Dundee United 1 (Samuel 67), Rangers 4 (Boyd 3 [30, 53, 82], Prso 29)
Attendance 11,213
Kris Boyd was the man who mattered with his second hat-trick for the Light Blues, taking his goals-per-game total to an impressive thirteen goals in fifteen games.
Rangers travelled to Tayside for today's game fully aware that it had been almost three years since they last secured a win at this venue.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from last Saturday with Ronald Waterreus and Peter Lovenkrands replacing Stefan Klos and Chris Burke against a United side containing two former Ibrox men, namely Derek McInnes and Barry Robson.
A dreadful pitch awaited both teams – and it was the visitors who made all the early running with Thomas Buffel's clever turn and chip from the edge of the box following a Barry Ferguson free-fick slipping inches wide in the second minute.
It was one-way traffic towards the home goal – yet there were precious few clear-cut chances until Dado Prso's header from a Lovenkrands corner in 26 minutes struck the base of the post.
The opening goal was merely delayed three minutes however – Prso cutting inside from the left and beating David McCracken before unleashing a powerful 22-yard drive that left Derek Stillie helpless.
Inside sixty seconds it was 2-0 when Rangers carved open the Tangerines' defence – Prso dispossessing McCracken before finding Barry Ferguson who in turn released Boyd with a slide-rule pass, the striker rifling the ball home.
United at last managed to pose a threat to the Ibrox goal – Collin Samuel twice being denied by Waterreus – firstly when the Dutch goalkeeper held his close-range header in 37 minutes, then when he cut inside on the right only to see his effort turned wide.
Those incidents however were mere aberrations in what was total Rangers' supremacy – and it should have been 3-0 before the interval when Boyd was clean through from a Thomas Buffel pass only to fire over.
Five minutes into the second-half there were loud claims for a penalty from the home fans when Julien Rodriguez clashed with Samuel as he endeavoured to meet a Derek McInnes cross. Referee John Underhill waved play on however – but in any case the United forward appeared to be clearly offside.
All such arguments were incidental however – for three minutes later it was 3-0 when Boyd netted from close range after a Buffel pass had found Prso on the left, the Croatian's first attempt being blocked before he sent over a low cross with his second effort.
The home fans were now pouring out in their droves, fearful of a humiliating drubbing – and it should have been four in 56 minutes when Buffel found Lovenkrands wide right, the Dane's low cross finding Boyd who saw his point-blank effort blocked by Stillie.
United attempted to fight back – Samuel seeing his shot from a Charlie Mulgrew cross beaten away by Waterreus in 62 minutes.
There was no holding Rangers however – and Lovenkrands might have done better three minutes later when he shot into the side-netting from a Ferguson cross. with Boyd lying unmarked in the middle.
Gavin Rae replaced Ferguson immediately thereafter, with that perhaps being the Ibrox Captain's last act of the current campaign.
All against the run of play United reduced the deficit in 67 minutes when a McInnes through-ball saw the outrusing Waterreus collide with Alan Hutton allowing Samuel an easy task to net.
Rangers should have re-established their three-goal advantage almost instantaneously when a Buffel cross found Boyd who somehow headed against a post with the goal gaping.
The former Kilmarnock player finally completed his hat-trick however in 82 minutes when he volleyed home a Buffel corner.
Four minutes later there might have been a fourth for Boyd had Lovenkrands squared the ball instead of blasting his shot against Stillie.
Rangers' most emphatic away win of the season was secure however, and afterwards a relaxed Alex McLeish summed up:
“This was a really fluent performance. We should have scored more goals. We've got the momentum and although Hearts had a great result today they'll be looking over their shoulders.”
United Boss Craig Brewster was honest enough to admit:
“We got a doing. I'm just thankful it was only four. That was Rangers' best performance of the season – they were really hungry today, on what was a disgrace of a pitch.”
DUNDEE UNITED: Stillie; McCracken, Kenneth, Mair, Mulgrew; Samuel, Kerr, McInnes (Duff 71), Robson (Robertson 87); Miller, Fernandez (Cameron 87)
UNUSED SUBS Samson, Archibald, Gardiner, Goodwillie
RANGERS: Waterreus; Hutton, Kyrgiakos, Rodriguez, Smith; Lovenkrands, Ferguson (G. Rae 65), Hemdani, Prso; Buffel, Boyd (Novo 87)
UNUSED SUBS Klos, Ricksen, Andrews, Murray, N'Guessan
REFEREE: John Underhill