RANGERS made it 10 goals in two Scottish Premiership matches with a 4-2 Ibrox defeat of Ross County this afternoon.
After going behind early on, Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent, Juninho Bacuna and an own goal had the hosts well ahead before County hit a late consolation.
Boss Gerrard named five changes - Calvin Bassey, John Lundstram, Bacuna, Ianis Hagi and Kent all came in today in place of Borna Barisic, Steven Davis, Glen Kamara, Alfredo Morelos and Scott Arfield.
That meant it was a back five of Allan McGregor in goal with James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun and Bassey in front of him.
Lundstram and Bacuna came into midfield next to Joe Aribo, while Kent and Hagi played in support of Fashion Jr.
On the bench, there was a welcome return for Ryan Jack after almost nine months out. Gers started well, and Hagi was denied inside three minutes in by a fine front-post block, but on five minutes, County grabbed the lead.
Regan Charles-Cook won the ball in midfield and played it forward into the feet of Joseph Hungbo – he looked well offside as Goldson and Balogun pushed up, but the flag of the Main Stand-side assistant remained down and the attacker finished well past McGregor.
The home side responded with Bacuna dancing a path into the area and being denied well by ‘keeper Ash Maynard-Brewer before the equaliser arrived on 19 minutes.
After narrowly missing out on connecting to a Kent corner minutes before, Joe Aribo netted from a near-post glance across Maynard-Brewer on a Tavernier corner to level the scores.
Harry Clarke made a stunning, last-ditch tackle to prevent Fashion Jr making it 2-1, but seconds later, on the half-hour mark, Ryan Kent announced his return in phenomenal style.
He was having such a lively impact to the Rangers performance already, but he took the ball on his left, shifted it onto his right, and 25-yards from goal, unleashed this incredible, dipping strike which went over Maynard-Brewer and found the top corner.
Bacuna and Aribo both tested the goalkeeper with efforts from distance soon after, but 2-1 is how it remained going into the break.
The second half began with Gers playing at a ferocious pace, and they grabbed a third on 49 minutes through Juninho Bacuna’s first for the club.
Brilliant interplay out on the left ended with Aribo laying it off for Bacuna on the edge of the area to rifle a drive high into the roof of the net.
Hagi came close to number four with a strike which whizzed just past, while Tavernier ought to have grabbed one when more terrific Aribo play put him through.
Number four did arrive on the hour mark, however, thanks to an own-goal from Alex Iacovitti.
A superb cross from James Tavernier was just to good for the County defence to deal with, and the big defender turned it past his goalkeeper before a blue shirt inevitably would have.
Maynard-Brewer denied sub Kemar Roofe well, while Fashion Jr found the side-netting with a 25-yard effort, while Bacuna nearly grabbed a second with another dipping effort from distance that only just cleared the crossbar.
Maynard-Brewer somehow denied Roofe when County played themselves into all sorts of bother, but the visitors pulled another back on 88 minutes as Jordan White powered an effort past McGregor.
Maynard-Brewer made another fine stop to deny Roofe again as Gers chased a fifth but 4-2 is how it finished as the home side claimed another three Scottish Premiership points going into the international break.
RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun (Patterson, 71), Bassey, Aribo, Lundstram (Jack, 71), Bacuna, Hagi, Fashion Jr, Kent (Roofe, 60).
SUBS: McLaughlin, Kamara, Morelos, Arfield.
ROSS COUNTY: Maynard-Brewer, Randall, Baldwin, Paton, Callachan (Samuel, 84), Iacovitti, Charles-Cook, Burroughes (Spittal, 45), Clarke, Tillson, Hungbo (White 72).
SUBS: Laidlaw, Vokins, Robertson, Watson.
REFEREE: David Munro
ATTENDANCE: 49,222
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