Kevin Kelsy scored twice as Rangers swept aside St Johnstone 4-0 at Ibrox to move within a point of Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic.
Derek McInnes’s side shrugged off the wild weather to return to winning ways after last weekend’s draw at Dundee, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches.
Rangers controlled the first half, but wasteful finishing and several impressive saves from Toby Steward initially frustrated the hosts.
The breakthrough arrived shortly before the half-hour mark.
Kim Min-Su split the St Johnstone defence with an excellent pass to Ryan Naderi, who squared for Kelsy to finish.
Kim almost added a second with a strike from 20 yards that clipped the outside of the post, while Steward produced a fine stop to prevent Kelsy from doubling his tally.
St Johnstone offered little going forward before the interval, although Josh Fowler squandered a promising opening by shooting into the side-netting after being sent through against Ivor Pandur.
The visitors improved after the restart and briefly put Rangers under pressure, but Naderi eased the tension inside Ibrox by tapping in after Steward could only parry another Kim effort.
Kelsy then claimed his second, arriving at the back post to convert Emmanuel Fernandez’s flick-on from a corner.
St Johnstone’s afternoon deteriorated further when substitute Kai Fotheringham was dismissed following a VAR review for a studs-up challenge on Nico Raskin.
Rangers completed the scoring when Djeidi Gassama set up fellow substitute Tochi Chukwuani to make it four.
Rangers’ Strike Partnership Builds Momentum
Kelsy and Naderi gave St Johnstone’s defence a difficult afternoon, combining physical presence with tireless running and increasingly effective link-up play.
Naderi’s decision to set up the opening goal demonstrated their growing understanding, and both forwards left with goals to strengthen their confidence.
They also benefited from strong support out wide.
Badredine Bouanini threatened when cutting inside from the right onto his left foot, while Kim was central to Rangers’ best attacking moments.
The South Korean helped create the first two goals, struck the post and repeatedly unsettled the visitors with his movement and passing.
Apart from a brief spell of pressure early in the second half, Rangers were comfortable and could have won by an even greater margin.
Missed Opportunities Cost St Johnstone
Simo Valakari wanted his players to retain an attacking threat despite the pressure they expected to face, but St Johnstone struggled to put that approach into practice before half-time.
Their strongest spell came after the break, when they created opportunities without finding the finish needed to change the contest.
Fotheringham could not capitalise on an excellent Jamie Gullan cross, while Taylor Steven passed up the chance to shoot after breaking into the penalty area with only Pandur to beat.
Enes Alic also tested the Rangers goalkeeper with a dipping effort from 35 yards.
However, Naderi’s goal ended that promising spell, and St Johnstone struggled to respond as Rangers pulled clear.
Fotheringham’s dismissal compounded a difficult afternoon for the visitors.
Rangers manager Derek McInnes: "First half we were very good. The only frustration was we took too long to get the first goal and we should be more than a goal to the good at half-time.
"We didn't want to let that frustration get the better of us. St Johnstone changed their approach, played forward quicker and we looked a bit slow to get going [in the second half].
"The scoreline was just about right because of chances created. It's a learning curve for us. It's hard to maintain levels, but the first half was as good as we've been for a while.
"We're in good form, we're slowly but surely chalking up wins. You go to any game expecting to get a result. We know it will be tough [at Tynecastle] but we want to make it tough for them as well."
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari: "Disappointing result, no complaints. Rangers deserved to win.
"We could not handle. We changed a couple of things for the second half and played very well for the first 15 minutes. When you get your chances, you have to take them. We did not and with the quality of the opponent, they will take their chances and it's game over.
"I've seen [the red card] quickly and I think Kai is a little bit unlucky. He wins the ball but the follow through is high and caught the opponent. No complaints there."
