REPORT: Morton 0 Rangers 2

It was Rangers and not local club Morton that had something to toast last night, though, as they raised a glass to three points after running out 2-0 winners at Cappielow.

While the rest of the country honoured the bard, Ton welcomed the league leaders to the Tail of the Bank for a match moved to a Monday evening after being selected for live coverage by BT Sport.

Home expectations were higher than might normally be expected for the visit of such notable and talented opposition, due to the outcome of the most recent meeting between the sides.

But there would be no repeat of December’s surprise 2-2 draw at Ibrox despite a commendable if ultimately unsuccessful effort against Mark Warburton’s men.

Greenock gaffer Jim Duffy selected nine of the 11 players that gained that point in Govan for last night’s return meeting.

Grant Adam was the goalkeeper that afternoon, but he has since departed Sinclair Street with long-serving custodian Derek Gaston back between the sticks.

Whilst Adam was exiting, fan favourite Declan McManus was returning on loan from Fleetwood Town until the end of the season.

And his inclusion in the starting line-up, at the expense of Michael Miller, was the only other personnel change to the team that came up trumps at Ibrox.

There were, though, a few tweaks to the system: Stefan McCluskey was deployed wide on the right rather than up top, with Ross Forbes moved in from that flank to the centre of midfield.

Morton’s setup made for a fascinating tactical battle in the first half, as they worked hard to keep their shape and frustrate Rangers by sitting behind the ball.

With the back four taking care of Gers’ front three, the wide midfielders were tasked with tracking flying full-backs James Tavernier and Lee Wallace.

That left the prospect of Forbes and Joe McKee outnumbered in the middle, three to two against Andy Halliday, Gedion Zelalem, and Nicky Law.

And that’s where McManus came in, dropping off the front in on top of deep-lying playmaker Halliday to even up the numbers.

The first half was an exercise in diligence and discipline, Ton working hard to maintain their shape and limit the visitors’ chances and deny them the early goal they had scored in both prior meetings.

With Duffy constantly orchestrating and organising from the sidelines, it was an approach that was effective for the most part.

It could, though, have fallen down had Kenny Miller steered Tavernier’s clipped cross into the net rather than send a downwards header beyond the right-hand post.

Part of the plan was to seize any opportunity to spring on the counter, and Rangers obliged more frequently than they would’ve liked by cheaply surrendering possession with some slack passing.

As he had been both at Cappielow in September and Ibrox last month, Barr was the main outball, and he threatened down the left in flashes in the first 45.

But Morton managed their first real effort on goal 24 minutes through a set-piece, McKee fizzing in a free-kick from the left-hand side which Wes Foderingham clumsily fumbled wide for a corner.

After struggling to pass their way through the Ton, Barrie McKay took a different tack and began dropping deeper to pick up possession before clipping angled passes over defenders.

It threatened to unlock the door, with Martyn Waghorn caught offside on the one side shortly before Wallace got in behind on the other only to see his cross blocked by McCluskey.

That modified approach gave the hosts something different to consider, and it was from the more immediate route to goal that Rangers took the lead on 26 minutes.

Halliday picked up possession 30 yards from goal and let fly with a hopeful shot that ricocheted off Thomas O’Ware and broke for Miller inside the box.

It was he who had opened the scoring after just two minutes in the last meeting, and the 36-year-old did so again, reacting ahead of Lee Kilday to stab past Gaston and score his 12th of the campaign.

Scotland’s joint-top marksman Waghorn wasn’t as menacing as he has been this term, but he almost added to his 27-goal haul hot on the heels of his fellow frontman.

Improvising impressively after McKay’s outswinging corner had dropped to him inside the six-yard box with his back to goal, the Englishman flicked the ball round the corner and narrowly wide.

Earlier in the half, Conor Pepper was penalised when the ball was fired against his arm from point-blank range.

By those standards, Rob Kiernan was fortunate not to have conceded a penalty if the ball did, as it appeared to in real time, brush his arm when he slid in to cut out a McManus cross on 37 minutes.

As the match edged towards half-time, Ton began to gradually offer more as an attacking force, their best effort coming from McKee on 41 minutes.

With the game opening up in front him, the midfielder tried his luck from 30 yards, unleashing a rasping drive that whistled narrowly over the top.

Rangers managed to open the hosts up twice in this period but tame finishes from Zelalem and Halliday both failed to trouble Gaston.

Morton emerged for the second half and it was immediately apparent they had resolved get on the front foot, as epitomised by McManus.

The fleet-footed frontman made an electric start, poking the ball through Kiernan’s legs as he worked in off the left-hand side to open up the space for a pop at goal.

He put the laces through the ball and pulled a swerving strike back across his body towards the bottom-left corner, shaving the outside of the upright on its way behind.

The effort sparked the home support into life, and they were out of their seats and on their feet again moments later when Barr robbed Kiernan of possession and arrowed towards goal.

He eased into the box and picked out McManus with a pull-back, but by the time the hitman got the ball out from under his feet, he had to snatch at the shot and Foderingham clutched comfortably.

They were making a real fist of it now; O’Ware was defending for his life, making two magnificent blocks to deny Law one after another, while McKee had a swagger about him in midfield.

His confidence was underlined by a moment in which he nonchalantly rolled the ball with the sole of his foot and then clipped an angled pass between two opponents for Russell overlapping on the left.

That Ton were the ascendant side at this stage was affirmed by Warburton’s decision to make a double substitution, replacing Law and Zelalem with Harry Forrester and Dean Shiels.

And Shiels soon made his presence felt, carving open his father’s former club with a slide-rule pass down the inside of a freshly bandaged Kilday to pick out the run of Miller.

The veteran was onto the opening in a flash, pouncing like a seasoned penalty-box predator only to slip his angled finish beyond the far post.

It was a reminder that all it would take was one lapse in concentration, one glimmer of an opportunity for a quality outfit like Rangers to hurt you.

Former Ton loanee McKay offered another on 69 minutes when he took aim unopposed and crashed a fantastic left-footed effort off the underside of the bar with Gaston beaten all ends up.

There would not have been many amongst the Ton support who would have expected the wideman to go on and make such an impression at Ibrox based on his brief stint in Greenock two seasons ago.

But the 21-year-old was Rangers’ best player on the night and he conjured up another moment of magic to double his side’s advantage in the 70th minute.

Gliding forward unopposed, he exchanged a slick one-two with Miller to cleave a path right through the Ton defence before coolly sweeping a tidy finish high into top-left corner.

But before the Light Blues could relax, playmaker Halliday was given his marching orders for gesturing to the Cowshed during the goal celebrations, earning himself a second booking.

There were just three minutes between his first caution, for a cynical pull on the lively McManus in the 69th minute, and his red.

With Rangers down to 10 men, the final 20 minutes resembled the first half with the roles reversed as the hosts worked to try and break down opponents who were content to sit in and stifle them.

Morton could not make their man advantage count, though, and actually came close to conceding on the counter-attack on three occasions.

Only poor finishing from Waghorn and one-time Aston Villa youth prodigy Forrester — and a great reaction save from Gaston - prevented Gers from adding to their lead.

Attacking an excellent Russell cross, McManus sent a powerful downwards header into the side netting right at the death, but there would be no consolation goal for the home support to celebrate.

Despite the defeat, Ton can seek solace in the fact they had given a respectable account of themselves against the table toppers, who restored their five-point lead over Hibs with the win.