Mikey Moore Shines As Rangers Thrash Kilmarnock 5-1

It was a frigid February night at Ibrox, but the action on the pitch was anything but cold as Rangers delivered a resounding 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock on February 4, 2026. For the home side, this emphatic win was more than just three points—it was a statement of intent in a Scottish Premiership title race that has tightened dramatically in recent weeks. With the gap to the summit now just three points, the Rangers faithful have every reason to believe their side is back in the hunt.

Kilmarnock, meanwhile, will be left ruing what might have been after a disastrous start left them a man down and chasing shadows for nearly the entire match. The visitors’ hopes were dashed almost immediately when Dom Thompson saw red just four minutes in for pulling down Mikey Moore, whose clever pass released Djeidi Gassama and forced the penalty. Rangers captain James Tavernier made no mistake from the spot, calmly slotting home his 101st league goal for the club. That early breakthrough set the tone for a night of relentless pressure from the hosts.

"A good run from Gassama, it was not a run on the outside, it was a run on the inside. Then you go ahead, and I think everyone who has played football in the past knows what it means to play against ten players behind the ball. You have to move them, you have to be patient in some moments, you have to prepare for the next situation," Rangers head coach Danny Rohl explained after the match. His tactical preparation was clear as Rangers probed and pressed, searching for the gaps in Kilmarnock’s depleted ranks.

Despite their numerical advantage, Rangers found the first half to be anything but a walk in the park. Kilmarnock, showing real grit, managed to frustrate their hosts for long spells. Bruce Anderson even had a golden chance to level the scores in the 17th minute, but his low shot fizzed just wide—a miss that would come back to haunt the visitors. As the first half wore on, some restlessness crept into the Ibrox crowd, with murmurs of discontent audible despite their team’s lead. "I was really surprised," Rohl admitted regarding the atmosphere. "I love our fans, really, but today I was really surprised. I think in the last couple of weeks we spoke about how we want to be together, and we need the crowd, we lead very early in this first half."

The tension didn’t last long. After the break, Rangers emerged with renewed purpose. The pressure finally told just before the hour mark when Bojan Miovski, limited in touches but clinical as ever, fired a low strike into the corner from the edge of the box to double the lead. The floodgates had opened. New signing Andreas Skov Olsen, making his mark on his debut, hammered home the third—his first goal in Rangers colors and a moment to savor for the Danish winger. "Great that some players scored, we want to create confidence and give them minutes," Rohl said, highlighting the impact of his fresh recruits. Ryan Naderi, another new arrival, also made his debut after joining from Hansa Rostock on deadline day, adding further depth to an already dynamic squad.

Yet, if there was one player who truly stole the show, it was 18-year-old Mikey Moore. The Tottenham Hotspur loanee was simply electric, registering a goal, an assist, and creating five chances—more than any other player on the pitch. From the opening whistle, Moore terrorized the Kilmarnock defense with his direct running and clever movement. Within three minutes, his perfectly weighted pass set Gassama free for the penalty incident. In the second half, Moore provided the assist for Skov Olsen’s goal before capping off a sublime individual display with a left-footed strike into the far corner—the final kick of the match and Rangers’ fifth of the night.

"He’s been the best player on the pitch," former Rangers striker Steven Naismith said in the aftermath. BBC Scotland pundit Rory Loy was equally effusive: "It’s been a masterclass in how to receive the ball in tight areas. He can go both ways, which keeps defenders guessing." Moore’s performance was more than just eye-catching; it was a timely reminder of his immense potential. "Mikey is always lively on the pitch, and he wants to score, he wants to be active, but this is sometimes the difference, some players can get more confidence on the pitch, and Mikey is someone we know what we have on it," Rohl remarked, before emphasizing the need for consistency from his young star.

Consistency, indeed, is the next step for Moore. Despite this being only his 13th league start of the season, the England youth international has already shown flashes of brilliance, including a goal-scoring display in the Old Firm derby last month. But injuries and squad rotation have meant he’s missed out on nearly half of Rangers’ league fixtures. As Rohl put it, "This is important for him as well, he knows this. I had a meeting with him last week about this, he demands a high performance from himself." Moore’s ability to maintain this level will be crucial as Rangers continue their pursuit of the title.

Kilmarnock, for their part, did manage a late consolation. Greg Kiltie was on hand to tap home after a rare error from Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland, whose miskick gifted the visitors their only goal of the night. Butland’s misstep was a minor blemish on an otherwise dominant Rangers performance, and he’ll be grateful his teammates were in ruthless mood at the other end. Oliver Antman restored the four-goal cushion in the 90th minute, before Moore’s strike put the icing on the cake.

The final whistle brought relief and celebration for the Ibrox faithful, who watched their side halve the gap to league leaders Hearts from six points to three. With St Mirren having toppled the leaders the previous day and Celtic’s fixture postponed, the Scottish Premiership table has rarely looked so open. As Rohl reminded everyone, "We forget very soon and very quickly which position we were in ten weeks ago, and it was not me, it was my group who came from a position we were behind, from 14 points down to three points. Maybe this deserves sometimes a little bit of positive energy."

With new signings bedding in, young talents like Moore thriving, and the title race heating up, Rangers are very much back in business. Their next challenge awaits, but for now, the blue side of Glasgow can bask in the glow of a five-star performance that has set pulses racing and expectations soaring.