Rangers host seven-goal feast for Ferguson's return

Rangers 7 - Dundee United 1

Rangers swept into the final of the CIS Insurance Cup at Hampden Park last night with a late deluge of four goals in the final 14 minutes that consumed Dundee United.

Rangers swept into the final of the CIS Insurance Cup at Hampden Park last night with a late deluge of four goals in the final 14 minutes that consumed Dundee United.

Nacho Novo and Steven Thompson scored twice each and Thompson sealed the demolition in the 88th minute Rangers will now meet Motherwell in the final on 20 March. The return of the prodigal son, Barry Ferguson, had his name ringing around Hampden but the Rangers supporters were unable to get much of a glimpse of their former captain after his £4.5m move from Blackburn Rovers. Ferguson was left on the bench, though Rangers did not need him as they cut Dundee United to shreds. It took just six minutes for Rangers to go ahead. A fine piece of interplay between Maurice Ross, Dado Prso and Thomas Buffel presented Novo with a chance he could not miss and he poked the ball beyond Nick Colgan into an empty net. Just 11 minutes later Rangers stretched their lead after Prso's angled downward header eluded Colgan. However, Colgan atoned for that error seven minutes before the interval when he saved a penalty from Novo. Dundee United got back into the contest when Jason Scotland, who had come on as a second-half substitute, struck in the 49th minute with a clinical shot past Ronald Waterreus.

Rangers' new goalkeeper had reason to be grateful eight minutes later when Jim McIntyre's fierce shot struck one post and hit the other before bouncing clear. However, Buffel restored that two-goal margin with a side-foot finish from Novo's cross in 67 minutes and then the roof fell in. Fernando Ricksen added another from a 76th minute free kick and Thompson swept in a shot from 10 yards.

Rangers (4-4-2): Waterreus; Ross, Andrews, Kyrgiakos, Ball; Buffel, Ricksen, Rae (Ferguson, 69), Vignal; Novo, Prso (Thompson, 74). Substitutes not used: Smith (gk), Namouchi, Malcolm.

Dundee United (4-4-2): Colgan; Mair (Dodds, 74), Ritchie, McCracken, Archibald (Duff, 46); Wilson, Kerr, McInnes (Scotland, 46), Robson; McIntyre, Crawford. Substitutes not used: Grady, Bullock (gk).

Referee: H Dallas.