Rangers moved clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League as a Kris Boyd double earned them a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock at Ibrox. The meeting may have been an unlikely top of the table clash but Jim Jefferies' men showed they more than deserved their lofty status ahead of this game by surging ahead through Frazer Wright early on.

Boyd then sparked Rangers into life by claiming two goals in quick succession in the second half to bank the points, hours after rivals Celtic had closed the gap with a win at Motherwell.

Kevin Thomson failed a late fitness test ahead of kick-off, allowing Maurice Edu to make his Rangers debut from the start following his switch from Toronto FC last month.

Boyd and DaMarcus Beasley were also named in the starting line-up as Walter Smith made changes from the side who defeat Celtic 4-2 in their last outing, with Charlie Adam dropped to the bench and Daniel Cousin having since departed to Hull.

Unsurprisingly, Kilmarnock were keen to keep changes to a minimum following their impressive start to the campaign, with Simon Ford returning from injury and David Lilley named among the substitutes as a result.

Smith feared the international break would prove disruptive to Rangers' momentum after the comprehensive victory at Celtic Park and his concerns seemed justified when Killie opened the scoring with just nine minutes gone.

The home side had already failed with a penalty claim, with Kenny Miller going to ground in the opening minutes, before the visitors seized the initiative.

Garry Hay flighted a cross into the box but Allan McGregor looked far from convincing when he came for the ball and Wright got the better of the goalkeeper to knock home from close range at the near post.

Rangers could have restored parity when Edu slipped a superb ball through to United States team-mate Beasley but he dithered on the ball, allowing Fowler to track back and prevent him from unleashing the shot.

Gavin Skelton picked up the first booking of the game for a foul on Pedro Mendes, before Rangers had another go at reducing the deficit.

This time, Madjid Bougherra's pass was collected by Miller who lashed the ball across the face of goal to Boyd but the striker just failed to connect with the net at his mercy and the chance was lost.

Miller then set up another great chance for Boyd, who found himself one on one with Alan Combe on the six-yard line, but the Kilmarnock goalkeeper came off best and managed to block with his legs.

Beasley was withdrawn at the interval for the introduction of Nacho Novo, as Rangers tried to force their way back into the game in the second half.

They were denied another penalty shout within a few minutes of the restart when Boyd claimed he had been fouled by Wright but, again, the referee was uninterested.

With 57 minutes gone, the official finally did point to the spot when Novo was felled by Manuel Pascali. After some delay, Boyd stepped up to rifle low under the body of Combe.

Four minutes later, Rangers were in the lead. Steven Davis was the provider with the ball into the box for Boyd to claim his second of the day by lashing home with the help of a deflection off Wright.

Rangers could have killed the game off when Novo embarked on a surging run before playing the ball to Mendes who teed up the shot for substitute Charlie Adam. He hit the ball well enough but was denied by an excellent save from Combe.

Novo then had a go himself with a ferocious 20-yard drive, but Combe was again up to the task to keep Killie's hopes of a last-gasp draw alive.

Rangers endured a nervous end to the game when Sasa Papac was dismissed after collecting a second yellow card for a foul on Donovan Simmonds with a minute to go.

But the Ibrox side managed to hold on for the win which allowed them to put three points between themselves and their nearest challengers.