Rangers off to winning start

File picture of Dado Prso of the Croatian football team plays with a ball during a training session in Sofia. Rangers began the defence of their Scottish Premier League title with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Livingston.

Rangers began the defence of their Scottish Premier League title with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Livingston.

Dado Prso's first-half goal was followed by goals from debutant French defender Jose Pierre-Fanfan and Danish winger Peter Lovenkrands to hand manager Alex McLeish the perfect start to the new season.

The Rangers boss was satisfied with his players' performance and believes they will get even better as the season continues.

McLeish said: "It was nice to get the win and get off to a good start and I thought it was a good performance.

"We started the game well and got stronger as it went on. But we were slack sometimes with some of our final balls and maybe some of our players need to get their confidence up.

"There's a bit of fine tuning to do but overall I'm satisfied with the start we've made."

There had been a real party atmosphere at Ibrox as Rangers unfurled the league championship flag before the match, but the opening stages of the game itself were scrappy.

In the 12th minute Barry Ferguson had the first real chance following good work by Prso.

The Croatian striker collected the ball on the right, drove inside and laid it up for the Rangers captain but he pulled his left-foot shot well wide.

But in the 23rd minute Rangers deservedly scored their first goal of the new season.

Livy goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie could only punch away Alex Rae's 25-yard drive and Prso gratefully rifled the ball high into the empty net.

On the stroke of half-time Rangers should have doubled their lead. A perfectly weighted Ferguson pass on the half-way line put Thomas Buffel through one-on-one with McKenzie, but the Belgian international sliced his effort high over the crossbar.

The SPL champions did increase their lead, however, in the 53rd minute through Pierre-Fanfan.

Buffel's cross, from wide on the right, was headed on by Prso and the former Paris St Germain captain slid in at the back post to knock the ball home for his first Rangers goal.

Any lingering hopes the visitors had of getting themselves back in the game disappeared in the 74th minute when Brittain was shown the red card by referee Craig Thomson for a rash challenge on Rangers left-back Ian Murray.

In the 89th minute Rangers goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus was finally called into action when Scott McLaughlin tried a 40-yard effort which the Dutchman saved comfortably.

And with the last kick of the ball Lovenkrands put the icing on the cake for Rangers with a fine individual effort.

The Danish forward, who has been told by McLeish that he can leave the club if a suitable offer is received, cut inside, drove along the edge of the 18-yard box and unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Livingston boss Paul Lambert remained upbeat despite the defeat in his first competitive game as manager.

He said: "The guys gave everything they had and you can't ask for any more than that.

"At 1-0 we were pretty comfortable but we had a few chances to score and at this level you have to take them.

"This is a hard place to come but if the players continue to show that sort of determination then I'll be happy whatever happens."