Rangers 5 Peterhead 0

Niko Kranjcar answered his critics with a goal and two assists as Rangers thumped Peterhead 5-0 to cruise into the Betfred Cup quarter-finals.

The former Croatia international has faced question over his fitness levels since putting in an ineffective display in Saturday's Ladbrokes Premiership opener with Hamilton.

But he looked stronger and sharper against Jim McInally's team as he completed another hour of action.

And there were more signs of what the ex-Portsmouth, Tottenham and QPR playmaker can offer after he slammed home the 18th-minute opener as well as laying on two goals for defender Clint Hill.

An own goal from Peterhead defender Fiarce Kelleher and Joe Dodoo's first Ibrox strike put the seal on a miserable night for the League One minnows, who ended the match with 10 men after midfielder Nathan Blockley received a straight red card for a wild lunge on Joey Barton.

Warburton gave summer signings Dodoo and Jordan Rossiter the chance to impress from the start for the first time as he made six changes to the side which was frustrated by the 1-1 draw with Accies.

But the alterations did little to spark Gers into life as they took their time warming up.

Kranjcar, though, lit the blue-touch paper when he combined with Dodoo on the edge of the box before ripping a stunning drive past Graeme Smith.

The keeper did turn James Tavernier's shot onto the bar after a great pick-out from Rossiter but Kranjcar's class told again on 35 minutes.

His delivery for Hill at the back-post was pin-point, although the veteran centre-back did his best to make a mess of the chance as he stood on the ball before eventually rolling home his first Rangers goal.

Michael O'Halloran's pace down the right had proved difficult for Peterhead to live with all evening and it caught out Kelleher three minutes into the second half when he turned the former St Johnstone wideman's cross into his own net.

The visitors' cause got all the more testing when Blockley was dismissed by Andrew Dallas for his reckless challenge on Barton after 55 minutes and Rangers made immediate use of the extra room with Hill thumping home an emphatic header from another Kranjcar corner.

Former Leicester striker Dodoo - deputising up front for Martyn Waghorn after last season's top scorer pulled up with a hamstring injury at the weekend - was frustrated not to have found the net during the first period but finally got on the scoresheet with 25 minutes left as he clinically fired home from Tavernier's cut-back.