Rangers 3-1 Kilmarnock: Miller enjoys Ibrox goal rush

Rangers 3

Boyd 29, Miller 33, 35

Kilmarnock 1

Hamill 17

RANGERS' ability to do something that has become entirely alien to Celtic allowed them to supplant their rivals at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League yesterday.

A devastating three-goal burst in what seemed like three consecutive first-half attacks did not merely propel Walter Smith's side to pole position in the table for the first time since November. It made for a goal haul across six minutes greater than Gordon Strachan's side have achieved in more than six hours.

Celtic have the opportunity to regain a two-point advantage when they take on Motherwell at Fir Park in this afternoon's televised fixture. But that a previously ponderous Ibrox side were able, seemingly at the flick of a switch, to light up their play with lethal moments and destroy opponents who were then leading suggests the title initiative might soon be snatched from the three-in-a-row champions.

Indeed, the identity of those who did the match-winning yesterday could be claimed as evidence that Smith is succeeding where his Celtic counterpart is falling down. Kenny Miller's bounce when appearing as a substitute in the horribly bogged down derby of last week brought criticism of his non-selection. Yet, he had become a non-scorer in drawing blanks for eight straight games.

The subsequent transformation suggests his Old Firm omission, following hamstring problems, has engendered exactly the reaction Smith would have been looking for. Suddenly a fit-again Miller seems a scoring machine...by his rather modest standards, at least.

The Scotland striker's two-minute twosome that killed off Kilmarnock took his tally for the week alone to four, following a brace in the midweek Homecoming Scottish Cup victory away to Forfar Athletic. It had taken him the previous four months to score three. Yet, that he now sits on 11 goals after 27 appearances for the season means this current stint in Glasgow's football domain is proving far more productive then his season and a bit at Celtic. He also found the net 11 times there. It just took him 46 appearances to achieve the total.

Miller is a cluster-claimer of goals and the barren spells will always be longer than the fruitful periods. In that, he is the antithesis to Kris Boyd, whose 24th goal of the season set in motion the scoring flurry that rendered everything that came after it utterly forgettable. Against the vulnerable defences that Pedro Mendes' probing will find gaps in most week, the Miller-Boyd partnership could prove decisive in the title race. Not least because Strachan cannot begin to find an effective frontline combination at present.

All that said, ahead of kick-off Rangers must have been pinching themselves about being in a position to leapfrog Celtic. For they haven't actually put together a run that could be defined as championship-winning form. Not since September have they enjoyed a winning run greater than two games. The gap at the top of the table has been whittled down because they have been much less bad in the two months since losing the Christmastime derby at Ibrox to go seven point behind.

Following the soporific stalement with their rivals last weekend, the anticipation was that Smith's side would have been wide-eyed and bush-tailed in search of the three points that would make them pacesetters. But although Boyd got a couple of efforts on target Kilmarnock goalkeeper Alan Combe gobbled up, the home side seemed quite prepared to ease their way in against Rugby Park opponents set-up for containment and, initially, competent and confident in that approach.

Jim Jefferies' ploy of playing three central defenders in Fraser Wright, Simon Ford and David Lilley appeared pretty sensible for a team that could not boast a win in 2009. It forced Rangers to play passes in unthreatening areas and they could not find the incision that Kilmarnock produced in a terrific move earning them a 17th-minute opener.

There was zip and nip as Gavin Skelton found Garry Hay down the left. He in turn bounded to the byline and whipped over the sort of hard and low cross that is a nightmare to defend against and merely requires a touch to turned into a goal. Sliding in, Jamie Hamill provided the necessary contact to his team in front.

Only the third goal that Rangers have conceded in their previous 11 games, it sparked agitation as much as animation in the home ranks. Nothing much was happening for Rangers until excellence from John Fleck won his team a corner on the half-hour mark. What followed was incompetence from the visitors' backline with a no-one obstructing Madjid Bougherra beyond the back post as he rose to meet a Mendes corner. The Algerian accepted the opportunity to nod the ball across goal, where Boyd was positioned to hook a shot in. Even with a heavy cold, the predator wasn't going to pass up that golden opportunity.

Thereafter came the Kilmarnock crumble, courtesy of "individual errors" that had Jefferies beelin' afterwards. In the 34th minute, Boyd attempted a flick on into the path of Miller. It didn't immediately find its target, coming off Wright, but then bounced into the path of the Rangers striker, who strode on and buried a low finish beyond Combe.

A minute later and Miller was able to repeat that execution after Mendes sent him with a panicky defence presenting him with an opening that he seized with relish.

The second period was, perhaps understandably, something of a non-event, with Rangers pressing and their Ayrshire team just sticking to their task in order to prevent their day deteriorating further.

For Boyd and Miller, the afternoon was about applying the pressure on Celtic. By scoring goals alone, they did that.

MAN OF THE MATCH

There was no doubting the game-running qualities on show from Pedro Mendes but Kenny Miller is often enough lambasted for failing to convert opportunities. He should then be celebrated for being absolutely clinical yesterday.

QUICK FACT

Rangers manager Walter Smith has more limited resources than exist at Celtic. At present, however, he seems to be making more of what is available to him. Though time, as it did last season, will tell.

TALKING POINT

Kris Boyd has now scored 13 goals against his old club Kilmarnock since leaving them three years ago.