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Rangers moved three points clear at the top of the Championship with a convincing victory over Dumbarton.

The Ibrox side had to be patient, but Jason Holt gave them the lead just after the break.

Goals from Martyn Waghorn, Nathan Oduwa and Andy Halliday made it a comfortable evening for Mark Warburton's men, who have now collected 40 of a possible 45 points in the league this season.

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Dumbarton's Steven Saunders was sent off late on for fouling Lee Wallace.

The visitors hoped that wiliness would come to their aid at Ibrox. Their starting line-up contained seven players with experience of playing in Scottish football's top-flight. In comparison, only two members of Rangers' line-up had featured at that level.

Often, Dumbarton striker Steven Craig was left isolated up front, although in the opening 10 minutes the visitors did make ground in the final third.

Midfielder Grant Gallagher felt he should have earned a penalty after going to ground under Rob Kiernan's challenge following a fine bit of skill inside the area, but referee Crawford Allan was unmoved.

Rangers fans were forced to vacate a section of the Sandy Jardine stand on safety grounds at half-time

The tendency was for Rangers to try to pick passes through a cluttered defence, but they were at their most incisive when they made headway down the flanks. Barrie McKay lifted a ball into the left-hand channel of the penalty area, and Lee Wallace's volley was pushed away by the diving Mark Brown.

On the other wing, James Tavernier crossed for Nicky Clark, whose header from close range was clawed just over the crossbar by Brown. Rangers also had their own penalty claim, when Dominic Ball fell near the byline, but again Allan was unconvinced by the appeals.

Just as the players were about to kick-off after the break, a security official alerted the referee to the fact that an area of the Sandy Jardine stand needed to be cleared due to an issue with part of the roof overhead. The fans were moved to the Broomloan Road stand before the game eventually kicked-off again.

Martyn Waghorn celebrates scoring Rangers' second against Dumbarton

Rangers were unaffected by the delay, since they quickly and decisively cut through the Dumbarton defence. Holt fed Tavernier before sprinting into the penalty area to convert the full-back's cross from close range.

As the Dumbarton players tired, the home side found their focus. Waghorn curled a shot over, but moments later a break upfield ended with him sweeping the ball with precision and power into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Other chances were spurned, with Tavernier heading against the bar and the substitute Jordan Thompson flashing a volley wide.

Oduwa was accurate enough from Wallace's cross to score the third, before Wallace was tripped inside the penalty area as he ran clear, leading to Saunders' dismissal and Halliday adding the fourth from the penalty spot.

Rangers were ruthless after the break to earn an emphatic victory.