RANGERS secured progression to a Hampden Premier Sports Cup semi-final tonight, defeating fellow Premiership side Livingston 2-0 at a rain-soaked Ibrox.
Second-half goals from Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos ensured Gers go through to the National Stadium on the weekend of November 20 or 21.
Manager Steven Gerrard named six changes to his side – from Sunday’s match with Motherwell, Jon McLaughlin, Nathan Patterson, Leon Balogun, Calvin Bassey, John Lundstram and Alfredo Morelos came into the XI in place of Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Jack Simpson, Borna Barisic, Steven Davis and Fashion Jr.
That meant it was a back five of McLaughlin in goal with Patterson, Connor Goldson, Balogun and Bassey in front of him.
Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara were joined by Lundstram in midfield, while up front, Kemar Roofe and Scott Wright supported Alfredo Morelos.
Gers began the game with plenty of the ball, and forced the first opportunity after seven minutes. Patterson was looking like a real threat down the right, and he played a super one-two with Morelos to release the young Scot into the area to force goalkeeper Max Stryjek into a good early save.
Wright then dragged a strike wide from 25-yards when released through the middle by smart Kamara play, before he was inches away from connecting to a smart Goldson pick from deep. The best chance of the night to date then came for Calvin Bassey on 22 minutes on the end of another super Goldson ball. From his left wing berth, he cut inside, skipped away from two Livi tackles but fired over the bar when he only had Stryjek left to beat.
Nicky Devlin then cleared off the line from Morelos when put in by Aribo, while Kamara dragged one wide on the run from the edge of the box.
Gerrard was clearly looking for more of a spark at half-time, and he replaced Wright with Ianis Hagi, and within three minutes of his introduction, he made quite the impact. John Lundstram did well to intercept a loose ball initially as Livi looked to play out, and he picked out Hagi well on the right.
The Romanian still had so much to do with James Penrice to beat, but he shimmied well to cross brilliantly into the middle for Kemar Roofe to blast into the roof of the net for his fifth of the season.
Hagi should have had another assist two minutes later when his cross from the left this time from a cleared corner found the head of the unmarked Balogun who headed just wide. Morelos then brought a smart save out of Stryjek from 20-yards, while Roofe should have had another when Morelos intercepted high-up and laid the ball of for his fellow striker, but one-one-one, Stryjek came out on top.
The goalkeeper again denied Roofe on the end of an Aribo cross, but he was at fault for the second goal on 63 minutes.
Once more, Rangers’ press was to catch out Livingston, with Morelos the one to again intercept them trying to play out from the back. He stepped inside the attentions of Jack Fitzwater after doing so, and lashed the ball into the back of the net to hand his side a cushion for his fourth of the campaign.
The goalkeeper redeemed himself 12 minutes later with a super stop to deny Goldson a certain goal on the end of a ball from James Tavernier, the skipper having replaced Patterson for his 299th outing for the club.
The Light Blues retained the ball well to secure in the end, comfortable progression to the semi-finals in November, with their opponents to be confirmed following tomorrow evening’s other two quarter-final ties.
RANGERS: McLaughlin, Patterson (Tavernier, 62), Goldson, Balogun, Bassey, Aribo (Arfield, 76), Lundstram, Kamara, Roofe (Fashion Jr, 77), Morelos (Bacuna, 70), Wright (Hagi, 46).
SUBS NOT USED: McGregor, Davis, Barker, Barisic.
LIVINGSTON: Stryjek, Devlin, Obileye, Fitzwater, Penrice, Holt, Omeonga, Lewis (McMillan, 45), Bailey, Montano (Forrest, 59), Shinnie (Anderson, 70).
SUBS NOT USED: Barden, Longridge, Pittman, Panayiotou, Hamilton, Kelly.
REFEREE: Don Robertson
ATTENDANCE: 35,779
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