James Tavernier promises big Rangers finish in response to Motherwell misery after major Tynecastle let-off

James Tavernier insists Rangers are only concentrating on themselves after hitting a rare bump in the road under Philippe Clement.

But the Ibrox skipper will have been a relieved observer of events at Tynecastle yesterday as Celtic missed a huge chance to steer themselves in front of the big Belgian’s table-toppers. Having only had their fingers on the Premiership peak for a fortnight, it looked like Gers were going to let pole position slip from their grasp after Saturday’s shock defeat to Motherwell.

But Rangers remain the men to beat after Brendan Rodgers’ side crashed in Gorgie. With nine games to go - including two Old Firm clashes - the race looks set to go to the wire. And Tavernier is confident his side can get back on track. He said: “We’ve got great characters. It’s only the second defeat we’ve had under the manager.

“We’ve got nine games left in the league, so we’re obviously going to fight right until the end. That is the mentality we have, and we’re just going to keep pushing ourselves.

“We’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves and get the maximum points that we can going forward, and that is what we will be trying to do.”

Tavernier was sent out to put a brave face on a deeply disappointing performance after goals from Theo Bair and Dan Casey consigned Gers to their first top-flight home loss against the Steelmen since 1997. And he couldn’t hide from the fact that Clement’s side only have themselves to blame after seeing their run of 10 perfect Premiership wins at Ibrox under the big Belgian come to an end.

“We’re all human,” said the skipper, whose second half penalty briefly brought the hosts level before Casey snatched victory for Stuart Kettlewell’s troops. “After a draw or defeat, you’re always going