Jermain Defoe bagged a hat-trick and Alfredo Morelos stepped off the bench to notch a double of his own as Rangers destroyed Hibs at Ibrox.

But it was another player who drew praise from manager Steven Gerrard on the whistle.

Midfielder Ryan Jack was instrumental at the heart of the Gers engine room and would have rightfully earned a man-of-the-match gong had Gers' attacking play not proved so fruitful.

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He swarmed the Hibees for 90 minutes and showed supporters exactly why Gerrard rates him so highly.

He's so highly thought of, in fact, that his manager revealed he's one of the first names on the team sheet this season as he goes from strength to strength at Ibrox.

Speaking after his side's thrilling win, Gerrard said: "I’m not going to take any credit for Ryan Jack.

"I remember the first session I watched when I came here and 10 minutes in, I turned to my staff and said, ‘He wants to be part of this’.

"I only had to see him for 10 minutes. He had everything I want to see. He is hungry, he’s a winner.

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"He’s one of the first names that comes to my mind when I’m picking teams because I trust him in any role.

"He makes the right decisions on the pitch, that’s why he is so important to us.

"He was selected for every big game last season and that will continue to happen if he plays at that level."