Derek McInnes says he always believed his Kilmarnock side had a late winner in them against Rangers, as he praised the mental fortitude of his men to refuse to settle for a goalless draw against the Glasgow giants.

It looked as though an impressive Killie display would yield just the single point, with the hosts passing up some decent opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.

McInnes was always confident though that his players could exploit the space that the Rangers high press leaves in behind their backline, and Marley Watkins did just that as he finally found the finishing touch three minutes from the end of normal time.

“I thought there was still an opportunity for us to win it,” he said.

“You're just waiting for a moment.

“We tried to make subs that would help us keep the energy and just try to keep playing on the shoulder. Rangers play with that high press and they give up the space behind them. We were just hoping for that one big moment.

“Thankfully, Marley made the one point that we had into three.

“I think in terms of where we are, it was far more a performance that I can expect from ourselves. In terms of being robust enough, hardly giving up opportunities, being really strong defensively.

“Lads all doing their jobs well and that responsibility and trust and carrying a threat. We play with two wingers, we play with two strikers. I think there's been a reminder to the players in the last couple of weeks that if you're playing with two wingers and two strikers, you have to engage with them.

“We have to make that work. I feel as though we've brought unnecessary pressure on ourselves at times by not being a bit more of us. Today was exactly how I hoped the game would play out.

“Obviously, a late winner helps the matter because it gives Rangers fewer minutes to respond. There were no real scares. I felt quite comfortable throughout the game.

“I felt great once that winning goal was in. It's good to get all three points.”

After the dramatic late win at Dundee last time out, McInnes now feels his team are showing their true selves after a difficult start to the season where they balanced European and domestic commitments.

“We're well up and running,” he said.

“The players physically are in a good place. They managed to train a few days in the international break. But we could afford to give them a few days off.

“The fitness of the players is good. Competitively, we've got loads of games under our belt. The trade-off for that, early in the season, domestically, we weren't quite at our best. Unable to be at our best.

“I thought tactically we were good. But more important when you play Rangers and the Celtics when they come here, it's that mental part of it.

“I thought the mental strength of the team was good. They always felt there was something, a win there for us. Thankfully, we managed to see that through.”