Manager Danny Rohl enthused about many aspects of Rangers’ controlled 2-0 victory away to Aberdeen, including his side’s “clean sheet mentality”.
A fifth successive victory keeps Rangers three points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
Since Rohl took over in October, his side have shipped just eight goals in 14 league games, winning 11 of those, while keeping the opposition out on eight occasions.
Rangers kept one just one blank in Russell Martin’s seven Premiership games, a soporific Old Firm derby stalemate.
“We defended until the end and we got a clean sheet,” Rohl told RangersTV.
“This is the basis and if we do this again and again we will be in a fantastic way. Keep on the front foot, stay hungry, stay ambitious, and be humble in the right moments.”
In the wind and rain at Pittodrie, Aberdeen were limited to five efforts on target, with Jack Butland’s only save of note thwarting Leighton Clarkson in the first half.
“Big, big pride in my group, to come to a really tough place,” said Rohl in his post-match media conference. “We showed again different faces, which is what we need.
“We played good men’s football, we were ready in the duels, second balls.
“We understood when to play in behind, then we understand also to keep the ball in the right areas.
“The result was enjoyable, of course, it’s great to see.
“We were really focused until the end and it is outstanding what we have done, five wins in a row.”
Rangers solidity is all the more impressive when you consider first choice centre-backs John Souttar and Derek Cornelius have been missing.
The Canada international has been out since early November, while Souttar was absent for six matches.
However, it is no surprise that the Scotland defender’s return coincides with the current five-game winning run.
Souttar made a great early block from Nicolas Milanovic at Pittodrie and was constantly marshalling the backline, keeping the occasionally errant Emmanuel Fernandez close and focused.
Fernandez may be prone to the odd lapse but the 24-year-old, who was playing in England’s League One last season, is an imposing figure.
He has four goals from his run of 11 successive starts and was denied another by a debatable VAR review in Aberdeen.
A menace at set-pieces in the opposition box, he is handy at nodding them away at the other end too, and Nasser Djiga is likely to have to wait patiently on the bench now that he is back from the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso.
