It was goals from Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell which spread the Christmas cheer among the Rangers contingent, with both goals arriving in the opening 20 minutes amid a backdrop of gale-force winds and rain in North Lanarkshire.
In doing so, the triumph made it seven wins on the spin for Philippe Clement’s side, with the Gers boss stretching his unbeaten run to 16 games since his appointment in October.
Indeed, it was seven years since the Gers had contested a fixture on Christmas Eve, with a Brad McKay own goal delivering a 1-0 victory for Mark Warburton’s side at Ibrox over Inverness in 2016.
Although the horrendous weather conditions inside Fir Park appeared as if it would inhibit slick football, Rangers wasted precious little time in cutting through the hosts with a move of supreme quality to break the deadlock. Motherwell were always dicing with danger as they looked to build out from defence, triggering Rangers into action when Harry Paton took a loose touch and it was seized upon by Kieran Dowell, who took it upon himself to play a delicious give-and-go with Cyriel Dessers before rifling a cultured finish high into Liam Kelly’s goal.
It was one-way traffic in Lanarkshire as the Light Blues continued to pose questions of the Steelmen both from open play and dead ball situations. Connor Goldson was next to go close for Clement’s side when a headed clearance was only nodded dangerously up in the air, but the Englishman couldn’t quite generate the purchase required to plant his header beyond Kelly.
Rangers soon gave themselves a cushion in the contest with only 16 minutes having elapsed. Again, Stuart Kettlewell’s side couldn’t live with the dynamic movement of the Gers when Ridvan’s delivery was chested into the path of Todd Cantwell by Abdallah Sima, with the English midfielder sweeping a gorgeous finish into the bottom corner.
Motherwell’s first foray into the Gers defensive third ended with a Callum Slattery drive trickling wide of Jack Butland’s post, but there was very little in the way of pressure from the home side in the opening period.
In fact, the visitors were close to adding a third before the half-hour mark when Dessers was released beyond the Motherwell rearguard only for Kelly to be equal down low to his left-footed strike.
The Gers Academy graduate was certainly being kept warm in the Steelmen’s goal as his diving save thwarted Ross McCausland’s driven effort across goal moments later. The rebound ricocheted in the direction of Dessers but the Nigerian swiped at mid-air as the ball travelled quickly in his vicinity.
Cantwell thought he had added his second of the contest on the stroke of the interval when he exquisitely met a headed clearance on the edge of the penalty area, with Kelly – again – prompted into a smart diving stop to tip the ball round for a corner.
Into the second half and it was no surprise that the home side emerged with a point to prove after being comfortably second best in the opening 45 minutes. The Gers defence had been otherwise unengaged in the first half, but they were put on the back foot when Leon Balogun made a smart intervention at the near post from Georgie Gent’s low delivery.
Rangers had been reduced to moments, rather than clear-cut opportunities, as the second half wore on. A gap opened up in the Motherwell defence as Cantwell picked up the ball in the centre of the pitch, although the midfielder’s pass intended for Sima was slightly overhit.
Clement rung the changes as he looked to inject energy back into his side’s play; firstly through the introduction of Rabbi Matondo, before Scott Wright and Sam Lammers replaced Cantwell and McCausland.
For as long as the game remained 2-0, Motherwell continued to grow in confidence as they looked to reduce the arrears. A stramash in the Gers penalty area almost allowed Stephen O’Donnell to steal in at the far post, although Butland used all his experience to smother the ball and alleviate the danger for Clement’s side.
The Light Blues looked to put the game to bed with eight minutes remaining when a slaloming run from Ridvan released Dessers in-behind the Motherwell defence to finish smartly under Kelly, but the linesman was quick to raise his flag to curb the Gers celebrations.
Matondo’s eyes then lit up as the game ticked into stoppage time as he raced away from the Steelmen defence, although he was held up as he entered the penalty area before the home side smothered the danger.
Any subsequent pressure from the Lanarkshire outfit was fleeting as the four minutes of additional time elapsed, ushering in a Christmas full of joy for the Rangers supporters.
MOTHERWELL: Kelly, Spencer, O’Donnell, Mugabi (McGinn, 45), Blaney, Gent, Slattery (Bair, 84), Zdravkovski, Paton (Shaw, 62), Spittal, Biereth
Subs not used: Oxborough, Obika, Wells, L. Ross, M. Ross, Wilkinson
RANGERS: Butland, Tavernier, Goldson (Souttar, 84), Balogun, Ridvan, Sterling, Dowell (King, 84), Cantwell (Lammers, 70), McCausland (Wright, 70), Sima (Matondo, 62), Dessers
Subs not used: McCrorie, Devine, Yfeko, Rice
REFEREE: David Dickinson