STEVEN GERRARD was full of praise for 'proper leader' Ryan Jack he inspired Rangers to a 4-0 victory over Ross County in Dingwall.

The Scotland international netted twice in the first half after Alfredo Morelos had opened the scoring for the Light Blues at the Global Energy Stadium.

Morelos then completed the scoring after the break as Rangers ensured they remained neck-and-neck with Celtic at the top of the Premiership.

Jack has been a hugely important player for Gerrard once again this term and the Ibrox boss was delighted with another terrific performance.

READ MORE: Ross County 0 Rangers 4: Ryan Jack and Alfredo Morelos both at the double in Dingwall

Gerrard said: “How good has Ryan been since I’ve come through the door? He’s an example for the rest of the squad because he never drops his standards, whether it’s a training session or a game.

“He knits everything together, he drives the team on, he demands from everyone else around him.

“It was a performance of a proper leader and with his two finishes, he is adding that to his game as well. He has come on leaps and bounds and just needs to keep going.

“He is so vital to us and that’s the reason I took him off, because I had that luxury. He scored two fantastic goals and was getting excited for a hat-trick but I had to take him off.”

Rangers have struggled to hit top gear on the road at times this term but this was an accomplished performance on what could have been a difficult night in Dingwall.

Now Gerrard is keen to maintain the momentum as attentions switch to the Betfred Cup semi-final with Hearts this weekend.

He said: “It was a strong performance. I was delighted with our mentality coming into the game. We competed well and did all the basics very well. That’s what we need in every game - we can’t pick and choose.

READ MORE: Ross County 0-4 Rangers: Five things we learned as Steven Gerrard's dominate in Dingwall

“I’ve been disappointed in how we started the two previous domestic games. We cruised into them with an arrogance which is not us. We’re not at the level where we can do that.

“We have to treat every single opposition with the same respect and really go into the game ready to fight and compete.

“But we put that right tonight and put in a strong performance for the majority of the game.

“I thought we got sloppy in the last 20 minutes and our standards dropped but the game was won by then.

“We are in a good place. We’ll go into the weekend with confidence and belief. It’s a semi-final and there’s a lot at stake."