Delighted Steven Gerrard admits his Rangers stars delivered exactly what he asked in dismantling Ross County - but he's still refusing to entertain talk of the Premiership title.
Goals from Ryan Kent, Filip Helander, Joe Aribo, Ryan Jack and Connor Goldson put the Highlanders to the sword – and moved the Ibrox men 23 points clear of Celtic at the top.
Gerrard is just nine wins away from the promised land but he's determined to guard against any complacency in the ranks.
He praised his players' attitude in pursuit of the club's first league flag in a decade.
He said: “There's no such thing as a perfect performance for a manager, you're always looking for little things to improve on.
“But we asked the players for a 90 minute performance and they delivered that today. We looked dangerous from start to finish.
“We played with real urgency. We did all the right things and in possession we played some lovely football.
“We could have had the game won in 15 minutes which is how we wanted the players to start the game.
“We had five different scorers, a couple of set-piece goals so I'm really pleased.
“It doesn't make any sense to get ahead of ourselves or where we are right now.
“Does there come a time when you have to accept that a title is there for us? No. Only when it's done, IF it gets done.
“Today was just about getting maximum points. It's a bonus the way we did it with a full 90 minute performance.
“At Aberdeen we came off the game at 65 then last week at Motherwell it took us 45 to get going.
“So I'm pleased we had a hunger and urgency about us today. We thoroughly deserved our win and it could have been even more emphatic.”
Ross County gaffer John Hughes is a big admirer of how Rangers are playing right now and says his own players should learn from their Ibrox drubbing.
The Staggies hit the woodwork twice in the second half against Gers but poor defending and individual mistakes cost them early on.
Hughes said: “It’s a tough day for us, but our season won’t get judged on what happens here.
“Everybody was high after the victory last week and we took plenty from it.
“We can still take plenty of positives from a defeat, from the basic fundamentals and the way Rangers played the game.
“We were up against a top class team, I hope all my players come back and say ‘that’s how to play football.’
“If you are a professional footballer and you think you are half-decent, after that you should think 'I’ve still got a bit to go'.
“You can still take plenty from a defeat. The spirit, attitude, togetherness and willingness to work was all there. I know that’s a solid base I can still build on.
“When you’re playing against a side like Rangers, they can cut you open. At times they did that, but we hung in there.
“There are great lessons to be learned. It’s done and dusted. It was a free hit, and it never worked for us, but we look forward to Motherwell on Wednesday.”
