Jack in the box adds to Gerrard’s delight as the spark to fire Rangers on
Steven Gerrard hailed the return of Ryan Jack as being vital to Rangers’ relentless title surge.
Jack came off the bench after being sidelined since November with a knee injury and hit the net after an intricate passing move that he was at the heart of.
Now Gerrard is determined to keep the 28-year-old available for selection.
He said: “The longer we can keep him fit between now and the end of the season the better because he makes the group stronger in all kinds of different ways.
“I thought his goal epitomised our performance, coming from deep in the left-back position by the corner flag.
“I’m not sure the number of passes involved, but it was one of my favourite goals of the season so far.
“It will do me and the team no harm if he continues to score important goals like that. The key to Jacko is to keep him fit and available. We need to wrap him up at the right times and make sure he’s available.
“If he can score goals, that’s a bonus. I’m looking for the all-round performance.
“I thought he and Zungu in a midfield in a two looked really strong when they came on.
“It’s always a concern there could be a dip when you bring four substitutes on at the same time. Not the quality of the player you’re introducing, but them getting into the speed and rhythm of the game.
“But there was no dip and they were outstanding for the 30 minutes they were on pitch.”
Gerrard was equally pleased with Joe Aribo, who hit the net with a spectacular strike.
He added: “Joe’s a fantastic kid, he works so hard to improve. He stays behind after training to work on these areas of his game.
“He’s had a tough, disruptive season. It’s the first time he’s experienced being out for three or four months, then he came back and got an illness.
“That set him back a few weeks. But he’s worked hard to get back and there have been signs of that in the last few weeks.
“Joe is back for real when he’s scoring goals like that. He’s out at the corner flag and then he’s putting it in the top corner. That’s what we all know he’s capable of.”
Ross County boss John Hughes wasn’t downhearted, despite his team being well beaten. He said: “Our season won’t get judged on what happened here.
“Everybody was high after the victory last week and we took plenty from it.
“We can still take plenty 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 this you should think, ‘I’ve still got a bit to go’.
“You can still take plenty from a defeat. The spirt, 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.
“In the second half we showed a bit of character and spirit. We hit the woodwork a couple of times when we could have done with a goal.
“Our goalkeeper also had some wonderful saves, including the penalty.
“It was a free hit, and it never worked for us, but we look forward to Motherwell on Wednesday.”
Hughes said he believes Coventry City and another team are vying to take Josh Reid from Victoria Park.