PEDRO CAIXINHA marked his first game in charge of Rangers with a comfortable 4-0 win over Hamilton Accies at Ibrox.
Goals from Emerson Hyndman, Clint Hill, Martyn Waghorn and Lee Wallace clinched all three points for the Gers to ensure they kept Aberdeen in their sights.
Boss Caixinha was given a warm welcome by the home crowd as he took to the dugout for the first time following his appointment last weekend.
In the Broomloan Stand, a banner read ‘Thanks for your efforts Graeme Murty. Welcome to the world’s most successful football club Pedro’.
The Portuguese made just one change from the side that drew with Celtic as Jon Toral replaced Lee Hodson and he would have been pleased with a bright start from the Light Blues.
Rangers were on the front foot from the off and Barrie McKay had their first attempt on goal as keeper Gary Woods saved his sliced effort after Waghorn combined well with Kenny Miller.
The winger should have had an assist to his credit after 15 minutes as he worked space for himself inside the area and found Jason Holt but his shot was scooped over the bar.
It was one way traffic as Accies posed little threat and Waghorn was next to try his luck as he spun smartly and burst into the box. Woods denied him with a good low save but the opening goal was coming.
With 26 minutes on the clock, Rangers finally broke the deadlock. James Tavernier raced down the right flank and squared the ball to Miller, who quickly gave him it back as the defender continued his run.
When Tavernier picked out Hyndman, the American made no mistake as he beat Woods with a neat finish to get the Caixinha era off and running.
It was shaping up to be a long afternoon for Martin Canning and his players. Ali Crawford forced Wes Foderingham into action with an acrobatic effort but the visitors were struggling to assert themselves in the match.
With five minutes left of the first half, the points were secured. Toral was the provider this time as he swung in a free-kick from the right and Hill was on the hand to convert from a couple of yards.
Rangers picked up where they left off after the break and soon extended their lead. Tavernier saw his free-kick whistle just over the bar but the Gers didn’t have to wait long for their third of the afternoon as Waghorn converted from the spot after he had been fouled by Massimo Donati.
It was job done for Rangers as they cruised towards victory. Miller was denied by Woods before Caixinha made his first change as Joe Garner replaced McKay.
The Portuguese soon had another goal to celebrate. Miller and Waghorn again combined and it was Wallace who finished this time, the captain meeting a neat flick from Waghorn and firing the ball beyond Woods to add a deserved shine to the score line.
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