Motherwell were simply outclassed, as Rangers netted a clinical first-half strike followed by four in the second half to condemn the women of steel to a disappointing Sky Sports Cup exit at a rainswept Broadwood Stadium.
Emma Watson’s composed finish split the sides at half time, before a double from Kirsty Howat and Lisa Martinez sealed victory for the hosts.
Motherwell tried to force a route back into the game, with chances from Kaela McDonald-Nguah and Gemma Hughes testing Jenna Fife in the Rangers net, but their efforts were left unrewarded as they fell to a disappointing Quarter-Final exit.
Manager Paul Brownlie made two changes from the side that fought to restore a two-goal deficit against Spartans in SWPL1 action last weekend. Kodie Hay and Georgie Rafferty both returned to the starting XI, with Katie Rice and Jo Addie having to settle for a place on the bench.
Motherwell carved out the first opportunity of the game with McDonald-Nguah making her presence known in the early stages. Amy Anderson did well to pickpocket Colette Cavanagh deep into the opponents half before picking out the striker who fired across the face of goal, but the chance came to nothing.
Despite a slow passive start, Rangers’ quality slowly started to edge its way into the game. Chelsea Cornet did well to deceive her marker before drilling a low enticing delivery across the face of goal, but Emily Mutch reacted superbly to parry beyond the reach of Howat who was lurking at the back post.
Motherwell continued to limit the threat Rangers posed throughout much of the first half, but the hosts soon found the breakthrough on the half hour mark. Howat’s audacious strike from the edge of the box rattled off the top of the crossbar before falling kindly to Watson who coolly tucked away the rebound into the empty net.
With the half time whistle looming, Cavanagh was fortunate to have not been given her marching orders after a reckless challenge on Emma Lawton. The winger caught the defender high on her ankle, but the referee only brandished a yellow card.
With Motherwell chasing the game in the second half, Rangers took advantage of the additional space and soon netted a quickfire double.
Samantha Kerr effortlessly worked her way past several lacklustre challenges before clipping a low-cross to Martinez deep into the Motherwell penalty area, and the forward calmly placed her strike high into the roof of the net.
Martinez looked to have netted from a clear offside position, but the linesman remained unconvinced, and the goal stood.
Less than two-minutes later, Rangers had their third of the afternoon. Howat did well to latch onto Cornet’s perfectly weighted through ball before drilling an accurate strike into the top-right corner from an acute angle.
The hosts had four midway through the second half. A clever interchange of play at the edge of the box caught the static Motherwell defence off guard, and Howat was on hand to confidently net her second of the game with another well-taken effort.
The women of steel struggled to recover from this intense period of attacking pressure, and Martinez soon netted her second of the game to complete a tough afternoon for the visitors
Motherwell will now turn their attention to SWPL1 action, as they look to bounce back against a high-flying Hearts side in a crucial encounter next Sunday.
