Rangers are through to the League Cup Final following a comfortable 3-0 win over Falkirk at Hampden tonight with Nacho Novo the two-goal hero.
Rangers 3 (Novo 2 [8, 39], Boyd 87) Falkirk 0Attendance 24,507
Manager Walter Smith made three changes from Aberdeen with Steven Naismith, Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo replacing John Fleck, Kenny Miller and Lee McCulloch.
The Ibrox men - wearing their red change strip - faced a side containing two former Rangers players in Steven Pressley and Neil McCann, the winger seeking a record fourth final appearance with four different clubs (having also played for Dundee and Hearts).
It was the underdogs who almost made a stunning start in two minutes when Steve Lovell was through on a Patrick Cregg pass only for Allan McGregor to block his effort.
Three minutes later the same player almost took advantage of a Kirk Broadfoot error - his eighteen-yard shot being turned wide by McGregor.
Falkirk were made to pay for those misses - Rangers taking the lead in eight minutes when Novo stabbed the ball home after a Pedro Mendes corner had been flicked on by Madjid Bougherra.
The Cup Holders had come alive - and Boyd came close to adding a second nine minutes later when his overhead kick from a Barry Ferguson chip was just wide.
Boyd almost turned provider in 26 minutes when his cutback found Naismith whose shot was blocked - the loose ball falling to Mendes whose twenty-yarder was deflected wide.
It was all Rangers - Naismith's volley from a Mendes corner flashing wide of the target on the half-hour mark.
Mendes was in superb form in the middle of the park - another slide-rule pass in 38 minutes finding Boyd whose whose shot was parried by 'Bairns' goalkeeper Dani Mallo.
The second goal was merely delayed however - sixty seconds later Novo raced through on a Steve Davis pass to net from an acute angle.
Novo came close to making it a hat-trick two minutes after the restart when he was through on a Kirk Broadfoot pass only to drive wide.
Falkirk were not out of it however - Lee Bullen's back-header from a McCann corner being touched over by McGregor in 52 minutes, then Scott Arfield's eighteen-yard drive from the next corner was just over.
Davis almost brought the house down in 63 minutes when his mazy run ended with a fifteen-yard shot that was touched wide by Mallo.
Five minutes later a Boyd - Novo move ended with a scissors-kick from the centre that struck the crossbar.
Fleck replaced Naismith in 76 minutes - and the youngster almost made an instant impact when his left-wing run ended with a cross to Boyd whose shot on the turn was blocked, as was Davis' effort from the rebound.
Ferguson limped off in 85 minutes, to be replaced by Lee McCulloch - and the win was wrapped up soon afterwards when Boyd disposessed Mallo some thirty yards out and coolly stroked the ball into the empty net.
Rangers were in the final - and afterwards a relaxed Walter Smith looked back:
"I'm pleased to get to the final. We started slowly and Falkirk had a couple of chances. The goal settled us. It was a comfortable win in the end. We played well on an awkward surface."
On 'Man of the Match' Nacho Novo the Ibrox Boss stated:
"He did well. His enthusiasm is a big factor in his play. He does a great job for us, and never lets us down."
RANGERS McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Davis, Mendes, Ferguson (McCulloch 85), Naismith (Fleck 76); Boyd, Novo
UNUSED SUBS Whittaker, Alexander, Miller
FALKIRK Mallo; Bullen (Higdon 59), Scobbie; Pressley, McNamara, Barr; McCann, Cregg (Stewart 69), Lovell, Arfield, McBride
UNUSED SUBS O'Brien, Holden, Olejnik
REFEREE Charlie Richmond
