The Firhill side are yet to record a league victory this term but they had enough chances here to win at least two games.
The win was Rangers’ first success in the SPL in more than a month and was a much-needed fillip ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Old Trafford.
With Celtic extending their lead at the top of the table to eight points before this match had even kicked off, Alex McLeish’s revamped side knew they could ill afford to slip-up against bottom-place Thistle.
Stefan Klos, Henning Berg, Michael Ball, Arteta and Michael Mols were all re-introduced to the starting line while Shota Arveladze and Zuran Khizanishvili had to settle for places on the subs bench as Gers pushed forward from kick-off.
Within seven minutes they were in front. Peter Lovenkrands’ run was halted illegally by David Lilley and Arteta struck a sweet free kick into the roof of the net.
After Celtic’s five-goal thrashing of Kilmarnock earlier in the day, Rangers required further strikes to bolster their own flagging goal difference and the rest of the half was one-way traffic.
Remarkably it was the visitors and not their hosts who were doing all the attacking as the Light Blues took their foot off the gas and allowed Thistle to dominate.
Only a combination of poor finishing and last-gasp defending denied Collins’ men the equaliser their play had deserved.
Jamie Mitchell shot wide after a loose ball from Craig Moore, John-Paul McBride fired a free kick over the top and David Lilley headed wide as Partick peppered Stefan Klos’ goal with an assortment of headers and half-chances.
The fulcrum of their attacks, however, was James Grady. The man dubbed the “crazy Celtic fan” by Lorenzo Amoruso last year following the infamous spitting incident at Somerset Park was the sole striker in Thistle’s 4-5-1 formation and put in a efficient shift in a thankless role.
His turn and shot after 26 minutes had Klos scrambling to concede a corner before Grady’s neat header from Ricky Waddell’s cross drifted narrowly wide.
With Rangers unable to get hold of the ball in the centre of the park, McLeish reacted by hauling off Egil Ostenstad shortly after the half-hour markand playing Arveladze in a deeper role.
Within seven minutes the switch paid off as Rangers, against the run of play it has to be said, doubled their lead with a fantastic move.
Ball stabbed a knee-high ball through to Mols and the Dutch striker controlled it with his right foot before slamming home a fierce volley with his left.
It was probably more than Rangers deserved at this stage but lady luck wasn’t entirely on their side.
Fernando Ricksen and Christian Nerlinger both hobbled off with injuries – Khizanishvili and Stephen Hughes were the replacements – and, alongside Ostenstad’s early removal from the action, meant McLeish had committed all three substitutes before the teams had even departed for their half-time cup of tea.
With Mols doubled over with the flu and Arteta clutching his shoulder, Rangers’ patched-up unit in the second period resembled a scene from a Vietnam movie where every casualty was forced to struggle on regardless of their ailments.
Thistle – perhaps sensing their moment of glory had passed – were a pale imitation of the side that had forced Rangers on to the back foot in the opening period and Klos was a virtual spectator after the break.
Admittedly, the Light Blues were only marginally more potent but at least they were at least creating chances, with Nuno Capucho heading straight at Kenny Arthur, Hughes trundling in a low shot and Arveladze blazing over.
With the game seemingly drifting to its inevitable conclusion, Rangers cut another break when they were awarded a penalty after 75 minutes when substitute Jean-Yves Anis was adjudged to have blocked the run of Peter Lovenkrands.
It seemed a soft award but it mattered not to Arteta who swept the ball past Arthur for Rangers’ third.
Thistle finally got the goal they deserved – the hard-working Grady firing home from 12 yards – but it was too little too late for the Jags.
Rangers got the win McLeish had asked for but they will have to be a lot more convincing when they travel to Old Trafford on Tuesday.
RANGERS (4-4-2): 1 Klos; 2 Ricksen (Khizanishvili 18), 25 Berg, 3 Moore, 18 Ball; 20 Capucho, 8 Nerlinger (Hughes 45), 23 Arteta, 11 Lovenkrands; 10 Mols, 9 Ostenstad (Arveladze 35)
Subs not used: McGregor, Vanoli
Booked: Moore (29), Ball (31)
PARTICK THISTLE (4-5-1): 12 Arthur; 2 Lilley (Anis 74), 5 Murray, 4 Whyte, 6 Milne; 7 Mitchell, 10 Rowson, 18 Fleming (Ross 62), 14 McBride (Gemmill 70), 23 Waddell; 16 Grady
Subs not used: Mikkelsen, Madaschi
Booked: Lilley (36), Fleming (44), Arthur (76), Murray (81), Mitchell (87)
Man of the Match: Mikel Arteta