Jermain Defoe declared Rangers will fight to the end as they look to get their title bid back on track.

Steven Gerrard's team have handed the initiative back to Celtic after slumping to a 2-1 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle.

They still have a game in hand on their bitter Old Firm rivals but now sit five points back on Neil Lennon's champions.

Ibrox boss Gerrard has already warned his players any repeat of their abject Gorgie showing will kill their title aspirations stone dead.

But veteran frontman Defoe believes his side are ready to battle their way back into contention.

"That is all you can do to be honest," he said. "You can't lay down and die and you need to show character. That is football.

"It is a lot of pressure but at the end of the day it is good pressure because you are playing for a club like this and there is a demand to win games.

"You have to achieve things and titles and trophies. It is a lot of pressure but, at the same time, I feel that we are good enough and strong enough to handle that kind of pressure.

"Of course it is a setback today but all we can do is continue to do what we have done.

"We can't forget about the result today, of course, or the performance because it has got to hurt and it is hurting.

"Everyone is hurting, everyone involved, and it has to because you don't want to feel that pain again, you don't want that atmosphere in the changing room again.

"Up until this point we have done so well. We feel like we have let ourselves down to be honest."