Derek McInnes led Rangers to an emphatic 4-0 victory over St Johnstone, as strikers Kevin Kelsy and Ryan Naderi stepped up in the absence of injured forwards. The dominant performance eased the disappointment of a prior draw at Dundee and set up a Scottish Premiership clash with Hearts.
Rangers Dominate St Johnstone 4-0
Rangers bounced back from last weekend’s two-point drop at Dundee by swotting aside St Johnstone in a commanding four-goal display. The match statistics underlined the extent of the home side’s control on the pitch. Rangers accumulated an expected goals tally of 4.57 compared to just 0.58 for St Johnstone, firing 21 shots with nine landing on target and creating eight big chances.
The victory featured a tactical shift by manager Derek McInnes, who opted to bench Djeidi Gassama and deploy a two-striker partnership featuring Kevin Kelsy and Ryan Naderi. The pairing immediately justified the lineup change. Kelsy notched a brace while Naderi contributed both a goal and an assist, spearheading the attack while Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti remained sidelined.
Praise for Kelsy and Naderi From Former Players
Analysing the match, former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday described the outing as a positive 90 minutes as you can get. Former forward Peter Lovenkrands also highlighted the psychological boost the goals provide for the frontline partnership.
Kelsy’s opening goal arrived after he linked up with Naderi. Later in the match, the Venezuelan striker added his second by converting a flick-on from Emmanuel Fernandez off a corner kick. That conversion marked the first time Rangers have scored from a corner all season.
🚨 Rangers strikers find form in 4-0 bounce-back win over St Johnstone- Rangers thrashed St Johnstone 4-0 after dropping points at Dundee- Kevin Kelsy scored twice, Ryan Naderi got a goal and assist- McInnes dropped Djeidi Gassama, played two strikers instead- Pundits… pic.twitter.com/AbaPseYZdl
Set-Piece Delivery Draws Criticism Despite the Win
Despite the lopsided scoreline, set-piece execution remains a point of critique for the squad. Halliday pointed out that the team’s delivery from wide free-kicks and corners has fallen short of last season’s high standards in the absence of regular delivery from James Tavernier.
One of Rangers’ main strengths from last season was set-pieces. Rangers have had countless corners and wide free-kicks this season when it’s not been James Tavernier delivering it. The standard of delivery this year has been really poor from set-pieces. They’ve got Naderi, Kelsy, Fernandez, they’ve got giants to hit but the delivery for the most part hasn’t been good enough.
The breakthrough eventually arrived on the 11th corner of the afternoon when Kelsy finished off Fernandez’s flick-on, offering hope that the team can recapture its aerial threat.
McInnes Prepares for Tynecastle Return
Reflecting on the afternoon, McInnes remarked that the display was as good as we’ve been for a while
as his squad prepares for a Scottish Premiership fixture at Hearts on Wednesday night. The upcoming match marks the manager’s first trip back to Tynecastle since he left Gorgie for Govan during the summer.
Acknowledging the difficulty of the venue, McInnes noted that his team maintained an unbeaten record at Hearts last season but expects a stern test against a side boasting a strong home record.
