Derek McInnes credited his players after Rangers defeated St Johnstone 4-0 at Ibrox on Saturday, October 24, 2026, delivering the response he wanted following dropped points at Dundee. Kevin Kelsy scored twice, while Ryan Naderi and substitute Tochi Chukwuani completed a victory that combined attacking fluency with the practical value of a clean sheet.
The result was emphatic, but McInnes’s assessment went beyond the scoreline. He considered Rangers particularly impressive before half-time, even though they reached the interval with only a one-goal advantage. Their second-half performance was less polished, yet produced three further goals.
That contrast explained both his satisfaction and the lessons he identified. Rangers had played with quality, overcome a more difficult spell and finished strongly. Nevertheless, the manager recognised that greater efficiency earlier in the game could have made their afternoon more comfortable.
A Response Built on Performance
Rangers entered the match after a 2-2 draw at Dundee, making a return to winning ways important. McInnes wanted more than a narrow escape or a result secured without convincing football. His post-match comments made clear that he had challenged the players to reach their best level.
Their first-half display provided much of what he sought. Rangers repeatedly found ways to threaten St Johnstone, using movement and combinations to create opportunities rather than relying on a single attacking route.
The significance lay in the relationship between intention and execution. A manager can demand intensity, but the players must translate that demand into decisions: supporting possession, recognising space and reacting quickly when an attack breaks down.
Rangers supplied those qualities for substantial periods. The victory therefore offered evidence of a constructive response to disappointment, although one performance alone could not establish that every inconsistency had been resolved.
Kelsy and Naderi Give the Attack a Different Shape
McInnes brought Kelsy into the starting side, with Djeidi Gassama moving to the bench. The selection placed Kelsy alongside Naderi, and their connection became central to the opening goal.
Kim Min-su helped create the opportunity with a pass that released Naderi. Rather than attempting to finish himself, Naderi squared the ball for Kelsy to score shortly before the half-hour mark.
The move demonstrated the value of complementary decisions. Kim recognised the forward movement, Naderi chose the teammate in the better position, and Kelsy completed the attack. Each action made the next one possible.
It also illustrated why attacking partnerships cannot be judged solely by individual goal totals. A striker’s willingness to create for another player can be as valuable as his own finishing. On this occasion, Rangers benefited from both, with Naderi later adding a goal to his assist.
First-Half Quality Deserved a Bigger Margin
Despite their control, Rangers led only 1-0 at the interval. Further chances went unconverted, leaving St Johnstone within reach when the balance of play suggested a more substantial advantage.
Kim threatened again, while Kelsy also had opportunities to increase his contribution. Rangers were finding promising positions, but their finishing did not consistently match the quality of their approach work.
McInnes identified that imbalance afterwards. He praised the football while acknowledging that the half-time score failed to reflect the opportunities created. He also wanted to prevent frustration over those misses from affecting the restart.
This was a useful distinction. An encouraging performance can still contain a weakness that makes the result less secure. Rangers had earned their advantage, but they had not yet created enough separation to remove the danger of a single St Johnstone attack changing the game.
St Johnstone Make the Restart More Difficult
St Johnstone emerged from the interval with a more direct approach and began moving the ball forward more quickly. McInnes acknowledged that Rangers were initially slow to respond to aspects of the visitors’ adjustment.
The change interrupted the control Rangers had enjoyed before the break. It also demonstrated why a dominant first half does not guarantee an equally comfortable second period. Opponents can reassess, alter personnel and ask different questions.
For Rangers, the immediate task was to recognise those questions without becoming unsettled. Their one-goal lead meant they could not treat the visitors’ improvement as an irrelevant passage.
McInnes’s assessment respected that reality. He did not suggest his team had an automatic right to control every minute. Instead, he recognised the need to negotiate a difficult spell, reorganise where necessary and recover sufficient authority to take the match away from St Johnstone.
Naderi’s Goal Changes the Pressure
Naderi provided the second goal after Kim’s effort was saved, reacting to finish from close range. It was an important intervention because it arrived after St Johnstone had shown signs of making the contest more uncomfortable.
