Rangers stretched their lead at the summit of the Scottish Championship table with a resounding 5-0 victory over Raith Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
Martyn Waghorn netted twice from the spot, while Barrie McKay, Lee Wallace and James Tavernier also featured on the score sheet.
Here are five things we learned from Warburton’s ninth triumph as Rangers boss:
1) Nathan Oduwa adds substance to his mesmerizing style
Lambasted my many for his insouciance since arriving in Glasgow last month, the Spurs winger responded with an elegant, yet efficient, display under the Govan sunshine. Deployed on the right, and instructed to drift inside to dovetail with the midfield, Oduwa produced a man of the match performance as he created both the third and fifth goals of the afternoon.
Shortly after the interval, Oduwa punished Raith on the break, jinxing past several Raith midfielders before flashing the ball across the face of goal. When Waghorn failed to connect from close range, McKay ghosted in from the left and slid the ball into an empty net.
But it was his involvement in Rangers’ fifth that truly caught the eye. With the visitors firmly on the back foot, the winger picked up the ball on the edge of the area, slalomed his way through several Raith defenders and, when he shaped to pull the trigger, was bundled over inside the penalty area. Waghorn, as he had done five minutes earlier, slotted in the subsequent spot-kick.
While combining his flashy tricks with an authentic end-product, the sky is the limit for the youngsters in blue.
2) Gedion Zelalem a permanent fixture under Warburton
Courted from Arsenal on a six-month loan deal — likely to be extended until the end of the campaign — the young American has slotted in seamlessly to the Rangers XI. Given the nod ahead of Nicky Law yet again, Zelalem dazzled alongside Andy Halliday and Jason Holt in midfield, rarely shirking responsibility of the ball and showcasing his peerless close control.
His ability to quicken the tempo, link up with the forward and remain composed in the 18-yard box must be commended. In fact, the Arsenal man should have opened his account in Rangers colours this afternoon, with Lewis Toshney denying the youngster on the goal line.
More pertinently, however, it now appears that Zelalem is a permanent fixture in this Rangers side after his scintillating debut against Airdrieonians in the League Cup. Arsene Wenger will be a pleased figure but perhaps no-one will be more delighted to see the American showcase his gossamer talents on a weekly basis than the Rangers faithful.
3) Andy Halliday mixes grit with guile
Goals. Check. Dictate the tempo. Check. Dribble. Check. Break up play. Check. Instigate attacks. Check. After today’s performance, where the acclaim will rightly be heaped upon the shoulders of Nathan Oduwa, Halliday was quietly efficient in midfield and it is now appropriate to ask: what is it that he can’t do?
He followed up his sumptuous long-range effort at Easter Road in July with an elegant finish against Queen of the South last weekend and, though his advances into the final-third were intermittent on this showing, the 23-year-old provided the base in the centre for the likes of Zelalem and Jason Holt to weave their magic further up the field.
4) Everything Tavernier touches turns to goals
James Tavernier notched his goal tally in a Rangers jersey up to six with an expertly taken finish seconds before half-time. Interchanging with Oduwa, the Englishmen burst into the penalty area and slid his effort under Raith goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert.
The full-back continued to provide width down the right, but his quest for a second was to no avail. If only Gordon Strachan could trade Steven Fletcher for the Bradford-born 23-year-old.
5) Warburton breaks Struth’s record
Mark Warburton became the first Rangers manager in history to record victories in the first eight matches of his managerial reign.
Much had been made in the build-up to Raith’s visit and it was fitting that the ex-Brentford boss broke the longstanding record in such emphatic fashion.
The Gers’ goal tally for the season now stands at 35 as we enter the second month of the campaign. And, should Warburton’s side continue netting at their current rate, exceeding the 100 goal mark is very likely.
Saturday afternoon’s rout was the fifth time in which Rangers had netted five — or more — in a competitive fixture under the Englishmen’s tutelage. And with a home tie in the League Cup against SPL outfit St. Johnstone on the horizon, a game which should provide the perfect measure of Rangers’ progress, there are reasons to be cheerful in the west side of Glasgow.
