Celtic's championship champagne remained on ice as an under-strength Rangers side mauled UEFA Cup hopefuls Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

A Killie win would have enabled Celtic to clinch the championship from the comfort of their armchairs but that never looked like happening and the green half of Glasgow will now have to wait until next month to complete the job.

A Neil McCann hat-trick - with the first goal's origin admittedly still under scrutiny - was the mainstay of a 5-0 demolition job on the out-of-sorts visitors.

Andrei Kanchelskis weighed in with a goal in a rare Ibrox outing and his late replacement, teenage debutant Chris Burke, also scored within seconds of trotting on to the pitch.

With key players either out, injured or rested with Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final with Partick Thistle in mind it was an unusual-looking Rangers line-up that took the field.

Robert Malcolm started for the first time this season and Billy Dodds and Kanchelskis both came in the absence of Tore Andre Flo and Shota Arveladze.

Christian Nerlinger made his first start since injury put his season on hold on the first day of August and he and Stephen Hughes, Berti Vogts' new recruit to the Scotland squad, filled the gaps left by Barry Ferguson and Bert Konterman.

But if the line-up looked makeshift it soon showed it actually meant business.

McCann and Arthur Numan set up a good chance in only the second minute that the Dutchman blasted just wide and Killie goalkeeper Colin Meldrum made two good saves from Dodds volleys.

Maurice Ross, deputising at right-back for Rangers in place of the suspended Fernando Ricksen, became the first man to be booked for a late challenge on Alan Mahood.

But when Mahood was himself cautioned for fouling Dodds, Rangers scored from the free-kick.

Lorenzo Amoruso took it and found McCann unmarked on the left side of the six-yard box. That the ball found its way into the net cannot be disputed but exactly who should claim it was less clear.

Meldrum took the sting out of the shot but it still continued goalwards and a defender was seen to try desperately to prevent it crossing the white line before Dodds and Peter Lovenkrands arrived simultaneously to make sure it did.

The goal was credited to McCann but Dodds' elation seemed to indicate he was claiming it.

There was no doubt about the second, however, as Amoruso, who had just headed a corner over, galloped forward.

The ball was pushed in front of Kanchelskis and the winger, who is soon to end his highly-paid stint at Ibrox, ran on to fire low past Meldrum.

Meldrum had to dive bravely at Dodds' feet before McCann made it 3-0 in the 40th minute.

Ross crossed from the right and there was McCann at the far post to fire in off the goalkeeper's body.

McCann thought he had a hat-trick five minutes later when a Hughes shot was parried into his path but an offside flag was raised before he could begin his celebrations.

There was still time before the break for the winger to have another chance but Peter Canero was able to make a last-gasp tackle in the box.

Killie had hardly threatened at the other end and made a change at the break by taking off Mahood, who had been struggling with illness before the game, and sending on Kris Boyd.

Chris Innes' header soon after the restart hardly troubled Stefan Klos in the Rangers goal but it was the first time the German had been required to make a save.

Dodds misdirected a good shooting chance off Lovenkrands and Amoruso fired a free-kick over the crossbar.

Killie won the odd corner and free-kick and it was from one dead ball situation that Rangers converted a counter-attack to make it four.

Dodds charged out of the Rangers half down the right flank and played the ball in front of Kanchelskis. The resulting cross was a good one and McCann met it with a firm header to claim, if not definitely record, a hat-trick.

Kanchelskis was intent on some good old-fashioned showboating in his first Ibrox start of the season and the home fans responded loudly.

That was also the case when Kanchelskis was withdrawn with 11 minutes to go in place of Burke, who proceeded to score within seconds.

The little winger, wearing number 48 on his back, emulated Kanchelskis by tricking his way into the box and firing the ball past Meldrum off the hapless Sean Hessey.

Hughes had the ball in the net in stoppage time but was denied by an assistant referee's flag.

Teams:

Rangers: Klos, Ross, Amoruso, Malcolm, Kanchelskis (Burke 79), Hughes, Nerlinger, Numan (Penttila 74), Lovenkrands, Dodds, McCann.

Subs Not Used: McGregor, Caniggia, Latapy.

Booked: Ross.

Goals: McCann 24, Kanchelskis 34, McCann 40, 61, Burke 80.

Kilmarnock: Meldrum, Innes, McGowne, Hessey, Canero, Mitchell, Mahood (Boyd 45), Hay, Dargo, McLaren (Murray 64), McDonald (Fowler 71).

Subs Not Used: Stewart, Ngonge.

Booked: Mahood, Hessey, Dargo.

Att: 40,768

Ref: John Rowbotham (Scotland).