Lorenzo Amoruso proved the goal hero for Rangers once again after grabbing their opener against Berwick Rangers.

The original Scottish Cup third round tie had been a goalless draw and the Ibrox side had to wait 58 tense minutes for a goal in the replay.

That came courtesy of an Amoruso free-kick and, although it wasn't quite as impressive as his strike against Aberdeen on Saturday - it opened the floodgates.

Eight minutes later Bert Konterman added the second, also from a free-kick, and just two minutes after that a Shota Arveladze strike sealed the win.

Rangers' previous meeting with Berwick had signalled the beginning of what would be a difficult time for Alex McLeish as he faced his biggest tests since taking over at Ibrox in December.

Rangers had been expected to win that game comfortably and progress to a fourth round meeting with Hibernian.

But a lacklustre performance at Shielfield Park saw the Govan side held by their Second Division Berwick opponents - a result they claimed was greater than their 1-0 victory over Rangers in 1967.

Crowd trouble at Saturday's league game at Pittodrie gave Rangers one more reason to produce an impressive performance against Berwick and lift the mood at Ibrox.

Instead the opening 45 minutes proved to be uninspiring even though Rangers created most of the chances.

Again, there seemed to be an air of apathy surrounding the Rangers team even though McLeish had opted to give several fringe players the opportunity to start this game.

Berwick goalkeeper Willie McCulloch was called into action to deny Tony Vidmar after just three minutes as Rangers looked to give a much better account of themselves.

But despite creating plenty of chances, they struggled to take their chances in the first half.

Two minutes later Michael Mols went close to opening the scoring but his effort was headed clear by Alan Neill.

It was the home side who were creating all the chances and they were threatening McCulloch's goal again after seven minutes.

Shota Arveladze found Russell Latapy out on the right and he attempted to cheekily chip the ball over the Berwick goalkeeper but McCulloch managed to block.

A couple of minutes later, Barry Ferguson exchanged a neat one-two with Arveladze before attempting the shot at goal but the Rangers captain was unlucky to see his shot held.

Berwick's best chance of the first half came after 20 minutes when a Bert Konterman pass-back to goalkeeper Stefan Klos prompted referee Dougie McDonald to award them an indirect free kick.

The Ibrox players were furious at the decision but, once the situation had calmed down, Darren Smith's shot cannoned off the Rangers wall.

That allowed Berwick another chance from the resultant corner and Marc Anthony's flag-kick was met by Wood but he headed well over the crossbar.

Rangers recovered from that scare reasonably quickly and Latapy fed the ball through to McCann after 27 minutes. The winger went on a superb run before unleashing a shot but it was nodded over by vigilant defender Gerry Farrell for a corner kick.

Ronald de Boer had replaced Vidmar at half-time and he tried to make his presence felt after the break by unleashing a shot just outside the 18-yard box but the Dutchman's effort flew well over the crossbar after 49 minutes.

But the breakthrough that Rangers had been threatening did eventually come after Farrell hauled down McCann 30 yards from goal and the referee awarded a free-kick. Amoruso stepped up for the set piece and his shot was deflected into the back of the net.

Another free-kick allowed Rangers to double their lead after 66 minutes. Barry Ferguson played a short sideways pass through McCann's legs to Bert Konterman and the big Dutch defender rattled the ball in off the inside of the upright.

The writing was now on the wall and the Ibrox side grabbed their third after 68 minutes when Arveladze bulleted a shot from 25 yards. McCulloch managed to get a hand to the ball but could not prevent it from hitting the back of the net.

Peter Lovenkrands replaced Latapy and he had a couple of good chances to add to Rangers' lead.

He was released by McCann after 76 minutes and went on an impressive run that took him into the box before trying his luck but his shot dropped inches over the crossbar.

A couple of minutes later he pounced on a de Boer through ball but this time he pulled his shot just past the upright.

Teams

Rangers: Klos, Ross, Amoruso, Vidmar (Dodds 45), Latapy (Lovenkrands 70), Hughes, Konterman, Ferguson, McCann, Mols (de Boer 45), Arveladze.

Subs Not Used: Christiansen, Ricksen.

Goals: Amoruso 59, Konterman 67, Arveladze 69.

Berwick: McCulloch, Farrell (McNicoll 78), Bennett, Murie, Neill, Forrest, Smith, Anthony (Bradley 68), McDonald (Neil 29), Feroz, Wood.

Subs Not Used: Huxford, Gilfillan.

Booked: Wood, Farrell.

Att: 17,459

Ref: D McDonald (Scotland).