Davis keeps Rangers on title track

Steven Davis scored one and set up the other two as Rangers retained their 10-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 win over bottom side Falkirk on Saturday.

In the early kick-off, Marc-Antoine Fortune had a penalty saved as Celtic struggled to a narrow 1-0 win over Hamilton at New Douglas Park to put some pressure on their Old Firm rivals.

Danish striker Morten Rasmussen, in only his second appearance for the club, scored two minutes after replacing Georgios Samaras to net his first Celtic goal since signing from Brondby before Tomas Cerny saved Fortune’s spot-kick after Mark McLaughlin was adjudged to have felled the striker.

However, if the Rangers players felt any pressure it never showed and Davis gave them the lead with a superbly hit free-kick before setting up John Fleck and Steven Whittaker to seal the win in the second period.

The league leaders, despite injuries to top-scorers Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, were expected to run rampant against the team propping up the table but both sides were evenly matched in the opening period.

Danny Wilson had the first opportunity of the match in the 16th minute when he headed Sasa Papac’s floated cross goalward but Robert Olejnik got down low to his right to save.

The much-maligned Kyle Lafferty won a free-kick on the edge of the box after being hauled down by Brian McLean in the 18th minute and from the resultant free-kick Davis gave Rangers the lead.

The Northern Irish international scored his second in two games as he curled his kick into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Scott Arfield should have done better when he was played into the box by Vitor Lima but he hit his shot straight at Allan McGregor.

The Bairns came close to an equaliser when Ryan Flynn’s header from Jack Compton’s corner was cleared near the goal-line by Lafferty.

Rangers could have doubled their lead seconds after the break when Davis picked out Lafferty in the box with a cross from the right but the Northern Irishman headed high and wide under no pressure.

Falkirk had captain Darren Barr to thank two minutes for blocking Nacho Novo’s shot when he bravely threw himself in front of his rasping effort.

The Spaniard and Lafferty both sent shots flying over the bar before Davis set up Fleck to make it 2-0 in the 57th minute.

The midfielder raced down the right wing and cut into the box before firing the ball across goal to the back post where Fleck was on hand to knock in his first league goal of the season.

Rangers fans didn’t have to wait long for their side’s next goal in the 62nd minute and once again Davis had a hand in it.

He sent a pass to Whittaker who controlled it with his back to goal before spinning his marker and racing into the box to fire low past Olejnik.

Elsewhere Hibernian scored a last minute goal to beat St Mirren 2-1 to stay third, Motherwell thrashed Aberdeen 3-0, Kilmarnock and Dundee United ended 4-4 and Jim Jefferies return to Hearts ended in a 1-0 defeat away to St Johnstone.