Motherwell looked dead and buried when Scott McDonald opened the scoring in the second-half but Paul Quinn’s equaliser for the Steelmen with only eight minutes remaining means the Light Blues are now in pole position on goal difference with twelve games remaining.
Rangers are now the team to catch and their unbeaten run in 2009 has extended to nine games following the victory over Killie who were handed a glimmer of hope on this particular visit to Ibrox.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Hamill made the most of poor defending to open the scoring for Jim Jefferies’ team after only 16 minutes but three goals in the space of five minutes from Boyd and Miller – who bagged a quickfire double – midway through the first-half calmed any nerves.
Rangers returned to full strength with Barry Ferguson and Portuguese star Pedro Mendes pulling the strings in the centre of midfield while teenager John Fleck was on the left flank.
Kirk Broadfoot also came back in at right back having recovered from the foot injury he suffered in last Sunday’s Old Firm game.
The home side started confidently and enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening ten minutes.
During this spell Boyd tested Alan Combe with a right foot shot from 12 yards across the keeper and followed that up with a similar effort on his left side moments later.
After quarter of an hour Killie’s players had rarely touched the ball but they were to silence the Ibrox faithful with a well worked opener
The defending was poor to say the least with Garry Hay getting behind Broadfoot and the winger’s cross found Hamill who gleefully put the ball in to the net from six yards.
The goals was against the run of play and Ally McCoist had the look of a crazed madman in the technical area as he let his feelings known to his defence who were caught napping.
After a few minutes of panic it was not a surprise when Rangers equalised on 29 minutes.
Mendes launched a deep corner to the back post and when Bougherra nodded the ball in to the danger area who else but Boyd was there to smash the ball home from ten yards.
It was the striker’s 13th career goal against his old club and it got his side out of a difficult position.
With Killie’s confidence rapidly evaporating the Light Blues took full advantage and went on to score two more in the five minutes that followed.
Having bagged a double at Station Park midweek Kenny Miller continued his hot streak with a terrific piece of opportunism for his Rangers’ second and his tenth goal of the campaign.
A long pass was flicked on by Boyd but Frazer Wright looked to be intercepting the pass to the on-rushing Miller.
The big defender took one touch but Kenny nipped in before drilling a fantastic left-foot shot beyond the helpless Combe.
60 seconds later and the Scotland star was at it again.
Mendes was the provider when he spotted Miller unmarked in the Killie 18-yard box and he again showed great composure to shrug off his marker before curling a low shot with the outside of his right boot beyond the beleaguered visiting keeper.
The visitors were now in freefall and the fact Kevin Kyle and Manuel Pascali almost came to blows on the half way line before the game resumed underlined their frustration.
Killie would have been glad to see referee Brian Winter blow the whistle for the interval and no doubt Walter Smith and Super Ally told their players in the Dressing Room to retain a level of focus and not ship any silly goals in the manner they did in the opening period.
Neither manager made any changes for the restart but Killie, as expected, showed a determination to get back in to the game with Rangers stepping off the gas and protecting their lead.
This tactic almost proved costly on 54 minutes when the midfield stood off Hamill and his low effort from 30 yards brought out a brilliant diving stop from McGregor.
15 minutes in to the second-half and there was not much to write about from Rangers perspective, in fact the first roar from the home support arrived when McCoist told Spanish teenager Aaron to get prepared for going on.
As the youngster warmed up in front of the Main Stand Mendes treated the fans to a magnificent piece of skill on the left-flank before Bougherra tried to emulate the midfielder on the right to which he received a somewhat sarcastic applause.
The first substitution of the game came on 68 minutes and it was Fleck that made way for Aaron who immediately sprinted over to the left side of midfield.
Jeffries then made an alteration to his team with Mehdi Taouil replacing Gavin Skelton.
Aaron made an immediate impact and after only four minutes on the pitch he sprinted past Grant Murray and played a teasing cross which Wright booted out for a corner under pressure.
Kyle Lafferty was then introduced to the game for Boyd and the Northern Ireland star was to show flashes of his quality in the latter stages.
Miller had a chance to bag his third goal of the game with two minutes remaining when he cut inside from the right but his left foot effort was brilliantly blocked by Simon Ford.