The bar has been raised by Rangers. Now it must be taken up another level. This performance and result was the best of the season so far but it cannot be the glass ceiling.

The opening weeks of the campaign have been difficult for Philippe Clement. As a result, hard questions have been asked. This fine 2-0 win over Malmo answered some of them as Rangers got off and running in the Europa League with a commanding showing and merited result.

A goal from Nedim Bajrami inside the first minute was followed by one from Ross McCausland with a quarter of an hour remaining. In between, Rangers spurned a host of chances. This fixture could, and should, have been won by a greater margin.

Clement admitted afterwards that it was the best performance of the season so far. In the same answer, he spoke about ensuring that there is better to come. This was certainly a step in the right direction.

“Yes, but that's a question that comes after these games,” Clement said when asked if this would give his side the belief to perform at a higher level on a weekly basis. “If you don't have that belief you cannot produce that performance. So if the belief was not there that they could do it.

“These are things we work on in training because it's not easy football-wise to come out of the situation, out of the pressing that Malmo were doing. If you don't believe in that, you cannot perform in that way on the pitch. So the belief is there. There is no doubt about that.

“It's about keeping this hunger, keeping this desire to work on all the details. And that everybody puts their ego aside and works hard for the team and does the job. If we stick to the plan together, we can have a really interesting season. It's good that people from outside start to see much more the potential that this group can have.”

Had Vaclav Cerny and Bajrami converted chances in the first half, this game would have been wrapped up before the interval. After the break, Tom Lawrence and Cyriel Dessers were the guilty parties as a Malmo side that could have caused Rangers problems were nullified.

The response to the Old Firm defeat at Parkhead has been encouraging for Clement. Dundee United and Dundee were beaten domestically and this win gives Rangers a foothold in the Europa League ahead of the visit of Lyon next week.

Clement pointed to the victory at Real Betis and the League Cup triumph that gave him his first silverware as Rangers boss when asked if this was one of his favourite nights as boss. It has come after a transfer window of many deals and much discussion and will give the Belgian hope that his side are on the right track this term.

“I'm a perfectionist, but I've been now 30 years in this world and I never played myself the perfect game and I have never seen my team play the perfect game” Clement said. “But it's something you strive for and you work on that to look at all the details that you can improve.

“But also not forgetting the good things that we are doing. And you see more and more that players are getting connections. If you see how many new players were on the pitch today who were not here one month ago or two months ago, the team has already made a massive step forward to play that kind of football in this environment against that kind of opponent.

“We need to continue in that way working on all the details that we can make better. And not forgetting the good things that we are doing and staying humble and keep on working hard with the same solidarity and unity that the team has for the moment in the dressing room. Because it's going to be a season with more games than ever, every three days. We're going to need everybody really ready for that.”

The impact of McCausland was hailed by Clement as he stepped off the bench to provide the killer moment. The showing from Neraysho Kasanwirjo was also praised as he came in and made his first start at left-back.

Clement dismissed the social media needle between the respective sets of supporters ahead of this fixture. He took his pleasure from seeing his blueprint executed to plan on the pitch.

“No, it's not an easy win,” Clement said. “It looks maybe like that afterwards, but it's a lot of hard work, it's a lot of concentration, it's a lot of preparation also from everybody, from all staff.

“So it's for sure not an easy win, because the team did really good things, and I'm sure that Malmo are going to prove that against other opponents also in the next couple of months.”