Cup holders Rangers had little difficulty disposing of Arbroath to make sure their name was prominently displayed in the fourth round draw.

But the victory came at a cost as they were forced to play out the final quarter of an hour with only 10 men after Lorenzo Amoruso and Fernando Ricksen had to go off following a clash of heads.

The Italian was taken straight to hospital while the Dutchman received stitches on the sidelines to a facial wound.

First half goals from Barry Ferguson and Craig Moore gave Alex McLeish's men a comfortable cushion on a night that was bitterly cold and windy but when the elements had little effect on proceedings.

Shota Arveladze added a third before the hour mark to emphasise the difference in class between the two sides and the visitors continued to create and waste chances at the end despite their numerical disadvantage.

Last season Rangers had to get past two part-time outfits on their way to meeting and beating Celtic to lift the trophy. And they had been vastly contrasting experiences.

They suffered the embarrassment of being held to a goal-less draw by Berwick before winning an Ibrox replay and going on to thrash Forfar 6-0 on their own patch.

It took just two minutes to show that this would be a Forfar, not a Berwick, and that captain Ferguson would once again be his side's leading light.

The game was just seconds old when Ferguson thumped a wind-assisted drive against the crossbar and had Michael Mols been fully warmed up at Britain's coldest ground he might have done better than putting the rebound harmlessly wide.

John Brownlie's First Division relegation strugglers held out for a further 25 minutes before Ferguson notched his 15th goal of the season.

It came from a Neil McCann corner, Ferguson lashing a shot goalwards with his left foot from just outside the box and seeing it whistle past the bodies in a crowded box, including Shota Arveladze who had cleverly jumped out of the way.

The second was not long in coming, arriving in the 32nd minute courtesy of Moore's head. Again it came from a corner from the right, with Ricksen the supplier this time, and the Australian was hardly challenged as he rose to power the ball past home goalkeeper Craig Hinchcliffe.

Hinchcliffe had earlier denied Arthur Numan with a smart stop and in first half stoppage time, after Maurice Ross had seen a shot blocked, managed to get behind a fierce Ferguson drive, having previously tipped over a goal-bound Ferguson effort.

The home side had shown little attacking endeavour in the first 45 minutes despite home advantage, although admittedly it had been the visitors who had enjoyed first use of the notorious win that blows off the North Sea on to the exposed Gayfield pitch.

The home fans, who had come to the ground despite the game being live on television, deserved better from their favourites but the second half was destined to be more of the same.

Mols again passed up a simple opportunity by somehow poking wide from close range with the goal at his mercy but Arveladze did much better just before the hour mark.

Receiving the ball at his feet and with his back to goal, he executed a smart turn to fool his challenger before firing in a low drive from outside the area that was perfectly placed to give Hinchliffe the unenviable job of picking the ball out of the rigging once again.

Arbroath enjoyed a late rally, with Ross Currie seeing a header saved before launching a long-ranger that just grazed the top of the crossbar.

McLeish gave late run-outs to Claudio Caniggia and Steven McLean but that left just Bob Malcolm to throw into the fray after Amoruso and Ricksen were simultaneously sidelined by a collision with each other, with the Italian heading straight down the tunnel and the Dutchman left clutching his face.

As far as the match was concerned, it mattered little as Mols and Caniggia created and then wasted opportunities and Ferguson was denied a curled fourth by a fine Hinchcliffe save.

But the repercussions of the concussions might be further reaching as the league leaders must now embark on an intensive sequence of matches in fear two key players might be denied them.

Teams

Arbroath Hinchcliffe, Tait, Florence, Cusick (Spink 57), Ritchie, Currie , Brownlie (Swankie 77), Cargill, Henslee (Heenan 65), Feroz, McGlashan.

Subs Not Used: McAulay, Woodcock.

Rangers Klos, Ricksen, Moore, Amoruso (Malcolm 77), Numan, de Boer, Ferguson, McCann (Caniggia 69), Ross, Mols, Arveladze (McLean 74).

Subs Not Used: Nerlinger, McGregor.

Goals: Ferguson 27, Moore 32, Arveladze 58.

Att: 4,125

Ref: J Rowbotham (Scotland).