Rangers eased to a 3-0 win over Motherwell with Scott Arfield the visitors' hero at Fir Park – grabbing a hat-trick.
But what became an easy victory in the end didn't start that way for Rangers and Motherwell have only themselves to blame for two goals that were entirely preventable.
The Steelmen tried to play in areas they shouldn't have done and showed real naivety at the back which was brutally punished by the Canadian international's ice-cool finishing.
Motherwell started positively, launching balls forward with plenty of possession in and around the Rangers box but they failed to test Allan McGregor and were made to pay for that after 20 minutes.
Rangers got a bit lucky after a good pass from the once-again impressive Daniel Candeias came to Jermain Defoe making a good run to the left of the Motherwell defence.
His pass lacked power but Tom Aldred was clumsy on the retreat and it bounced to Arfield in space, and he made no mistake firing past Mark Gillespie.
Soon after the goal, there was another ridiculous incident where a lighter was thrown at James Tavernier from supporters in the Motherwell end.
To the credit to the Rangers captain and the officials, it was quickly dealt with and they got on with it but no doubt the authorities will probe that after the game.
Motherwell continued to push but if Rangers' first goal was a bit lucky, the next two will make awful watching back for Stephen Robinson.
James Tavernier targeted by Motherwell fan as lighter thrown at Rangers skipper
The second came seven minutes before the break as David Turnbull tried to turn in a bad area to the left of his own box.
Ryan Jack, rewarded for the high press, then stroked to Arfield who lifted it cooly over the lunging pair of Aldred and Gillespie for the second.
His third came just before the hour as Motherwell again played themselves into trouble and Defoe, with a great chance to score himself, unselfishly laid it across for his team-mates' hat-trick.
Rangers cruised from there and Steven Gerrard - watching from the stand due to suspension – will have enjoyed watching his side reduce the gap at the top of the Premiership to 11 points.
3 talking points
Having a Field day
Arfield has enjoyed a strong first season at Ibrox but his finishing masterclass on Sunday was his finest performance for the club to date. Even though Motherwell were masters of their own downfall, the Canada international showed a predatory instinct in front of goal and his second, a wonderful, dinked finish, was the pick of the bunch. Gerrard will be delighted but what will make him even happier was the link-up between Arfield and Defoe throughout the game. There was a dangerous look about the visitors the 30-year-old's excellent display bodes well moving forward. That's now 11 goals on the season.
Shameful scenes
On a day when Motherwell asked their fans to produce a positive message for Scottish football, the headlines will once again be about the shameful scenes which are giving Scottish football a bad name. The Steelmen produced a piece for their programme about changing perceptions but were left-red faced after Tavernier was targeted by home supporters. The latest involving the Ibrox skipper shows we're still miles away from eradicating the yob element inside our stadiums.
Less than Jake
Motherwell winger Jake Hastie certainly has all the tools needed to make waves in the game but he still needs some fine tuning to go to the next level. Ibrox director of football Mark Allen has been watching the 19-year-old closely but are looking elsewhere for new recruits. Few young Scottish players look as impressive with his bulking physique but he still needs to sharpen his skills when he's through on goal. Hastie missed a couple of chances and should have been able to get more joy out of the limited Jon Flanagan.
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