Ailing Scottish champions Rangers kept up their all but futile challenge to bitter rivals Celtic on Sunday as they thrashed Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4-1.

Rangers at least gave their fans something to cheer about – after being docked 10 points for entering administration – in an entertaining performance which left them trailing Celtic by 20 points though they have a game in hand.

More pertinently it gave them a six-point gap over third-placed Motherwell, who Celtic beat 1-0 on Saturday.

Rangers manager Ally McCoist, whose job for the moment is safe though director of football Gordon Smith and chief operating officer Ali Russell are no longer needed, said he was proud of the way his players had reacted.

“I said to the boys before the game that the one thing they needed as much as anything today was a healthy respect for each other to go and play,” he said.

“And they did that. They have been battered, bruised and taken a couple of standing counts but they are certainly not down and far from out.

“Today was about putting a smile back on the faces of everyone involved with the club, be it the travelling support, be it the workforce, be it the coaching staff or the secretaries at Murray Park and Ibrox.”

Rangers got off to a flying start breaking the deadlock in their first attack thanks to Northern Irish international Steven Davis.

The 27-year-old began the move and raced through to convert Salim Kerkar’s cross to present their hosts with an uphill task to end a three game losing streak.

That became even tougher when the visitors doubled their lead 10 minutes later as Andy Little tore the Inverness defence apart and when the ball came to wing Sone Aluko the 23-year-old former England Under-19 player but now full Nigerian international fired home past Ryan Esson.

Little was to get his own name on the scoresheet later in the half as the 22-year-old Northern Irish international striker rattled the ball home past Esson to seemingly put the game beyond the hosts.

However, Inverness gave themselves some hope of salvaging something from the game shortly before half-time as Steve Williams headed powerfully home past Allan McGregor from a corner.

Esson, though, was the busier of the two ‘keepers in the second-half covering himself in glory as he saved from the lively Aluko and then pulled off a great save from Davis after Nick Ross had headed Maurice Edu’s header off the line.

Rangers, though, put the game to bed eventually as despite Esson beating away a Kerkar effort the ball fell to Lee McCulloch, who put the ball into the net.