Steven Gerrard has shot down any suggestion his Rangers team beat a weakened Celtic in the season's first Old Firm clash.
The Ibrox boss says the Hoops had a number of quality players at their disposal, and to suggest it was a "team with issues" is just wrong.
Gerrard pointed to the fact Rangers have been without a number of key players themselves in the last five or six weeks. Kemar Roofe, Joe Aribo, Ryan Jack, Brandon Barker, Jermain Defoe and Filip Helander have all been missing at points this season.
For Saturday's Old Firm match, Nir Bitton, Hatem Elhamed, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard were unavailable due to coronavirus issues, with James Forrest and Christopher Jullien still injured.
The Hoops boss gave a debut to new signing, Uruguay international wing-back Diego Laxalt, and 20-year-old defender Stephen Welsh made his second appearance while Patryk Klimala, usually on the bench, led the line.
However Gerrard said: "Celtic threw everything at us today. You talk about people being missing, but we had Kemar Roofe sitting in the house and we couldn't start Joe Aribo today.
"We have got our own issues ourselves. We have had issues for five or six weeks.
"Celtic are throwing quality players at us all the way through the game - Turnbull, £3.5million, Kilmala, £3.5million, Ajeti, £5million, their keeper (Vasilis Barkas) is worth £5million.
"We haven't played a Celtic team with issues, we have beat a strong Celtic team."
Rangers won 2-0 thanks to a Connor Goldson double, and Gerrard says it's important his players remain "humble".
He said: "I think it is for us. We have come here again, we have performed well, we have done the job that the players were asked to do.
"But it is not about sending a message. It is still very early, there is a lot of football to be played. We need to remain calm and professional.
"We move on to the next game. We need to be humble, we need to be respectful.
"We know what we are chasing. Celtic are the team to catch, we know that. There is no way we are going to get carried away.
"I am happy with the start we have made, I am happy with where we are.
"But things change. You get tested and challenged through the season. The challenge for us as a group is can we maintain it for the full season."
