Goals either side of the interval from James Tavernier and Glen Kamara powered the Light Blues to a fifth successive win in all competitions, teeing the team up nicely for their trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts on Wednesday evening.
The triumph similarly marked a fourth clean sheet under Beale following on from last weekend’s Scottish Cup victory over the same opponents at McDiarmid Park.
It was an afternoon where the Light Blues peppered the St. Johnstone goal, recording 21 shots that is higher than their season average for attempts at goal in the league this term. Indeed, Rangers registered 11 shots on target on Saturday alone, and it’s fair to conclude that it could have been a more comfortable contest if it wasn’t for an impressive shot-stopping performance from Remi Matthews in the Saints goal.
The Gers also limited their opponents to just a solitary shot on target, owning control of the game even prior to Nicky Clark’s first-half sending off.
In the meantime, Todd Cantwell was handed his first start in a Rangers jersey less than a week after his arrival from Norwich City, with the manager conveying his delight at the midfielder’s display on his Ibrox debut after the victory.
The 24-year-old played a starring role in his side’s second goal of the afternoon, playing the establishing pass into Alfredo Morelos that allowed Glen Kamara to complete a slick move and rubber stamp Rangers’ authority on the match.
However, it was the player who provided the finishing touch in Glen Kamara that was subject of praise from Beale in his post-match interview with RangersTV. “I'm pleased for Glen,” commented the manager after the game. “He's been managing an ankle injury, but I thought that was a stronger performance from him today. It's nice that he's getting in the final third and scoring.”
Indeed, it was the midfielder’s first goal for the Light Blues since his memorable strike over RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi-finals last season, yet it was his all-round midfield display which caught the eye.
The Finland international recorded four touches inside the penalty area, while he also provided a pinpoint through pass for Alfredo Morelos in the first half that Matthews did impressively to thwart as the Colombian unleashed a shot at goal. “He's also looking to pick passes and send people through like he did with Alfredo which is something we're asking him to add to his game,” noted Beale in his post-match interview with RangersTV.
The supply from midfield facilitated a busy performance from Morelos, who recorded six shots and was unfortunate not to grab a goal for his endeavour against an impressive performance from the St. Johnstone goalkeeper.
The Colombian delivered a lovely around-the-corner pass to tee up Kamara in the second half, dropping off the forward line in a manner akin to his contribution in the 2020/21 title-winning campaign. The 26-year-old has now provided four assists since Beale was appointed as manager, tallying a total of eight goal contributions from his last ten appearances.
The care in which Morelos looked after the ball was reflected in his pass accuracy of over 80%, underlining his selfless contribution and ability to trouble the St. Johnstone defence.
Attention now shifts towards Wednesday evening for the Light Blues and a trip to face Hearts at Tynecastle as they look to continue their winning momentum.