St Johnstone have enjoyed plenty of success at Ibrox in recent times and ended a near half-a-century winless league run in this part of Glasgow less than a year ago.
But this was a throwback to the days of run of the mill home victories and end of match damage limitation for the visitors.
Ruthless Rangers, no doubt fired up by the prospect of leapfrogging Celtic in the Premiership table, were too good for Saints.
For the Perth team to have had any chance of a point or three they needed to take any half-chance that came their way, which they didn’t. They also needed to defend much better.
Rangers were 2-0 up by half-time through a James Tavernier free-kick and an Alfredo Morelos solo effort, and two became three through Scott Arfield shortly after the half-time interval.
There was a Blair Alston penalty consolation between Kyle Lafferty and Daniel Candeias goals on an afternoon Saints will look to quickly forget.
Wright opted to pad out his midfield for this contest, with David McMillan making way for David Wotherspoon. It was the former Hibs man’s first league start since the opening day of the season at Kilmarnock.
Unsurprisingly, Steven Gerrard made a few changes after his team’s Thursday night Europa League efforts.
Saints were actually first to threaten on seven minutes and it was Wotherspoon who could have opened the scoring just seven minutes in.
Drey Wright beat Jon Flanagan and his team-mate timed his run to the six yard box perfectly but couldn’t keep his shot down.
Unfortunately for the Perth men, Rangers were more clinical with their first sight of goal and went ahead two minutes later.
Tavernier won a free-kick on the edge of the box in a similar position from which Niall McGinn scored for Aberdeen last weekend. Tavernier went the same route as McGinn and it was the same result, with Zander Clark beaten to his left.
It was nearly 2-0 on 15 minutes. Morelos teed up Ryan Kent, whose shot on the angle flashed across the face of goal and past the far post.
The Saints front three were feeding off scraps at this stage of the game and on a rare occasion that he was able to pick up the ball in a threatening position, Matty Kennedy cut inside and let fly from 25 yards out, only to see his effort rise high above the bar.
The McDiarmid Park side were getting a stronger foothold and the other winger, Wright, was next to have a go on 27 minutes. His strike was closer to the target than Kennedy’s, but still not close enough. And certainly not as close as Rangers came to doubling their lead shortly after.
Richard Foster let Kent spin inside and he ended up chopping down the on-loan winger 20 yards out. It earned the full-back a yellow card and Tavernier a second chance to score from a free-kick.
Again he went over Clark’s wall but the bar came to the keeper’s rescue on this occasion.
Rangers didn’t have long to wait for goal number two, though. Scott Tanser dived into a tackle on Morelos, who cut inside him on to his left foot and drilled his finish into the net.
There was a chance for Saints to get back in the game after the re-start when Alston set-up Tony Watt but he took too long to shoot and was crowded out.
It was effectively game over on 52 minutes. Kent rattled the bar from near the penalty spot before Arfield dispatched the rebound.
It was typical of Saints’ day that when Watt latched on to a slack back pass, the former Celtic and Hearts man showed none of the composure and accuracy that has made him the club’s early season top scorer, with his shot drifting wide.
Lafferty was only on the pitch for two minutes when the Northern Irishman netted Rangers’ fourth with a simple side-foot finish at the end of a flowing move out of midfield.
On 77 minutes Alston was tripped in the box and he took the penalty himself, smashing it down the middle past Allan McGregor.
The gap wasn’t three for long and less than two minutes later Candeias found it all too easy to create space for a shot in the box and score.
Danny Swanson squandered a great chance at one end and then Jason Kerr made a last ditch tackle on Morelos at the other but it finished 5-1. Saints will be hoping for much better when they face the other Glasgow giant, Celtic, in the Betfred Cup on Wednesday.
Rangers – McGregor, Tavernier (Ejaria 56), Goldson, Kent (Lafferty 72), Flanagan, McCrorie, Katic, Morelos, Candeias, Coulibaly (Dorrans 63), Arfield. Subs not used – Foderingham, Worrall, Halliday, Middleton.
St Johnstone – Clark, Tanser, Alston, Shaughnessy, Wright (Swanson 61), Wotherspoon, Kerr, Foster, Craig (Nydam 57), Watt (Kane 72), Kennedy. Subs not used – Mitchell, Anderson, McMillan, Callachan.
Referee – Steven McLean.
Attendance – 48,729.