A rebound finish depends on anticipation. The attacker must stay involved after the first shot, recognise where the ball might fall and move before the defence can recover. Naderi supplied that response.
The goal also changed the practical demands of the game. St Johnstone now needed two goals to draw level, while Rangers had greater freedom to manage their attacking risks.
For Naderi, it completed a productive combination of contribution and reward. Having created the opener for Kelsy, he added his own finish. Rangers were gaining direct returns from the partnership McInnes had selected, strengthening the case that the attacking structure had worked on the day.
A Corner Adds Another Route to Goal
Kelsy scored his second after Emmanuel Fernandez flicked on a corner, arriving to finish at the far post. The goal extended Rangers’ advantage and further reduced the prospect of a St Johnstone recovery.
Its method mattered as well as its effect. Rangers had already scored through a passing combination and a rebound. A successful corner added another way to turn pressure into a goal.
Set pieces can be particularly valuable when open-play attacks become less fluent. They offer a structured opportunity to use delivery, timing and movement against a defence that must organise quickly.
However, one successful routine does not prove that every delivery problem has disappeared. The more measured conclusion is that Rangers found a productive set-piece moment in this match. Repeating that threat would give McInnes another useful option when future opponents restrict space.
Red Card Compounds the Visitors’ Problems
St Johnstone’s difficulties increased when substitute Kai Fotheringham was sent off following a video review of his challenge on Nico Raskin. The visitors were left to complete the match with ten players.
The dismissal should be placed in its proper context. Rangers had already established their advantage, so the red card did not explain the earlier dominance or the goals that had put the home side in control.
It nevertheless made St Johnstone’s remaining task harder. A team already chasing the game had fewer players available to cover space, compete for possession and support attacks.
For Rangers, the responsibility was to maintain concentration rather than assume the contest required no further attention. Numerical superiority can provide opportunities, but it still needs disciplined use. Their substitutes subsequently helped add another goal to an already commanding lead.
Chukwuani Completes a Collective Victory
Gassama supplied the cross for fellow substitute Chukwuani to score Rangers’ fourth. The combination gave the final scoreline an additional flourish and demonstrated the contribution available from players introduced during the match.
There was significance in Gassama’s involvement after he had moved out of the starting line-up. Selection changes do not remove a player’s opportunity to influence the result. His delivery provided a concrete example.
Chukwuani’s finish similarly showed the importance of readiness from the bench. Substitutes must adjust to the pace and circumstances of a game that others have already shaped.
The fourth goal completed a victory featuring contributions from the starting forwards and the replacements. Kelsy remained the leading scorer on the afternoon, but Rangers’ attacking output extended beyond one individual.
McInnes Balances Praise with Demands
McInnes’s reaction was positive without presenting the performance as flawless. He appreciated the quality of the first half, the goals from his forwards and the clean sheet, while acknowledging that Rangers had been less precise after the interval.
That balance gave his assessment credibility. The second half produced more goals, but the manager did not confuse a stronger scoring return with better football in every respect.
He also recognised the need for greater ruthlessness. Creating numerous opportunities is encouraging, yet failing to finish them can keep an opponent competitive for longer than necessary.
The next challenge at that point was a visit to Hearts, adding another test of whether Rangers could carry the same standards into a different environment. McInnes’s comments treated that fixture as demanding rather than assuming the Ibrox result would automatically transfer elsewhere.
Four Goals Provide a Foundation
Rangers finished with a result that rewarded much of their good work. Kelsy’s double, Naderi’s all-round contribution and Chukwuani’s late goal ensured their attacking superiority became a substantial winning margin.
The clean sheet completed the picture, although St Johnstone’s improved spell after half-time remained a reminder that concentration and adaptation were necessary. Rangers had to respond within the game as well as before it.
Calling the victory a definitive turning point would require evidence from subsequent performances. What it established was more immediate: the players answered McInnes’s challenge with quality, found goals through several routes and recovered control when the visitors changed their approach.
At Ibrox, the manager had good reason to credit them. The most encouraging feature was not simply that Rangers scored four, but that the performance contained a foundation they could work to reproduce.
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