MARK WARBURTON suffered his first defeat as Rangers boss as St Johnstone dismissed the Championship leaders from the Scottish League Cup with a 3-1 win at Ibrox.
The third round encounter was deemed to be the biggest test of the season for the Englishman, whose team had won 11 consecutive games in all competitions since he took over in the summer.
Goals from midfielders Murray Davidson and Simon Lappin gave the Ladbrokes Premiership side a comfortable interval lead, which would have been increased had striker Steven MacLean not missed a sitter. Michael O'Halloran added a third seconds after the restart and, while right-back James Tavernier pulled a goal back in the 61st minute to give Rangers some hope, it turned out to be no more than a consolation, amid what many will see as a reality check, especially defensively.
Saints had been beaten 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the same competition in Govan last season and had yet to win away from home this term and Rangers seemed to sense a hesitancy at the start. However, the Perth men almost stole ahead in the fourth minute with their first foray up the pitch.
Right-back Joe Shaughnessy's throw-in from the right ended up at the feet of Lappin 20 yards from goal and his thunderous drive was tipped past the post by Gers keeper Wes Foderingham.
Rangers survived the corner but the visitors took the lead in the 18th minute when the lively O'Halloran's cross from the right was cleverly flicked on by MacLean to Davidson who knocked the ball in from three yards for his first goal of the season.
Gers should have been further behind three minutes later when O'Halloran drove into the box and set up MacLean for an easy tap-in, only for the former Rangers striker to somehow balloon the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
Midfielder Gedion Zelalem and striker Kenny Miller had decent attempts for the Light Blues but defensive fragility proved costly again just before the half-hour mark. David Wotherspoon's corner from the left found the unmarked Lappin at the edge of the box and he smashed a wonderfully-executed left-foot drive past Foderingham.
The supporters had barely taken their seats for the start of the second-half when O'Halloran raced through the centre of the Gers defence, past Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan, to poke a MacLean ball past Foderingham.
The tie appeared to be in danger of causing the Govan men some embarrassment but they fought their way back into the match.
Midfielder Nathan Oduwa clipped the bar with a shot in the 55th minute before Tavernier weaved his way into the Saints box to fire the ball high past Perth keeper Mannus to send a surge of energy through the Gers players and fans.
Rangers striker Martyn Waghorn headed a Zelalem header just past the post moments later but despite some huffing and puffing from the home side in the latter stages St Johnstone saw the game out to deservedly go into next Monday's quarter-final draw.
