Rangers manager Steven Gerrard shrugged off a touchline flashpoint with John Kennedy as he insists his side proved they're Glasgow's top dogs.
The Ibrox boss had a frank exchange of views with the interim Celtic manager during the Scottish Cup fourth round clash.
Rangers secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win and and the manager wouldn't reveal what was said.
But after Kennedy's infamous remarks about his own side, Gerrard felt his team proved they are the best – and that’s too good for whatever Celtic side turn up these days.
The Ibrox boss allowed himself to enjoy another successful derby day and complete a remarkable transformation in this fixture.
Gerrard said: “Listen, there’s a lot of trash talk on the pitch. At times, there is trash talk on the sides. Sometimes that’s Celtic’s fault, sometimes that’s our fault.
“Emotions are running high, there’s a lot at stake. It is what it is but it’s not the first time that’s happened, is it?”
“I think the word ‘calm’ sums up our performance. We withstood some pressure at times but never panicked or got out of shape.
“We have come a long way from the first derby we played, the dressing room has come a long way.
“It’s not really important in terms of runs in the Old Firm fixture, it’s about winning as many games as you can. There has certainly been a mentality shift in terms of us going into the games.
“We are going into them with belief and confidence. We know what we’ve got to do.
“The message today before the game was ‘can we get back to being at our best, or close to our best?’.
“I think for large parts of the game we did.
“There were a few times we got to the edge of the box and never really found an outcome. There were times when Celtic’s good players opened us up and we had to soak it up.
“But, in the main, the players have delivered close to our best and got us an important win.”
Gerrard insisted there was no need to make a statement about next season –and he’s too busy enjoying being top dogs in Glasgow this year.
He said: “I think today was about putting a marker down. This has been Celtic’s focus for a long time.
“We’ve had some European games and are still trying for an unbeaten season in the league.
“This was something that was to save Celtic’s season from a success point of view so there was a lot of focus and talk about how important this game was.
“We have delivered. We have again shown we deserved to win, so that’s important.
“But next season will be different. There will be a lot of change across the road and there will be changes here. So it will be a fresh season.”
