Steven Gerrard used results elsewhere in the Ladbrokes Premiership to fire up his players ahead of their “ruthless” 7-1 victory over 10-man Motherwell.

Rangers moved two points off new leaders Celtic, who were held by Livingston after early pace-setters Hearts lost to Kilmarnock.

Scott Arfield and Eros Grezda hit doubles while James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and Glenn Middleton also netted at Ibrox.

Gerrard said: “Sometimes when you’re playing the last fixture of the weekend and other teams win, it adds pressure, and you’ve got to handle that – but over this weekend it’s been the opposite.

“Teams around us and above us have given us an opportunity to close gaps and that really helped before the game, going into the dressing room saying to the players: ‘There’s an opportunity to close the gap, go and put a performance in that shows everyone that you’re keen on staying towards the top of the table’.”

Curtis Main levelled for Motherwell in the 25th minute and the game was in the balance until the 32nd minute when Carl McHugh received a second yellow card for handling in the box. Tavernier netted the resulting penalty and Rangers forced home their numerical advantage.

Gerrard, who lost Connor Goldson to illness before the game, said: “That’s what I have been asking of the players since we first started.

“We’ve used the words ruthless and relentless. Forget the scoreline, just keep going all the way to the final whistle. And the lads did that.

“The first half was quite frustrating. We didn’t really play well. We stressed not to let it become a war, we wanted to match Motherwell’s physicality but this was a game to make the pitch big and play at tempo. But we got involved emotionally and it became scrappy.

“I said to them at half-time: ‘We are 3-1 up, they are down to 10 men, what are we going to do? Go and get involved emotionally or be calm and play with precision and temp that’s going to hurt them, and you’re going to get opportunities to make the scoreline as big as you want to make it’. And the players delivered.”

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson – who was sent to the stand by referee Craig Thomson after McHugh’s red card – refused to use the sending-off as an excuse for their capitulation.

But he hit out at Morelos, who went down theatrically before McHugh received his first booking.

“We looked like we had an excuse in the bag,” he said. “The decision changes a big aspect of the game but the manner of the defeat was really disappointing.

“It was woeful defending and people need to look long and hard at themselves.

“I thought it was a penalty and the letter of the law suggests that he needs to be sent off.

“The first booking is a disgrace, it’s embarrassing. And I have to say, referees are getting conned by the same people continually.

“Certain players get away with certain things every week. They (referees) have a hard task.

“If you are getting fooled every week all the time then it’s difficult for them. It wasn’t a free-kick in the first place, it certainly wasn’t a yellow card.”

Robinson appeared to react angrily to comments from Rangers technical coach Tom Culshaw and he felt hard done by after his dismissal.

“Listen, members of their staff came up to voice their opinion,” he said. “I was the only one sent to the stand.

“A young boy, out of his depth as a fourth official (Craig Napier), obviously can’t deal with that. I don’t think it was a major incident.”