Rangers geared up for their Old Firm showdown against Celtic with a commanding Premiership win over Ross County at Hampden.

Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring after 19 minutes and Rabbi Matondo doubled the lead just before the break. After it, Dessers and Matondo both netted again and Tom Lawrence also got on the scoresheet and Danilo rounded off the scoring.

The only negative for Philippe Clement was the loss of Leon Balogun. The defender was replaced after falling heavily when challenging for a corner and Dujon Sterling was switched to play centre-back alongside John Souttar.

Clement’s side have collected seven points from their first three Premiership fixtures. The Rangers Review looks at the key issues ahead of the final week of transfer business and the trip across the city.

Plenty of positives and signs of improvement

The game was won and the points were secured at the break. The opener from Dessers gave Rangers the platform to build on and Matondo ensured it was going to be a long second half for the Staggies when he netted just before the break. James Tavernier picked him out at the near post and he finished from close range.

The Welshman had earlier clipped the bar after Dessers was blocked in the area. A lovely ball from Vaclav Cerny picked out Matondo but the offside flag was raised as he nodded wide.

The most glaring miss came from Lawrence. Dessers found him with a reverse pass and he only had the keeper to beat. His effort was wide of the right post.

It didn’t matter in the end. County could have been ahead inside eight minutes but Jack Butland made a terrific double stop to deny Ronan Hale and then Jordan White. Just seconds before Matondo struck, an Aidan Denholm drive was also held by the keeper.

It was 3-0 before the hour mark as Dessers doubled his tally. Before he did so, Mohamed Diomande had come close with a fine strike from distance, while Jefte fired into the side netting after a typically positive burst forward.

With his final involvement, Lawrence made it 4-0. Matondo was the driving force as County retreated and Lawrence finished with aplomb after advancing into the area.

Matondo soon got his second as he converted from a Cerny cross. The applause was merited when he was replaced with 15 minutes remaining. So was the ovation for Danilo as he scored his first goal since his knee injury. It rounded off a pleasing afternoon for Rangers.

Dessers must wait for his Rangers hat-trick

It took Dessers 16 matches to score four goals last term. He has already surpassed that number this time out. Strikes against Servette, Morton and Motherwell were followed by one in Clement’s first game in charge at home to Hibernian as the Nigerian got off and running under the new boss. He would go on to score 22 times in all competitions.

Reports this week suggested that he had turned down a move to Major League Soccer with Atalanta United. Given that Danilo is still working his way back to fitness and Hamza Igamane is not yet ready to feature, the loss of Dessers is almost unthinkable now at Ibrox. How times have changed.

This was an accomplished finish to open the scoring. Lawrence split the County defence with a neat pass and Dessers showed composure to beat Ross Laidlaw from the left channel. It was followed by a roar of encouragement to the Hampden crowd.

This was an encouraging all-round showing from the forward. His second goal, as he converted a Matondo cross from just yards out, was a just reward for his efforts leading the line.

The introduction of Danilo after 66 minutes denied Dessers a hat-trick. Clement had a long chat with him while the crowd applauded, and the gesture was reciprocated.

Squad will be boosted next week

This fixture was the final one before the transfer window shuts next week. It highlighted just how much work Clement still needs to do in the final days of business.

There was no Ben Davies as he closes in on a move to Birmingham City, while Matondo made what could be his farewell appearance amid interest from the Championship. The situations with Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi are well versed and need resolved sooner rather than later.

The news on Friday that Nicolas Raskin had returned to training was a positive for Clement. Robin Propper was not risked here but will be fine for Parkhead and Oscar Cortes will step up his recovery in the coming days. When those names are added to the squad list, it looks somewhat healthier than the group did here on a day when Clement had few alternatives.

The squad that travels across the city next weekend should be stronger. Time will tell what shape the team is in.

A farewell to Hampden?

The issue of Rangers’ temporary home has dominated the agenda throughout the season. The good news for all concerned is that this could well be the final Premiership here.

Work is progressing positively on the Copland Stand and Rangers expect to be back home by the end of next month and the visit of Hibernian. The coming days will determine if the match against Dundee or the first Europa League outing are realistic ambitions.

The national stadium hasn’t exactly been a happy home from home for Clement’s side. The defeat to Dynamo Kyiv stands out as the worst of the lot, while the domestic occasions have not been thrilling for those that have taken their temporary seats.

There were empty seats scattered around the ground but the crowd was significantly up on the turnout against St Johnstone last weekend. An official figure of more than 48,000 seemed somewhat optimistic.

Once again, the atmosphere was hardly anything to shout about for most of the afternoon. If this was Rangers signing off at Hampden, they at least did it with some style.

Celtic clash will be the true test for Rangers

The third Premiership fixture has been taken care of. The fourth will go some way to shaping Rangers’ ambitions and will define the mood of the support. The first Old Firm carries huge significance for Clement, his squad and the board.

It is stating the obvious to suggest that Rangers will need to produce their best performance of the season if they are to get a result next Sunday. This was much more like it from Clement's side and there were many reasons to be satisfied from a job that was very well done. The level of opposition has to be taken into account, though, and Rangers must continue to step it up as the weeks progress.

Beating Motherwell and County was non-negotiable after the draw at Tynecastle on the opening day. The derby speaks for itself. Come full-time, supporters will have a clearer idea of where Rangers are and where they could be heading this term.