All the goals as Ferguson gets first Rangers win in six-goal thriller

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

Barry Ferguson rode an emotional rollercoaster as Rangers recovered from two goals down against Kilmarnock to deliver victory in his first Scottish Premiership game as interim manager.

Upon his appointment as Philippe Clement's successor on Monday, the Ibrox icon said he thought his dream of leading his beloved Rangers was long gone.

Inside 15 minutes, it threatened to be something of a nightmare.

Naming an unchanged side from Clement's last game against St Mirren on Saturday, the issues which plagued the Belgian's tenure bundled into this new dawn.

Clueless at a corner, the Rangers defence allowed Joe Wright to roam free at the back post and force in the opener for Derek McInnes' side at Rugby Park.

Centre-back pairing Clinton Nsiala and Robin Propper were terrorised by the Ayrshire side's front two of Bobby Wales and Marley Watkins, but it was captain Brad Lyons who lasered them into a two-goal lead.

Seeing enough, Ferguson hooked French defender Nsiala before the half-hour mark. In hindsight, it was a game-changing move.

Vaclav Cerny, one of the consistent bright sparks in an otherwise inconsistent campaign, slotted a cool and composed finish to the near-side of Kieran O'Hara to halve the deficit before the break.

What Ferguson said during his first half-time team talk is unknown, but, whatever words of wisdom the former Rangers captain delivered, they made an impact.

Cyriel Dessers cleverly connected to a corner to nod through O'Hara and haul Rangers level, before executing a spectacular effort that dropped over his shoulder.

Once ahead, victory was rarely in doubt for Rangers, though Nedim Bajrami's strike on the end of a devastating breakaway ensured the Ferguson era would kick off with a win.

It leaves Rangers 13 points behind leaders Celtic in the Premiership. Kilmarnock drop down to 10th, seven points clear of bottom side St Johnstone.

Electric Kilmarnock run out of steam

Getting the better of Rangers at Rugby Park is nothing new for Kilmarnock, but rarely have they dominated them in the manner they did early on here.

Pre-match McInnes said he expected Rangers to come flying out of the traps. But the visitors were still tying their shoelaces when Kilmarnock were alive and kicking.

The forward pair of Wales and Watkins took advantage of a terrible start by centre-back pair Nsiala and Propper.

Though a two-goal lead was the stuff of dreams, it should have been more with countless chances squandered. And that wastefulness came back to bite them.

McInnes, too, will be disappointed defensively by all four goals, but by the time the third and fourth went in, his side were flat on their feet.

Resurgent Rangers show steely side

When Rangers lost in Ayrshire in October, now-coach Billy Dodds said on Sportsound that the attitude of the visitors was "miles off it".

While slow to get going again on Wednesday, the Ibrox side responded to ease the pressure they were already piling on interim manager Ferguson.

Given recent showing, it wouldn't have been far-fetched to fear for Rangers when they went 2-0 down. This is a squad who have often taken fright in adversity and struggled with setbacks. That wasn't the case in Ayrshire.

After Nsiala departed, they regrouped. From then, they were resurgent.

Earlier in the season, Dodds said it the performance at Rugby Park proved Rangers had "regressed". This, though, was a performance where they showed they have progressed.

As the game went on, they looked stronger, with a bit of steel and filled with a confidence that's been missing.

Now, it's about showing this wasn't just a new manager bounce. Consistency will be key for Ferguson and Rangers.

What they said

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "I thought we started the game the way we needed to. I thought it could have been more.

"It's difficult to maintain that level of energy and aggression and organisation and sometimes Rangers are good enough to pick through you.

"I'm disappointed with some of the decision making, how excited we got when we needed to stay calm."

Interim Rangers manager Barry Ferguson: "It was a horrendous start. We looked a bit nervy all over the pitch, a bit timid, but that's natural given they've come in for a fair bit of criticism.

"Maybe we gave them too much information, because after going two goals down, we got a bit of grip in the game.

"Then, we were different class in the second half, with the type of Rangers performance I expect to see."

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