Inverness CT 0 Rangers 3 It took one magical moment from Pedro Mendes to reignite a ramshackle Rangers and a further 44 to rejuvenate their faltering championship challenge.

Inverness CT 0 Rangers 3
Mendes (46), Boyd (81, 87)

It took one magical moment from Pedro Mendes to reignite a ramshackle Rangers and a further 44 to rejuvenate their faltering championship challenge. Walter Smith's side have now shorn Celtic's advantage to five points in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League but, until the Portuguese playmaker's inspirational intervention, Rangers threatened to do their prospects more harm than good.

Allan McGregor produced three commendable saves, most notably from Andrew Barrowman, to quell a Highland uprising but all Inverness had to show for their bravery was a bruising scoreline and the ominous distinction of bottom place in the league. Kris Boyd took his goal tally to 20 with a decisive double, the striker displaying the kind of unerring execution that eluded him in last week's Old Firm derby defeat.

Mendes, it has already become apparent, does not deal in simple tap-ins. Each of his three goals has been a gem: the vicious 25-yard strike on his Old Firm debut, the indulgent flick with the outside of his boot against Partick Thistle and the latest effort, a graceful, curled shot beyond a helpless Ryan Esson. He made an early exit with a thigh strain but showed enough imagination and inventiveness to reaffirm his position as the primary creative influence in the side.

Barry Ferguson, in contrast, produced another subdued performance. In a week when Newcastle United expressed interest in signing the Rangers captain, Ferguson is still struggling to recapture fitness, form and, most frustrating of all to the 30-year-old, his authority in the middle of the field. He was swamped by Inverness's five-man midfield and became narkier as the game progressed in Rangers' favour.

Keeping his position, where once a matter of fact, is now a legitimate topic of debate. Rangers are not so well off for talent that Smith would seriously consider dropping Ferguson but the player will have to accept a less glamorous role to the one afforded to Mendes yesterday.

For all Mendes's marvel and Boyd's larceny, the impish presence of Nacho Novo was a sight to behold. The Spaniard was the latest solution to the Problem Left Midfield Position and brought energy, enthusiasm and, unusually in recent weeks, productivity to the role. His international' exploits with his regional select side, Galicia, have apparently attracted interest from his hometown team, Deportivo La Coruna, but Novo remains an asset most potent when used in moderation for Rangers.

He was a persistent nuisance to Ross Tokely, a brawny and uncompromising figure who never got close to the diminutive dynamo. After a sprightly 15 minutes, Rangers inexplicably ceased to use Novo as a profitable outlet and as a result became submerged by a blue tide. Craig Brewster may be fighting for his job - with the supporters' trust giving a vote of no confidence - but this was as spirited a loss as the manager will have encountered.

Thistle encountered a focused McGregor and a Rangers defence galvanised by the return of Madjid Bougherra, the Algerian whose return may be shortlived if Newcastle United or Marseille have their way.

For a half-hour spell in the first half, Inverness repelled Rangers' sporadic, disjointed attacks and sprang forward inventively.

Russell Duncan provided a durable layer of protection before the defence while Don Cowie regularly burrowed forward in support of the game and gangly Barrowman. It was Iain Vigurs who caused the greatest discomfort. From a starting point on the left of midfield, the youngster drifted menacingly infield providing craft and creativity.

It is no exaggeration to suggest McGregor kept Rangers in the match in the first half and a stinging half-time monologue from the manager effected the desired change.

Within a minute of the restart, Inverness's best efforts were ruined by Mendes's sweeping finish. It sapped the life from a team who have now lost six games in a row. They retreated in anticipation of an onslaught and invited trouble.

Rangers had to make do without Kenny Miller and Mendes for much of the second half but the enforced alterations had a positive effect on the previously disjointed formation. Matching Inverness's five in midfield, the introduction of Chris Burke gave balance on the left with Novo switching flanks. Mendes, then Davis, were centrepieces of a 4-2-3-1 with Boyd confounding popular opinion by thriving on his own.

McGregor was called upon to deny Barrowman and preserve Rangers' slender lead midway through the half and immediately afterwards Inverness's uphill task became insurmountable. Davis threaded a pass inside the home defence, Boyd spun his marker and drilled the ball beyond Esson.

Some quick thinking killed off any hope of a comeback. Burke received a short free-kick, looked up and floated an inviting cross to the back post, which Boyd gobbled up. It was one of many positive spurts from Burke, who has become a forgotten man since his return from the serious ankle injury sustained last season. He looked sharp and industrious and, with six months remaining on his contract, will need to maintain such form if he is to remain a part of the Rangers furniture.

Brewster patched up his team for a damage limitation exercise as Rangers played out the remaining minutes with a new lease of life.