Lizzie Arnot was on the scoresheet in the first half for Malky Thomson’s side, with goals after the interval from Kirsty Howat, Brogan Hay and Kayla McCoy putting the seal on an emphatic victory for the Light Blues.
From Tuesday evening’s UEFA Women’s Champions League game against Benfica, Thomson named five changes to his squad with Fife, Watson, Arnot and Howat coming into the starting line-up, as Maddie Nolf made her debut for the club.
Rangers took just five minutes to engineer their first opportunity of the afternoon. Brogan Hay flicked intelligently onto Sam Kerr inside the penalty area who scooped a volley into the grateful arms of the Motherwell goalkeeper.
Thomson’s side had control of the early stages and went close again when Nicola Docherty’s curling right-footed effort was saved.
Howat and Arnot almost combined to open the scoring on 19 minutes. The former flashed the ball across goal where only the deftest of interventions from the visiting goalkeeper took the ball away from the lurking Arnot.
Sam Kerr steered a volley over from the edge of the penalty area minutes later as the Light Blues cranked up the pressure.
Emma Watson was picked out in-behind the Motherwell defence on 20 minutes, steering her effort off target, before the home side broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark.
Debutant Nolf delivered an unerring cross into the penalty area where Arnot broke free to cushion a cool finish beyond Emily Mutch in the Motherwell goal.
The pair combined in the 37th minute to almost double Rangers’ lead. Nolf’s cross was met at the far post by the Gers attacker, arrowing her header inches wide of the goal.
The hosts emerged for the second half with renewed intent, doubling their advantage inside 90 seconds of the restart. Docherty fired an effort from the edge of the penalty area that ricocheted through to Howat who, in acres of space inside the six-yard area, produced a clever backheel finish.
Thomson’s side added a third minutes later to cap off a terrific start to the second period. Watson burst beyond the Motherwell defence line before squaring the ball across to Hay, who collected her pass before rifling a powerful finish into the bottom corner.
The Light Blues were keen to further press home their advantage, with Nolf standing up a dangerous cross towards the back post that Emma Lawton was forced to head away for a corner.
Lisa Martinez had an opportunity to add a fourth goal for the Gers as she met Arnot’s floated corner, steering her header agonisingly over the crossbar.
Colette Cavanagh, on as a second half substitute, tested her luck from distance with the ball flying just wide of the Motherwell goal.
Jenna Fife was then forced into producing a fine diving stop from London Pollard when the Motherwell attacker arrowed an effort from distance that was heading towards the top corner.
Kayla McCoy added Rangers’ fourth of the game in added time as the Gers now head to Portugal to face SL Benfica in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier in midweek.
RANGERS: Fife, Docherty (McLauchlan, 67), Middag, Hay (Mclean, 74), Howat (McCoy, 74), Arnot (Cavanagh, 74), Cornet, Martinez, Kerr, Wolf, Watson (Orschmann, 67)
Unused Subs: Esson, Danielsson, McLeary, Gray
MOTHERWELL: Mutch, Lawton, Inglis, Addie, Watson, Anderson (McDonald-Ngauh, 67), Ronald (Anderson, 67), Rice, Boyce (Halpin, 75), Rafferty (Pollard, 59), Gardner (Hay, 59)
Unused Subs: Anderson, Andrews, McDonald-Nguah
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