After a significant let-down at Tynecastle, James Tavernier promises a strong Rangers finish in retaliation to Motherwell’s suffering.

James Tavernier maintains that Rangers, having had a unique setback under Philippe Clement, are solely focused on themselves.

However, the Ibrox captain must have been relieved to witness yesterday’s happenings at Tynecastle, as Celtic lost a significant opportunity to move ahead of the big Belgian’s table-toppers. Following Saturday’s shocking loss to Motherwell, it appeared as though the Gers would allow pole position to elude them after holding the Premiership top spot for just two weeks.

However, following Brendan Rodgers’ team’s collapse in Gorgie, Rangers are still the team to beat. The race appears to be going down to the wire with nine games remaining, including two matches against the Old Firm. Tavernier is also optimistic that his team can resume its progress. “We’ve got great characters,” he declared. We’ve only lost twice since the manager took over.

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 to be down.

“It’s going to hurt. It hurt the fans, it hurt us, it hurt the manager and it’s everyone involved with Rangers that it hurts. But it’s about how quickly you bounce back. We’ll look back on it and rectify it going forward.

“We can never rely on any officials or any mistakes from the opposition, we have got to look at ourselves as a team first and foremost. We didn’t start well, we gave ourselves an uphill battle, but we knew we had plenty of time in the game.

“It was just about keeping probing and asking questions, and we created some good chances — but it’s the fine margins where you’ve got to stick the ball in the back of the net. We did that against Hearts, where we scored five goals. At Killie in midweek we missed a couple of chances but we got the goals. Saturday, it wasn’t there.

“It’s obviously disappointing, but we know we can bounce back from this, and we’ve got great characters in the dressing room that we know can bounce back.”

Rangers don’t have time to sulk, however, as they gear up for a huge clash in Lisbon on Thursday night. Tavernier is hoping to grab a result at Benfica’s iconic Stadium of Light that will help illuminate a path to the last eight of the Europa League.

He said: “Any game is always ideal when it comes round the corner, you want to play in a game straight away to bounce back. It’s obviously away from the league, but whether it was the league or the Europa, we wouldn’t have minded whichever one.

“It’s just knowing it’s a game where we need to rectify it and get back to playing the way we know we can do. No, [we can’t fear them], we’ve got to keep pushing and keep pushing.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity going to their place and it will obviously be a good atmosphere. We are really looking forward to it, with the first game away and then coming back to Ibrox, so we always fancy our chances and we’ll just keep pushing.”

It’s three and a half years since Gers last travelled to the Portuguese capital to face the Eagles. But running out in front of 65,000 fans this time will be an altogether more daunting prospect than the one Steven Gerrard’s side faced on their last visit, when Covid restrictions meant the teams’ 3-3 draw was played out in front of an empty stadium.

Tavernier continued: “We’ve got to move forward and concentrate on the way we play. It will be a different environment with the fans, it’s different with no fans, you obviously get an extra body on the pitch when you have your own fans.