Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha hailed his players’ organisation and sacrifice after they secured a stunning 3-0 win at Aberdeen.
The Light Blues withstood strong second-half pressure from the Dons before hitting their hosts with a late treble to reduce Aberdeen’s lead to nine points in the Scottish Premiership.
Caixinha, who confirmed former Gers player Jonatan Johansson will join his coaching staff, hailed his players for their resolute display at Pittodrie. He said: “Two words summed up this game. We showed organisation and sacrifice. We understood the opponent we were facing today which is why we needed organisation and when we had to suffer early in the second half we did.
“We have won this game but if we don’t continue winning by the time we play the second game against them it could be different. Our focus is on the next match as we still have lot to build on.
“Football is about the team and we showed we were facing a strong side. We had players who can decide games.”
Veteran Gers forward Kenny Miller staked his claim for a new deal with his late double but the new Rangers manager refused to offer any insight into the future of the attacker. He said: “I am making my assessment and I will tell you when the time is right whether Kenny Miller is getting a new contract.”
Caixinha, who revealed defender Danny Wilson suffered a broken nose after being hit by a flailing arm from Adam Rooney, hopes his side can build on its performance.
He said: “If the players were not trusting in the ways we are working they would not have given the performance they did today against a fantastic team in their own stadium. The most important thing now is to build on this and that is what we are going to do.”