most fluent performance by Steven Gerrard’s team and there were periods when their play was on the sluggish side.

But to come away with a convincing 3-0 victory without ever hitting top gear shows just how strong this Ibrox squad is.

There is a huge amount expected from Rangers this term and that brings its own pressure.

However, there was nothing to suggest there is anything but a voracious appetite to keep the unbeaten run going.

Teams hoping to finally beat Rangers will note they were without Alfredo Morelos, Borna Barisic, Filip Helander and Ryan Jack.

To be able to achieve 77% possession is quite something when you’re missing players of that quality.

Veteran goalie Allan Mcgregor watched from the subsitutes’ bench, but will be back between the posts for Tuesday night’s vital Champions League qualifier against Malmo in Sweden.

Jon Mclaughlin got a rare outing and will rarely have a more relaxed 90 minutes.

Livingston offered very little of a goal threat. They’re a team involved a major squad rebuilding programme and it showed.

Sixteen players have left the Tony Macaroni Arena since last season and nine replacements have arrived so far.

Manager David Martindale had spoken of the gelling process that has to happen as he works with fresh faces.

After the defeat, he said: “I think it showed a lot of boys where we need to be very quickly.

“That’s the amount of energy and application we’re going to have to put into every game.”

His men had to see out the last 11 minutes with only 10 men when Jaze Kabia limped off after Livi had used all of their substitutes.

All of the managers are going to have to get used to having only three replacements after a season when they had five.

Steven Gerrard had a look of satisfaction as he reflected on his team achieving a club record of 20 home league wins in a row.

Perfectionist that he is, though, the Ibrox manager was quick to admit it the middle of the match frustrated him.

He said: “I thought from the first whistle until we went 1-0 up, we played with a real urgency and intensity that Livingston were struggling to cope with.

“Then I thought our mentality changed. We complicated things a bit.

“People were taking that extra touch and we slowed it down.

“From 2-0 until seeing the game out, I thought we were fantastic again.

“It’s just that middle part where we need to take less touches.”

Gerrard hopes the Rangers physios can work a bit of their magic on Ianis Hagi to get him fit to face malmo.

The Romanian opened the scoring but had to limp off after half-an-hour after earlier being clattered by on-loan Liverpool youngster Adam Lewis.

Hagi took his goal really well but he was given far too much time and space to execute his finish by the home defence.

A Tavernier free-kick found the 22-year-old unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. He switched the ball from left foot to right before rifling home.

Aribo nearly added a quick second but was denied by a smart stop from Stryjek.

Rangers’ tempo then dipped a little.

Scott Wright proved to be an excellent substitute for Hagi once he got up to speed.

He was always looking for the ball and was at the heart of most dangerous attacking moves.

His goal eased a touch of tension in the crowd – something the players haven’t experienced for a while.

The former Aberdeen playmaker was just inside the box when he unleashed an amazing shot with the outside of his boot that zipped into the roof of the net.

Kemar Roofe added a third when he pounced on a loose ball and produced a clinical finish from close range.