Lovenkrands gives Rangers perfect start

Rangers 3 Dunfermline Athletic

Rangers strolled into the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup last night when they overwhelmed a Dunfermline side who bore little resemblance to the side who had taken them to the brink 16 days ago.

The holders were two up inside 19 minutes to end any chance of an upset in this replay and set up a tie with Motherwell at Hampden Park on 19 April. The following day Dundee, who beat Falkirk 4-1 after extra time last night, will face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the other semi-final.

Dunfermline ought to have snatched the lead after two minutes, after a delightful pass from Craig Brewster put Steve Hampshire in with just Stefan Klos to beat, but the midfielder squeezed his shot wide.

The punishment for that error was instant. Rangers surged ahead two minutes later, as Peter Lovenkrands rifled in his 11th goal of the season, but the architects were the visitors. Goalkeeper Derek Stillie's throw out to Andrius Skerla saw the defender respond far too casually, allowing Lovenkrands to rob him and then drill a shot past Stillie from the edge of the area.

There was little that Dunfermline could do to combat Barry Ferguson doubling Rangers' lead in the 19th minute. The captain began the move in his own half, picking out Lovenkrands with a deep pass. He in turn found Arthur Numan, whose cross was met by Ferguson. His 60-yard run was rewarded by a diving header that found the net.

Dunfermline might have cut the deficit just before half-time but Klos got a vital touch to divert Barry Nicholson's shot wide. But the tie was finished in the 54th minute when Mikel Arteta struck. The Spaniard gathered a pass from Ronald de Boer and went wide of Stillie, before clipping a right-foot shot from a tight angle that just crept into the net for the third.

Dunfermline knew it was not going to be their evening when Hampshire missed another chance with only Klos to beat, lifting his lob over the keeper but failing to keep it down.

Rangers (4-3-3): Klos; Ricksen, Malcolm, Amoruso, Numan (McCann, 64); Ferguson (Arveladze, 72), Konterman, Arteta; Mols, De Boer (Caniggia, 66), Lovenkrands. Substitutes not used: McGregor (gk), Hughes.

Dunfermline Athletic (4-4-2): Stillie; Bullen, Skerla, MacPherson (Kilgannon, h-t), McGroarty; Nicholson, Brannan (Grondin, 72), Hampshire, Mason; Crawford, Brewster (Hunt, 61). Substitutes not used: Ruitenbeek (gk), McGarty.

Referee: J Underhill.