STEVEN GERRARD hailed the spirit and character of his side as Rangers left it late to beat Livingston and move another step closer to title glory.

Alfredo Morelos netted the only goal of the game on Wednesday night and Gerrard's side are now just four points away from clinching the Premiership crown.

The Colombian endured a frustrating evening as he was denied a clear penalty in the first half and missed a handful of chances as Rangers struggled at times.

But they would get their deserved rewards in the end as Gerrard's side now turn their attentions to a weekend that could see them crowned as champions.

Gerrard said: “We played with spirit and character. To a man, we stood up to the challenge. We were the team trying to get the ball down and play, to show quality and create.

“We had the best two chances of the first half and you could feel the goal was going to come. The little bit of quality play at the end is what we missed here the first time we came here and we deserved it.

“That’s what top strikers do, they are in the right place at the right time. I thought at one point it wasn’t going to be his night but, credit to him, he never gave up.

“The team showed really good patience. We stuck with it and we have shown all season that we are not going to go away. We are three points closer to where we want to be - we are so close now.

“There's nothing wrong with winning 1-0. I've seen all the top sides over the years do it, go to difficult places that are challenging.

“Davie was on a 15-game unbeaten streak at one point. This is a difficult place to come and we've got respect for that.

“They've just come out of a cup final and Davie demanded a reaction, you could see that in their performance.

“But it's about finding a way to win and we did. It came late but if the officials had done the right thing it might have come earlier."