Steven Gerrard watched Rangers move a step closer to the title with victory over Kilmarnock – then urged his players to go the distance in Europe as well.
The Ibrox gaffer was delighted with yesterday's 1-0 win against Tommy Wright's men, which kept them 21 points clear of Celtic at the top of the Premiership.
Ryan Jack's wonder strike was enough to see off the Ayrshire club and leave Gerrard's side just four wins away from the league flag.
But now the Gers boss has switched his attention to their Europa League knock-out clash against Belgian cracks Antwerp.
And Gerrard wants his players to take hold of the tie in Thursday's first-leg, before finishing the job in Glasgow and progressing to the last 16.
He said: “It's a really exciting time for us, we have the chance to go into the last 16 of Europe.
“This is where the players want to test themselves and it's a good tie for us.
“It will be tough but we're ready. We'll welcome Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos back into the squad which is a lot healthier than it was a few weeks back.
“So we've got options to pick from and it'll be a nice break from the league. We'll give everything we've got to try and set ourselves up for the second leg here.
“The players should embrace what's in front of them, go and be the best version of themselves.
“If they do, they have a wonderful opportunity to turn this season into a real success.
“We'll do our best to go further in the Europa League this season than we did a year ago.
“We're going to attack every game that's in front of us.
“We want to commit to every tie because we have the number and the quality in the squad to do it.
“My focus hasn't been too much on Antwerp until now. I've watched a few games but I'll be watching an awful lot more between now and Thursday.
“They've had a managerial change since the draw but they're flying high in their league. They're second in a strong league for a reason.
“So my respect is there for them. But we want to embrace the games and give it everything we've got to get into the last 16.
“Our full focus switches to the Europa League now. I want the boys to be excited, I want them to bounce over to Belgium and be confident that they can give their best.”
After last weekend's slip up at Hamilton, Gerrard was pleased to get back to winning ways against Killie, thanks to Jack's first-half strike.
They've won all 14 Premiership games at Ibrox this term, conceding just one goal.
And the manager says Jack's beauty was worthy of winning any game.
He said afterwards: “I'd have been pleased with that goal myself, any midfielder would with a strike like that.
“The touch complemented the strike and I think it's going right into our top three goals of the season – although Ryan might just lose out to Kemar's wonder strike in Europe against Liege.
“That's what Jacko has to keep adding to his game. He's got the technique to shoot from distance and we're encouraging the midfielders to take shots on.
“We've scored a few from outside the box but nowhere near enough.
“It was a fantastic goal that deserved to win any game of football. It's great to have Ryan back.”
Jack's sidekick in Rangers' engine room, Steven Davis, was also superb against Killie and Gerrard hopes he'll stay at Ibrox beyond the summer when his contract expires.
The manager said: “I hope when I sit down to have a one to one with him he's enthusiastic to carry on beyond the end of the season.
“Because I think he still has loads to offer.
“We're lucky to have Steven and he was outstanding again today. He's pushing himself into the running for Player of the Year, for me.
“When we get the right opportunity we'll sit down and I'll be respectful to what he wants, where he sees his career.
“I see no signs that he's ready to call it a day. And my advice to him would be to play as long as you can.”
Rangers were well worthy of their win over Killie but they should have scored more goals.
Joe Aribo and Cedric Itten were guilty of passing up good chances in the second half to kill the game off.
Gerrard said: “I thought the performance merited a bigger win. We had opportunities to go and get a second and third.
“That last bit of our play was missing so we need to improve in that area.
“But there was certainly a reaction to last week at Hamilton. We bounced back today with a strong win even if the scoreline doesn't suggest it.
“Allan McGregor was relatively quiet and Kilmarnock caused us few problems over 90 minutes.”
