Rangers 4-0 Livingston instant analysis: Danilo opens account

Sam Lammers opened the scoring in the 10th minute after brilliant play by Todd Cantwell to work an opening. Following a tense second half, with the tempo of the first a distant memory, Danilo arrived at just the right moment to head home a Borna Barisic cross and relieve Ibrox's anxiety. Abdallah Sima added a third from the bench late on before Kieran Dowell's stunning effort. 

Our writers pick apart the big talking points below. 

Cifuentes makes Ibrox start 

Making a first start of his Rangers career, Jose Cifuentes lined up on the right of a midfield three. True to Beale’s proclamation that he was “ready” yesterday, the Ecuadorian very quickly got to grips with the game, seeing a goal chopped off for handball. There’s been a long-running debacle in concourses and Twitter feeds that in games of this nature, the midfield balance requires an attacking option on both sides of the no.6, not just one. Cifuentes provides just that alongside Cantwell. Importantly, it wasn’t just what was offered on the ball. Rather, given Cifuentes’ profile as an attack-minded midfielder, a tendency to run beyond and disrupt the opposition's defence stood out. As the second half became a more end-to-end affair, Cifuentes played a nicely-timed front post cross into Danilo that just evaded the post. It was a promising introduction of what's to come. 

Joshua Barrie

Beale’s new boys 

There’s a new look about Rangers this season and, remarkably, none of the front six who started this afternoon were at the club when Beale replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November. The acquisitions of Nicolas Raskin and Cantwell in January were huge successes, with both already integral players in this side. The duo were joined by Cifuentes, Rangers’ most recent arrival, in the midfield three and there were promising signs that Beale has found the perfect midfield ‘balance’ that he’s been striving for. Beale has completely replaced Rangers’ frontline this summer and his first-choice trio - Cyriel Dessers, Danilo and Sam Lammers - played together for the second time. It will naturally take time for these players to develop an understanding but stark improvements from the insipid display against Kilmarnock were evident. Cantwell was the main protagonist and he showcased his creativity and ability to glide past defenders, which strengthened the feeling that his omission from the starting eleven last weekend was a mistake. Patience is often absent in modern football and certainly at Rangers, where expectations are so high, but it will still take time for Beale’s new look front six to gel. Danilo, Lammers and Sima all opened their accounts for Rangers and that will provide them with confidence heading into Tuesday.

Euan Robertson 

READ MORE: Todd Cantwell's Rangers vs Servette showing busts best position myth

Cantwell continues form 

In midweek, as covered by the Rangers Review, Cantwell showed exactly why it doesn’t really matter if he’s playing on the right, left, top or bottom of midfield. He’s handed positional freedom under Beale and constantly makes his team tick. It didn’t take long for the midfielder to remind us why. Skipping over to the right from his starting position deep on the left, with a full view of the game ahead of him, Cantwell played a brilliant dummy, one-two with Lammers to run beyond and break down Livingston’s resolve. It’s this exact type of unpredictability, both in a positional and individual sense, that makes Cantwell such a key player against set defences. His starting position deeper than Lammers, who would sweep home the opener, enables Cantwell to play the game with a full picture, offering balance on the left and overloading the right when appropriate. Other notable moments included sitting Mo Sangare down in spectacular fashion. Cantwell thrives under the expectation he’s built. There’s no doubt that at present, he’s Rangers' best player.

Joshua Barrie

Maintaining the tempo

Rangers displayed a sense of urgency from the start against Servette and they were rewarded with two goals in the opening 15 minutes. It was another purposeful start against Livingston as Lammers broke the deadlock within ten minutes. Rangers played well during the opening half hour and they looked dangerous, but failed to break Livingston’s resolve with a second goal. Cifuentes had an effort ruled out after a handball in the build but the profligacy that Beale bemoaned in midweek was on display again. Rangers’ inability to put the game to bed fostered palpable frustration amongst supporters and it developed into a nervy final twenty minutes at Ibrox. Rangers' passing lacked conviction and Beale attempted to inject some energy, and width, by reverting to a 4-3-3 formation with Abdallah Sima and Rabbi Matondo introduced for the final 15 minutes. Both players made a positive impact with their directness, pace and willingness to take on Livingston's defenders. Matondo assisted Dowell's late stunner, while Sima opened his account at the club. 

Euan Robertson 

Souttar stands out 

There have been strong calls for Rangers to add another centre-back during the last few weeks of the transfer window, but John Souttar has earned a starting jersey. Souttar’s ability has always been unquestionable and the only question mark has been one regarding his injury record. The Scotland international looks in supreme physical condition and he’s developing into a commanding presence in defence. He was excellent this afternoon with one crucial last-ditch challenge in the second half a standout moment as the game remained 1-0. With Connor Goldson rested ahead of Servette in midweek, Souttar reverted to his preferred right-hand side and looked was assured throughout. Leon Balogun also produced a solid performance to show why Beale brought him back to the club this summer as a reliable squad member. Goldson and Souttar are Rangers’ strongest centre-back pairing but a new signing could still arrive if Ben Davies’ future lies away from Ibrox. It was interesting that Rangers moved to a back-five when Dujon Sterling made his debut and that could well be an option that Beale turns to against certain opposition. Souttar was rightly handed the man-of-the-match award - he’s growing into the Rangers jersey with each passing week.

Euan Robertson