this afternoon to annexe the League Cup for a record
24th occasion - and it was a scoreline that, emphatic
enough as it was, could in the final analysis have
been even heavier.
Manager Alex McLeish made one change from Dundee with
Thomas Buffel replacing the injured Marvin Andrews.
Former Ibrox goalkeeper Gordon Marshall's appearance
in today's final saw him most probably achieve the
distinction of becoming the oldest player to play in a
League Cup Final.
Rangers got off to the perfect start in four minutes
when a Buffel pass found Maurice Ross in space, the
full-back chipping the ball over the advancing
Marshall.
As Hampden rocked to the triumphant hymns from the
Light Blue legions amongst the capacity 50,182 crowd,
within a further five minutes it was 2-0 when a Barry
Ferguson cross was deflected away from the waiting
Marshall by the head of Phil O'Donnell - Sotirios
Kyrgiakos heading the ball into an unguarded net for
his first goal for the club.
It looked like a cricket score at this stage - Dado
Prso's solo run in eleven minutes ending with an
eighteen-yard drive that was held by Marshall.
Two minutes later however slackness in the Ibrox
defence enabled David Partridge to reduce the deficit
with a header from a Steven Hammell free-kick, with
goal-hero Kyrgiakos marked absent.
The goal brought the game to life, and for a spell
'Well threatened to make a game of it - but in 33
minutes Rangers' Captain Fernando Ricksen restored the
two-goal deficit when he found the corner of the net
with a 25-yard free-kick with Marshall perhaps at
fault.
Four minutes later Nacho Novo was inches away from
making it 4-1 when he just failed to connect with a
Prso header across the face of goal from a Gregory
Vignal free-kick.
Any hopes 'Well Manager, and former Ibrox legend Terry
Butcher had of resurrecting his team's fortunes
following the interval surely disappeared two minutes
after the restart when Novo beat the offside trap
following a Michael Ball - Dado Prso - Gregory Vignal
move, chipping the ball over the stranded Marshall.
It was all Rangers now - and Barry Ferguson almost got
his name on the scoresheet in 65 minutes with a
thirty-yard drive from a Vignal pass that was parried
by Marshall.
Sixty seconds later Novo rounded Marshall to net from
a Prso through-ball only for the goal to be chalked
off for offside.
An off-the-ball incident between Kyrgiakos and Stephen
Craigan midway through the second-half saw the 'Well
defender collapse in a heap, but in fact television
replays demonstrated that he was blatantly guilty of
simulation.
Alex Rae replaced Vignal in 78 minutes, and four
minutes later Steven Thompson did likewise for Novo.
Kyrgiakos made it 5-1 with his second goal of the
game, a header from a Ricksen corner in 85 minutes.
Two minutes later it was almost six when Prso's run
and deflected shot was partially blocked by Marshall,
Craigan scrambling the ball away from the inrushing
Buffel almost on the line.
"There's only one Davie Cooper," sang the Ibrox
legions as the minutes ticked away towards a Light
Blue triumph with Barry Ferguson named as 'Man Of The
Match', and after the celebrations had died away Alex
McLeish reflected:
"A win first and foremost was the target. We gave
Motherwell the utmost respect - displaying a totally
professional attitude throughout. We won the trophy
the hard way, with Aberdeen away, Celtic and Dundee
United en route.
"Celtic remain the favourites to win the League. There
are a lot of hard games ahead, we're still a young
team and we've still a long way to go.
"I could have walked away after the Treble season, and
to be honest I did consider it, but that's not my
style. When we trailed by seven points after the first
three difficult away games of the season I was a dud
manager. Today doesn't mean I'm a brilliant Manager,
but I'm delighted for everyone at the club."
Terry Butcher was honest enough to admit:
"We got off to a very bad start. The game plan was out
the window. We got back into the game, but the fourth
goal killed us. All credit to Rangers who were real
quality."
RANGERS Waterreus; Ross, Kyrgiakos, Malcolm, Ball;
Buffel, Ricksen, Ferguson, Vignal (A. Rae 78); Prso,
Novo (Thompson 82)
UNUSED SUBS G. Smith, Lovenkrands, Khizanishvili
MOTHERWELL Marshall; Corrigan, Craigan, Partridge,
Hammell; McBride (Quinn 82), Leitch, O'Donnell,
Paterson (Fitzpatrick 63); S. McDonald, Foran
(Clarkson 63)
UNUSED SUBS Corr, Fagan
REFEREE Mike McCurry
Attendance 50,182