What Brendan Rodgers keeps hearing about Rangers as Celtic boss reminds crowing rivals 'it's still in our hands'

Brendan Rodgers is adamant the fight and quality remains within Celtic to reclaim their crown.

But the Parkhead side may have to sustain their challenge without skipper Callum McGregor until after the next international break. Rodgers left Tynecastle fuming at the officiating during his side’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts. It was a massive moment in the title race as, having been given a chance to go top of the table by Rangers’ home loss to Motherwell the previous day, the champions were unable to capitalise.

But Rodgers remained defiant in the face of the bitter Gorgie setback as he looked ahead to the upcoming challenges facing his side.Celtic are still two points behind the leaders with nine games to go and have a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Livingston next on the agenda on Sunday. Rodgers knows it’s crunch time, but is convinced his team have the stomach and the style for the battle ahead in both competitions.

Despite the sore defeat in Gorgie, he says he saw enough in the scrapping qualities to offer hope for the pivotal weeks ahead. He said: “I think the players fought and gave everything. Clearly Callum is a really influential player for us, but the guys gave their all.

“The fight is there. The quality is there. We will have other opportunities to show that. They gave everything and fought right to the very end. We showed the spirit we had to show.

“It was a game that can run away from you because of the atmosphere and everything else, and at the end of a really long week. A tough week of games with Motherwell last Sunday and the midweek game. You don’t want to go down to 10 men after 15 minutes or so. The players gave everything.”

Rodgers is convinced there will be lots more twists and turns to come before the