Russell Martin has Rangers 'waste energy' message for critics as boss makes huge claim on player support

Substitute Max Aarons drilled home the clincher five minutes into stoppage time to floor Livi, who has equalised on 68 minutes through Mo Sylla to cancel out James Tavernier’s 22nd-minute opener. The Rangers captain also had a penalty saved by impressive home keeper Jerome Prior, who made a number of crucial blocks to keep his team in it.

Aarons’ effort sparked jubilant Rangers scenes on and off the pitch, although it did not stop anti-Martin chants from a large proportion of the travelling support. The Ibrox boss reiterated that he will not “waste energy” worrying about the calls for his head and preferred to focus on the positive of winning, while also proclaiming some of his team’s play as the best they’ve shown under his watch.

“I'm really proud of the players,” said Martin. “We deserved to win. The first half was the best we played all season, I think. The first half we deserved to win, played brilliantly. It was an amazing football. We should have scored more goals for sure.

“We didn't start the second half well. We didn't control it anywhere near enough. The gap between the first half and the second was big. But in the last 30 minutes, we were so well in there. We changed the shape. The subs had a big impact for us.

“I'm really pleased for the players because they showed how hard they're fighting for each other, for us, for me. I think that's grown in the last three or four weeks, that character and resilience they've been developing.

“I'd rather be 3-0 up half-time, but I think it could be a real big moment for us. I feel really good about the dressing-room. I enjoyed their celebrations. As I said to them, we deserve it.”

Martin: We have to keep hunting

Rangers took advantage of Celtic drawing with Hibs 24 hours earlier to trim the gap between them and their Old Firm rivals , who sit second, to seven points. They remain nine points behind leaders Hearts.

“I think we're hunting a lot of teams at the moment. It's not just about one team,” continued Martin. “We have to really hunt and be so hungry and desperate to win and make sure we're where we want to be at the end of the season. So today's a big step for us, I think, and we need to use that as a catalyst to kick on.

Martin still faces significant pressure from many section of his fanbase, with calls continuing for his head. “I can't control it and I can't waste energy focusing [on it],” added Martin. “I have to use that energy for the players and the staff inside the building and to try and improve us and to win more games. And hopefully if we do that, hopefully everyone will be happy.

“It's why I went down the tunnel after, because the players were there to enjoy it. So it's not about me at that point, but they could enjoy it.”

Martin was delighted for Aarons, who scored his first goal for the club and has lost his place of late in the starting XI. “Yeah, massive for Maxi,” commented the head coach. “The same as the group, I'm really pleased for him. Hopefully he can use it to keep going now.”