Hamilton Academical 0-5 Rangers: Visitors close gap on leaders Celtic
- Published
Highlights: Hamilton Academical 0-5 Rangers
Five different scorers helped Rangers sweep aside Hamilton in the Scottish Premiership to extend their unbeaten run to eight games.
Four goals came in the first half, with Ryan Jack, Jermain Defoe, Scott Arfield and James Tavernier all scoring, the latter from the penalty spot.
Substitute Kyle Lafferty completed the rout with a late fifth.
Rangers narrowed the gap to Celtic to five points briefly before the league leaders' win over Motherwell.
Defeat leaves Hamilton four points ahead of bottom club St Mirren.
The home side made two half-time changes and switched to a back five to stem the tide of Rangers attacks, and the damage limitation succeeded before Lafferty's late conversion.
Hamilton did manage to break through Rangers' defence after the break, but Darian MacKinnon was offside as he turned in Tony Andreu's cross.
Midfield balance powers Rangers
Glen Kamara made his third start for Rangers, having established himself in the holding role with a quiet, effective authority.
The 23-year-old is a facilitator, controlling the tempo of Rangers' game, often breaking the lines with his passing, and also allowing Jack to play more assertively and dynamically.
With Arfield playing closer to the central striker Defoe, Rangers were able to command the game against a Hamilton side that started with two up front and a diamond in midfield which included 17-year-old Reegan Mimnaugh making his first start.
Jack had already created a chance for Defoe before opening the scoring himself, curling a shot beyond the reach of Hamilton goalkeeper Gary Woods from 25 yards.
As Hamilton reeled, they conceded again. A minute later, Tavernier swept a deep cross into the penalty area and Defoe scored with a diving header.
Arfield added to the scoresheet with a fiercely-struck effort from distance that whipped just under the crossbar, then Tavernier converted a penalty before the break after Ryan Kent was brought down by Ziggy Gordon.
Hamilton regrouped at half-time, changing shape and reverting to an element of doggedness to stem Rangers. Individuals still had to be alert, and Gordon and Woods both had to intervene to prevent Defoe and Daniel Candeias turning a Rangers counter-attack into a fifth goal.
Complacency was the only real threat to the visitors, although the Hamilton players and staff appealed loudly for a penalty when Joe Worrall cleared with a high boot from George Oakley.
Lafferty wrapped up a Rangers victory with a sure-footed finish from Candeias's cross, as the visitors kept pressing for goals in their pursuit of leaders Celtic, who also have a goal-difference advantage.
Defoe gives his boots to a young fan
Rangers want to destroy teams - analysis
Former Rangers striker and Sportsound pundit Billy Dodds
They were emphatic. They've got this ruthless streak about them just now, maybe since they drew 0-0 with St Johnstone. That result apart, they look clinical, they want to destroy teams, and five different goalscorers as well.
Former Rangers and Scotland winger Neil McCann
Brian Rice has seen something tactically that needed to be addressed [at half-time], he's done it, and it's helped them massively, stopped the gaps, made them a lot more solid. Compliments to Rice and his side for stopping the bleeding and making this more of a contest.