If Jim Leishman’s men had thought they would catch the Gers’ with a Euro hangover they were sadly mistaken as every player in a Light Blue jersey looked sharp and determined to get all three points.
Eck only made one change from the team that faced Inter in the San Siro on Wednesday night with Chris Burke replacing Hamed Namouchi.
The flame haired winger had not featured in a match after picking up a knee injury against Anorthosis Famgusta on August 9 but his inclusion, as expected, was warmly received by the Gers’ support prior to kick-off.
Rangers started the match brightly and Burke could have marked his comeback with a first minute goal but he blasted the ball over the bar before volleying another chance wide just four minutes later.
This was, however, a sign of what was to come and the Light Blues took the lead after 14 minutes.
Bernard found space on the left wing and picked out Lovenkrands with a low cross. The Dane missed the ball but Thomas Buffel was on hand at the back post to drill home from close range.
Dunfermline could not find an answer for Bernard’s marauding runs and the former Newcastle United star started the move that almost resulted in Ger’s second goal four minutes later.
The Frenchman played a delightful pass to Buffel who had moved in to a wide position. He looked up and found Lovenkrands in the box but he fired his shot in to the Broomloan Stand.
Pars boss Jim Leishman was as animated as ever on the touchline and his frustration at his side’s inability to keep the ball was evident in the opening half hour.
The Dunfermline players were also starting to show some impatience and defender Yannick Zambernardi was lucky not to find his name in John Underhill’s notebook after a second rash challenge on Burke.
Just when it looked like the visitors would hold out until half-time, Rangers doubled their advantage on 37 minutes.
Kyrgiakos, who was exceptional again throughout the 90 minutes, picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and cut inside before hitting a shot which deflected high into the air before dropping inside the 18 yard box.
Burke trapped the ball superbly before playing a perfect pass to Dado Prso who twisted and turned before slamming a tremendous shot past keeper former Clyde keeper Bryn Halliwell.
The first-half was one way traffic and Ronald Waterreus must have been happy that he had his usual cups of coffee prior to the game to keep him awake.
Leishman, however, elected to change his tactics five minutes in to the second half when he replaced the ineffective Tarachulski with Noel Hunt and it paid dividends on 54 minutes.
Derek Young picked the ball up on the right and his cross was nodded home by the Irishman who made the most of some very poor marking.
For Dunfermline to get a goal so early in the second period was remarkable considering the lack of opportunities they created in the opening 45 minutes and Alex McLeish was left shaking his head in disbelief at his side’s lack of concentration.
He acted swiftly by putting Ross McCormack on for Burke who was perhaps toiling due to his lack of match practise.
A hint of nervousness seemed to creep in to Rangers play following the goal and Ferguson, in particular, tried to use his experience and composure to get his teammates back on track.
It was the manager’s next substitution, however, that was to change the match. He replaced Buffel with Argentinean striker Federico Niero and the 22-year-old made the most of his opportunity by scoring with his first touch!
Fernando Ricksen played a long ball up to Prso who flicked the ball on and the former Almagro striker was perfectly placed to fire the ball high in to the roof of the net.
The goal restored calm within the stadium and the home side made it four on 74 minutes.
McCormack played in a dangerous ball to the right and it fell to Lovenkrands and his right-foot shot from 12 yards slid past Halliwell at the near post.
With Rangers having a three-goal cushion McLeish elected to make is third substitution by taking off Barry Ferguson and giving 17-year-old Alan Lowing his second first-team appearance.
The captain watched the rest of the game from the dug-out with an ice pack on his leg but by this stage the points were already in the bag.
Ross McCormack sealed his side’s victory with five minutes remaining when he nipped in front of the Dunfermline defenders to score his first-league goal after good work again from Bernard.
The youngster then had a great chance to get his second in the last minute when Dado Prso played him in but his 20-yard effort blazed over the goal.
Overall, Alex McLeish will have been delighted with his side’s performance after a gruelling trip to Italy but Dunfermline’s goal after the break would still have been cause for concern.
RANGERS: 25 Waterreus, 2 Ricksen, 3 Bernard, 4 Buffel (23 Nieto 69), 6 Ferguson (51 Lowing 77), 9 Prso, 14 Kyrgiakos, 16 Rodriguez, 17 Burke (44 McCormack 55), 24 Murray 26 Lovenkrands
Subs Not Used: 1 Klos, 5 Andrews, 21 Jeffers, 31 Namouchi,
Bookings: None
DUNFERMLINE: 20 Halliwell, 3 Wilson, 5 McCunnie, 7 Tarachulski (16 Hunt 50), 10 Makel, 11 Young, 15 Zambernardi, 19 Labonte, 6 Thompson, 21 Horsted (9 Burchill 69), 23 Ross
Subs Not Used: 45 Shaw, 25 Campbell, 22 Wilson, 18 Tod, 44 Muir
Bookings: Labonte, Young
Referee: John Underhill
Attendance: 48,374
Man of the Match: Sotirios Kyrgiakos