RANGERS dug out the three points at McDiarmid Park tonight in the Scottish Premiership with Glen Kamara’s early strike the difference between the two sides.
On a heavy pitch, the Light Blues fought hard for the victory in the Fair City with the clean sheet also a welcome bonus for the visitors on the night.
Manager Gio van Bronckhorst named one change to his side for tonight’s match - from the side which faced Motherwell on Sunday, Leon Balogun came in for Fashion Jr.
That meant it was a back five of Allan McGregor in goal with James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Balogun and Calvin Bassey in front of him.
John Lundstram, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo were in the middle of the park, with Scott Arfield and Ryan Kent playing in support of Alfredo Morelos.
Gers began with plenty of intent and endeavour, and inside two minutes, Goldson flicked on a Tavernier header at the front post, but there were no takers for the Light Blues.
That was just to be a taste of things to come for Gers, and they opened the scoring just a minute later. Goldson this time began the move, bringing the ball over halfway before playing a lovely ball into the path of Morelos, who was stationed centrally, 25-yards out from goal.
To his right, came the lung-bursting run of Glen Kamara, with Morelos superbly flicking the ball over the Saints defence for the Finnish international to run onto and plant beyond Elliot Parish for his third of the season.
A Morelos snapshot from an acute angle came back off the front post as Gers threatened again, while Bassey saw a shot whistle not too far wide at the end of one of those powerful runs of his.
Morelos had another strike from distance go just over, while McGregor held on well to a Jacob Butterfield drive from distance at the other end as Saints threatened properly for the first time five minutes before the break.
There was time for Arfield to send one just over from 15-yards when put in by another neat Morelos lay-off, while Kent also put a lob from the edge of the area just over.
Gers started the second half with Morelos getting a header on target from a Kent cross that Parish gathered, while Aribo also brought a save out of the goalkeeper, pinging an excellent first-time effort on goal on the end of a Lundstram ball with Parish again equal to it.
Brilliant Aribo play put Arfield in for a shot from 10-yards out, and while Parish made a super save to deny him, the referee deemed only a goal kick to be the award.
Aribo had another effort on the turn from outside the box go wide, while Lundstram fired a loose ball from a Tavernier delivery over.
Goldson then had a headed goal chalked off when he was in an offside position to finish an excellent Tavernier free-kick delivery.
Saints failed to threaten Gers in what remained of the game as they saw it out comfortably in the end to take the three points back down the A9.
It’s on now to face Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday as the club mark their 150th anniversary.
RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey, Kamara, Aribo, Lundstram, Arfield, Kent, Morelos.
SUBS NOT USED: McLaughlin, Zukowski, Barisic, King, Sands, Lowry, Wright, Roofe, Fashion Jr.
ST JOHNSTONE: Parish, Brown, McCart, Gordon, Sang, Gallacher, Butterfield, Hallberg (O’Halloran, 84), Crawford (MacPherson, 78), Hendry (Bair, 84), Ciftci (May, 76).
SUBS NOT USED: Sinclair, Cleary, Gilmour, Mahon, Craig.
REFEREE: Willie Collum.