FURIOUS Rangers manager Mark Warburton tore into his players after they threw away a two goal lead against Falkirk.

Celtic boss Ronny Deila watched his Scottish Cup semi-final opponents squander three points from a commanding position as they lost three goals in the final 18 minutes.

Deila would have been heartened by the Rangers defending and Warburton, who kept his players in the dressing room for some time after the defeat, admitted his team had not been good enough.

Warburton said: "We had a few heated words, hence why I was late in here, but that is good. As a group we go to the next level when we communicate. It’s about being honest.

"I’m all digging players out at the right time. But it’s about doing the right things and how you react.

"The second half wasn’t us. But we will be better for that, undoubtedly. I’m frustrated we didn’t get the rewards out of that game."

Warburton could hardly believe how his team went to playing some of their best stuff to looking as if they had just been introduced to one an other.

He said: "What we did well, we stopped doing. We started off brightly and moved the ball quickly and were two up and it could have been more.

"Then we got some warning signs, some loose passes and we spoke at half-time of taking care of the football. Inexplicably, we didn’t do that.

“We have gone from nine of ten to four out of ten. That can’t happen. We have to learn from that second-half because for 30 minutes we were poor.

“In the first-half it was almost too easy – Peter Houston knows what I mean by that – and we started taking an extra touch because they thought they could. At 2-0 it could have been anything. It didn’t happen.

“Their first was a great goal, in the top corner, but Wes Foderingham had pulled off a couple saves before then. We should have taken care of the football but didn’t.

“There is no point in me sitting here saying we were unlucky. We have to learn from that second half."

At least Warburton and Rangers still have a big lead at the top of the Championship and this result should have little effect on their promotion bid.

The Gers boss said: "The lead is good because we have worked for it. But it is very simple how we play. It’s not rocket science.

"Don’t forget these players had gone 15 games unbeaten since we lost here the last time. They had moved to new levels within that period.

"If we can learn from this, we will be fine. There is no problem in the quality of the group but we can’t not learn from that second half, especially the last half an hour. If we don’t learn as a group, we have a problem."

Asked what he thought Deila had made it all, Warburton said: "I don’t mind what Ronny thought. I hope he enjoyed the game."