By George Overhill

18th Mar, 2023 | 2:40pm

BBC pundit blown away by Rangers duo Fashion Sakala and James Tavernier in moment vs Motherwell

Kenny Miller was wowed by the way Rangers came out after the break at Motherwell and went ahead through Fashion Sakala.

The Zambian powered a header into the net from James Tavernier’s inch-perfect right-wing cross to make the score 2-1 in the first minute of the half to give Michael Beale’s side a first lead on the day.

Having gone behind early to a third-minute opener from Kevin van Veen it required a free kick from the captain to level the scores before the break, and Miller was blow away by the instant statement at the start of the second half.

Speaking on BBC Sportsound, via the BBC Sport live-blog, he said: “Perfect start to the second half for Rangers and it’s wonderfully worked goal. A familiar source in James Tavernier’s right boot.

“Fashion Sakala, given his size, is very, very strong in the air. He rises above his man at the back post and bullets the ball past Liam Kelly.”

Intent

This game showed the difference between Beale’s Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s as it was exactly the sort of clash that could have seen points dropped under the previous regime.

There is a long way to go still under the current boss, but going behind early, and even being pegged back again after Sakala’s strike, didn’t phase this team on the way to a 4-2 win.

It was clear that the manager had made his thoughts clear at the break for the players to come out and immediately take the lead.

Tavernier gets some stick for being at the head of a team that has fallen back behind Celtic in Scotland, but he was key here in turning things around.

Sakala’s elevation under Beale has also been a big part of the improvement since the former QPR boss took over, and while this result was only as much as Gers fans would expect, it was reassuring to see the side respond to pressure with goals.

Todd Cantwell’s first in a Light Blues shirt is another positive note, and one more for Malik Tillman shows how his permanent stay is likely to be a priority come the end of the season.

It wasn’t perfect overall, but Miller was right that the start to the second half was, as part of a performance in the second 45 that put a much more positive spin on the weekend.

In other Rangers news, the manager seems to believe that one player with an expiring contract is set to extend stay at Ibrox.