RANGERS kept up the pressure on league leaders Celtic with a 3-1 win over Motherwell on Saturday to keep their title hopes alive ahead of a massive week for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players.

An early own goal from Liam Kelly sent the Govan outfit on their way to victory before Leon Balogun’s first-half dismissal sparked a response from the hosts. Ross Tierney’s header levelled the scores before Rangers rallied in the second half, pulling away from their opponents thanks to strikes from Scott Wright and James Tavernier.

It was a job well done for Van Bronckhorst and Co, who now turn their attention towards the first leg of their Europa League semi-final away to RB Leipzig on Thursday evening, and there were plenty of interesting details to consider ahead of the momentous clash.

Here are five things we noticed.

Fashion Statement

With Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe sidelined through injury, much of the pre-match discussion before Saturday’s trip to Fir Park was focused on who would lead the line for Van Bronckhorst’s men. Fans were concerned over where the goals would come from but they needn’t have been.

The Rangers boss opted for a front three of Amad Diallo, Wright and Fashion Sakala and although the triumvirate was reduced to a duo when Diallo had to be brought off in the wake of Leon Balogun’s dismissal, they linked up well to fire the champions to victory.

Sakala, in particular, was crucial to the success. The Zambia internationalist played a crucial role in his side’s second and third goals – it was Sakala’s incisive run and pass that teed up Wright for Rangers’ second, and the 25-year-old won the penalty for the third – but it was his all-round play that caught the eye.

He struggled when taking up a more central role but when he was shifted further out wide, we saw the pacey forward at his best. He stretched the Motherwell defence and looked a real threat when cutting inside and making a beeline towards goal, and Van Bronckhorst will be looking for more of the same from Sakala on Thursday night.

The Wright Stuff

Another player who has been on the fringes of the starting XI at Ibrox, and another who seized his opportunity when it arrived. The one-time Aberdeen winger had a huge hand in the opener at Fir Park as he hurled himself towards the ball and although it will go down as an own goal for Motherwell keeper Liam Kelly, Wright’s determination was a crucial factor.

The inside forward looked a little rusty at times and required the occasional shout from a team-mate to take up the correct positions, but Wright’s willingness to drive with the ball, take on opponents and attack directly proved crucial in this encounter.

He eventually got the goal his play deserved within minutes of the restart and when it arrived, it was well-taken as he drilled the ball low into the bottom corner. Wright tends to split the Rangers fanbase but if he can maintain this level of performance, it won’t be long until the doubters are convinced.

Gio Shuffles The Deck

Any prospect of a Rangers title win this term looks distant, so it was understandable if Van Bronckhorst had one eye on Thursday night’s semi-final first leg against RB Leipzig. The Dutchman took the decision to rest some key players and give others a run-out, and it is a call that paid off for the Ibrox boss.

Five first-team players – Calvin Bassey, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent – were rested for the Premiership encounter in Lanarkshire in a bid to preserve their energy and although Bassey and Aribo were brought on from the bench during the 3-1 win, the break from playing should do the quintet the world of good.

Rangers fans will not have given up hope of retaining their Premiership title but Van Bronckhorst was right to shuffle the deck on this occasion. Winning the league is a big ask and European semi-finals don’t come around very often – being fully prepared for Thursday’s tie simply had to be the priority.

The team selection didn’t matter too much in the end as Rangers coasted to victory but it was a calculated gamble from Van Bronckhorst – and one that worked.

Tinkering Pays Off

When Balogun was given his marching orders for a rash, clumsy tackle on Dean Cornelius, it left Rangers in the lurch a little. Motherwell, emboldened by their numerical advantage, put the visitors under real pressure in the final stages of the first half and made their opponents look very uncomfortable indeed.

Van Bronckhorst opted for a 4-3-2 shape after Balogun’s red, with Sakala and Wright playing more centrally than they had started the game. It didn’t really work as the forwards were bypassed by Motherwell’s defence with ease, leaving Rangers vulnerable out of possession.

That all changed after the restart, though, and Van Bronckhorst deserves credit for finding a solution. Rather than playing with a flat midfield three, Scott Arfield was pushed forward into an attacking midfield role, allowing Wright and Sakala to drift further wide and capitalise on the space in between the full-backs and centre-halves.

It was an approach that paid off almost immediately as Sakala and Wright combined to regain Rangers’ lead two minutes into the second half, and the third goal was another that obviously benefitted in the change in shape.

Mind The Gap

Rangers played the vast majority of the game with 10 men but you wouldn’t have known from watching on from the stand. The fact that they had a lead to defend for almost the entirety of the second half helped as there was little attacking onus placed on them, but the control the visitors exerted over the game was telling.

That a Motherwell team with an extra man toiled so much, particularly in the final third, doesn’t reflect especially well on the rest of the Premiership. If a team in the top six with such a significant advantage can’t make it count, what does that say about the gap between the Old Firm and the rest?