Rangers powered up by Arteta

Rangers 3 Dundee

After switching off last week, a power failure was not what Rangers needed yesterday, but they finally found a three-point plug of confidence.

Goals from Ronald de Boer and Shota Arveladze had already compensated for the costly equaliser conceded at Kilmarnock on the opening day, before Peter Lovenkrands inscribed a deft late finish to secure the Scottish Premier League challengers' first win.

The delay, which had been been prompted by a power failure that shut down the Ibrox turnstiles, had seemed hospitable enough as crowds milled outside in the sunshine.

However, by the time action finally commenced at 3.48pm – the amount of time it had taken to allow Rangers' 40,000 season ticket holders to enter by more traditional methods than their smartcard – there was a growing sense of torpor in the ground.

Nowhere was this more evident than among the clutch of dark blue shirts out on the pitch: Dundee had hung on after their initial pre-match warm-up, but as the delay dragged on they began to resemble an impatient queue waiting at a bus stop.

The resulting lethargy was costly. As Ronald de Boer put Rangers ahead after just 11 minutes, the posse of Dundee defenders guarding the near post had seemed unperturbed about the Dutchman's presence and De Boer punished that with a glancing header from Mikel Arteta's corner which squirmed past keeper Julian Speroni.

The shock roused Dundee and Jim Duffy's side ought to have equalised seven minutes later when Nacho Novo won a jump with Arthur Numan in his own half and skipped past Lorenzo Amoruso's lunge. However, the young Spaniard not only squandered a two-on-one advantage by not supplying Juan Sara, he then extravagantly scooped the ball over Stefan Klos but also the keeper's crossbar.

Speroni redeemed himself with clawing away Fernando Ricksen's low cross just as De Boer was poised to pull the trigger, and the keeper later eclipsed that by throwing himself at the feet of Tore Andre Flo, who still wears the look of a man who feels his future is elsewhere.

With the tempo finally reaching its true level, both sides' composed passing created a contest which brimmed with fluency as well as hunger.

No one was more accomplished than Arteta. The £6m signing from Barcelona was at the core of everything Rangers did, though he did enjoy one comfort from home in his new environment: a joust with Dundee's Jonay Hernandez, who began life at Real Madrid.

Arteta had not left all his baggage at home and the young Catalan was eventually booked after a series of theatrical dives whenever his compatriot came near.

Speroni, though, continued to distinguish himself. The keeper denied Ricksen's 25-yard free-kick by throwing himself to his right and palming the ball wide.

Flo's inner turmoil increased when he miscued from six yards, then Speroni thrust out a hand to divert Arveladze's drive, which was destined for the top corner.

Arveladze, though, would not be denied. He struck Rangers' second goal, taking over after De Boer had superbly held the ball up on the edge of the box and squeezing a left foot shot past the overworked Speroni.

Rangers 3 Dundee 0
De Boer 12, Arveladze 67, Lovenkrands 88

Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 47,044