IF Steven Gerrard is to be believed, the fulfilling 30 minutes Alfredo Morelos conjured here at Ibrox was one of the best half-hours since Hancock was around. Brought on to replace Kyle Lafferty with 60 minutes gone, the Colombian’s energising endeavour spawned a goal and an assist as Rangers surged to a three-goal victory which reads more convincingly than it actually was. At the time of Morelos’s emergence, the hosts were one goal to the good but they hardly held the game in a double nelson as a sprightly, sturdy Livingston more than earned their salt. “I thought maybe he [Morelos] could provide the spark to put the game to bed … and he did,” said Gerrard. A clinical finish on 83 minutes, his 16th goal of the season, settled any growing nerves while his surge and cut-back for Scott Arfield in the last knockings put the tin lid on affairs.

“His performance for 30 minutes was superb,” added Gerrard as he shovelled great lumps of acclaim on the 22-year-old, who scored 18 last season. “There’s no doubt about it, he’s going to shatter what he got last season. I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep him here for as long as possible. I’ll fall out with people to keep him here. I love him but I also understand every player has his price.”

The price to pay for Morelos’s all-action approach, though, is bookings and another yesterday was his sixth yellow card in the league this season. A suspension for the match with Dundee in early December will follow. “I need to share some of that blame,” conceded Gerrard. “I’m asking him to be in faces and be aggressive and press and not stop short.”

With a busy programme of four games in 11 days on both home and European fronts, Gerrard opted to start with Lafferty over Morelos in some carefully considered squad management. The Northern Irishman put in plenty of spade work in the early stages but it was the visitors who came within a whisker of forging the lead. From a partially-cleared free-kick, Shaun Byrne’s deflected pop at goal found its way to Alan Lithgow and his squirt on the turn trundled off the post. That let-off seemed to give Rangers an added injection of oomph as they mounted a series of fearsome charges that could have been accompanied with fixed bayonets.

The hard-pressed Livingston defence was creaking like the outhouse door in a stiff breeze and it eventually swung open on 21 minutes as Rangers burst through. Glenn Middleton’s corner from the right was met by Daniel Candeias and his header flew into the net.

It certainly wasn’t all plain-sailing for the hosts after gaining the lead, though. Livingston, who had shown an industrious willingness to get forward, stoked up some heebie-jeebies in the Rangers rearguard as Scott Pittman pinged one just over after a scramble and Craig Halkett brought a diving parry out of Allan McGregor.

Having survived those menacing advances, Rangers really should have doubled their lead as half-time loomed. Lithgow’s attempt at a forward thump was blocked by Arfield and it sent Lafferty bounding free but he could only stroke his effort into the side-netting. The hands on his head summed up the general feeling.

Rangers could have done with the cushion of a second goal because Livingston, organised, tireless, tidy and not short of invention, emerged for the resumption with purpose and gave the home side a few defensive chores to deal with. Despite a drive from Middleton which Liam Kelly had to palm away at the other end, meanwhile, there were still a few growing grumblings and mutterings in the home stands as Livingston’s pesky defiance and positive probings continued.

Lafferty was eventually substituted by Morelos on the hour as Gerrard started to shuffle his pack but despite a few thrusts into Livingston territory, Rangers were toiling to impose themselves on a visiting side who were growing in stature. They were still very much in it and could have been level on 78 minutes when a bouncing effort from Keaghan Jacobs was fisted away by McGregor.

Step forward Morelos. With seven minutes left he turned into the box and blasted home before teeing up Arfield to complete a cameo which took centre stage.

Livingston, who beat Rangers in the corresponding fixture in September, put in a praise-worthy shift. A first-half penalty claim, when Declan Gallagher went down in a tangle with Middleton, was, according to the Livingston manager Gary Holt, “a stonewall one to me.” He added: “You hope when you come to places like this you get a wee bit of luck and I don’t think we got that. The reports will say it was 3-0 and a hiding but it was far from it.”