Rangers interim manager Graeme Murty has hit back at critics of his players who questioned their commitment, claiming last night’s last-gasp win over St Johnstone proves they DO care about the club.

The Rangers players went wild along with their supporters as Emerson Hyndman popped up in injury time to earn the Gers an unlikely victory after St Johnstone had pegged them back from two down.

It was Murty’s first league win in charge of the Ibrox club, and while he was understandably relieved to get on the board, he was even more pleased that his players had showed everyone what they were made of.

Read more: Rangers 3 St Johnstone 2: Outstanding Emerson Hyndman pops up at the death to give Graeme Murty first league win

“There’s a lot of emotions at the moment but the main one is relief that a group of players who thoroughly deserved the three points came up with a win,” Murty said.

“They showed a little bit of the spirit we have been asking for so I’m relieved for them.

“They have had a lot of criticism of late and they could have gone under, but they came through it.

“It is a real easy stick to hit players with - that they don’t care, they are overpaid or transient at clubs and don’t care about the shirt.

“But their reaction along with the guys on the bench reveal that to be a lie. I’m really pleased for them.”

Murty may have been in a very different mood after the match had Hyndman not saved the day, as the light blues somehow contrived to throw away a comfortable two-goal lead in the second half.

The post-mortem into how that happened will wait for another day though, as Murty revels in the fact that his players managed to dig deep and find a way to win the match.

“I’m happier in fact that we managed to go and get the win,” he said. “We’ll look at the reasons why we let them back into the game because I think that’s what we did.

Read more: Rangers 3 St Johnstone 2: Outstanding Emerson Hyndman pops up at the death to give Graeme Murty first league win

“We allowed them back into the game by being a little bit loose at times, but with the amount of forward play we had and the chances we created, we could have won by three or four had we been a little bit more clinical and it would have been a moot point.

“If we are a little bit more clinical then those nervous moments at the end don’t really come.”

If the thrill of last night’s late win is to be Murty’s last experience as manager of Rangers, then he is happy to have signed off with the reputation of the Ibrox players, at least in his eyes, partially restored.

“I’ve got no idea [if it’s my last game], you’d have to ask the board," he said.

“Now is not the time for me to be personally satisfied. I’ll have a cold glass of wine later on, but I’m relieved for the players.

“The players have taken a bit of a shoeing if I’m honest in the past few weeks, and they are going out of here with a good result in difficult circumstances, so I’m relieved for them and I’d like to pat them on the back.”