AS THE ball hung in the air towards the edge of the Motherwell penalty box, James Tavernier made an instinctive decision. His team were a goal down partly through his doing. Seeking a route through their hosts was, to that point, proving elusive.

Resisting the urge to pass on responsibility and play it safe, or break out of character and abandon quality, the captain hit a volley first time. The result was a stunning equaliser.

It was the type of goal that just needs to be appreciated, not analysed. Call it a tone-changer, a sign of Rangers’ intent. Another example of Tavernier leading by example through actions on the pitch.

However labelled, it was the start of the side’s standout showing this season. Plenty more wow moments would follow the first at Fir Park.

Moments later, Glen Kamara strode forward. Rejecting a simple ball into the feet of Joe Aribo, he switched play and moved the team forwards. Tavernier helped to complete the turnaround with a cross that was met by Fashion Sakala.

Celebrating his 30th birthday, Tavernier earned his side points once more – but he wasn’t to be the story. It was his Zambian team-mate that held the match ball aloft at full-time, symbolic of the 90-minute performance he had gifted the travelling support with. This was his game and his true announcement.

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“We’ve been waiting for that performance for some time. I thought it was back to our identity,” Gerrard said afterwards.

The dynamism, direction and determination was seen all over the pitch but epitomised by Sakala, who helped his team rediscover the elements that haven’t all collided in harmony as they did in Lanarkshire.

Heading in at half-time 2-1 ahead, there was no repeat of the showing in Paisley last week. Then, the side showed another way to win by protecting a one-goal advantage – this weekend was all about excitement.

Asked by his manager to be a constant menace before the game, Sakala obliged. His pre-break header induced confidence and would be added to just after the hour. Picking the ball up on the left, the decoy run of Calvin Bassey offered a route infield. Sakala’s near-post effort took a nick en route to Rangers’ third of the day.

Stephen O’Donnell had seen yellow in the first half after hauling back the summer arrival, another bursting run from Bassey saw him awarded a second yellow card. The visitors already looked set for more – the extra space of a 10-man opponent sped up the process.

Kamara had clearly enjoyed Sakala’s strike to such a degree that replication was on his mind. He shot into the same corner from a similar angle to make it 4-1. All before Steven Davis, who had strolled the game and protected his defence expertly, provided Sakala his third goal with a clipped and measured cross.

“An absolute midfield masterclass,” Gerrard said of the 36-year-old Davis. “Everything that you need to do as a midfielder. Not just the passing and the running, the second balls, the positional play. He was outstanding."

Few love a goal as much as Kemar Roofe – his brief cameo was capped with the sixth, profiting from the initial header Jack Simpson directed goalward.

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Scott Wright threatened another while Sakala flashed an effort across goal. The home side were outclassed when numbers were equal – a man-down there was no contest.

The performance bookended so many themes and elements from a season that has scaresly satisfied so far. All of those were tied together by Gerrard in midweek when speaking about variation, principles and identity.

“When I’m alluding to our identity, it’s more getting back into that. Once you get your principles right, I believe we’ve got the variety and the personnel to throw different issues and problems at teams,” was his response on that topic to The Rangers Review. If ever a game vindicated that belief, it was this one.

The organisation, the counterpressing and the aggression with and without the ball gave the platform. Sakala and Aribo in the front three threw an entirely different problem at Motherwell than the midweek offering Aberdeen were met with.

Rangers owned the pitch when they lost possession and owned the ball when in possession of it. Their patterns of play were utilised with slick interchanging, their high line protected by a snarling mid-block. This was Steven Gerrard’s Rangers back to within an inch of their very best.

Sakala personified it all. Offering pace and trickery with the ball, he looked unpredictable and three differently styled goals stand as proof of that. The hat-trick hero was quick to thank the technical staff and players post-match.

“I don’t need to be satisfied,” Sakala said with a grin as the importance of more hard work was pointed towards. That attitude will give him many more man of the match displays at Rangers