Rangers route their way to Cup Semi Finals over Ayr United
By Joseph Sinke
Rangers punched thier ticket to the Betfred Cup semi-finals by routing Ayr United 4-0 at Ibrox
In the quarterfinals of the Scottish Betfred Cup Rangers hosted second division leaders Ayr United and soundly defeated them to advance to the semi-finals where they will face Aberdeen FC.
Steven Gerrard opted to make many changes to the lineup in order to give some regulars rest and to allow some of the younger and less-used players some time on the pitch.
Glenn Middleton got his first start with the senior team, Ovi Ejaria returned to the starting lineup for the first time since being injured. Wes Foderingham also got his first start in goal since Rangers last played a cup match.
Joe Worral got a start as Connor Goldson got the night off, but Nikola Katic remained in the center next to him. Jon Flanagan was on one side and young Ross McCrorie was on the other as well as Andy Halliday. Halliday also wore the captains arm-band with both Tavernier and Goldson getting the night off.
Ayr United got off to a good start, having some possession and even putting some scares into Rangers, including a long-distance rip that Foderingham just managed to tip over the cross-bar.
Given that three of the four starting back-line were not regular starters it is not all that surprising to see them be a little bit out of sorts in the early going, but after some quick scares, Rangers took control of the game and managed to do so while dodging giving up any goals.
Nikola Katic got the scoring started as he took a corner kick and pounded a header into the back of the net. Glenn Middleton continued a very strong start to his Rangers career with a goal of his own in the 31st minute, coming off of an absolute beauty of a pass from Andy Halliday.
Right out of the second half Alfredo Morelos scored a goal, and Rangers finished off the game with Glenn Middleton getting a brace in the 70th minute.
The end result was a very strong outing from Rangers, including some very good showings from less used players like Andy Halliday and Ross McCrorie. Glenn Middleton in particular continues to be an incredibly promising player with his form.