Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick felt his side's 1-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach was the best performance he had seen from his side as it lifted them up to second in the Bundesliga.

The Royal Blues may have put six past Helsinki, five past Cologne and four past Mainz over the last fortnight, but Rangnick was even happier with yesterday's narrow victory.

"That was by far the best game my team has played," he told Sky. "I have never seen us play as well as that. We hardly let them have any chance and if I am honest, I am most happy about keeping a clean sheet.

I have never seen us play as well as that.
Ralf Rangnick, Schalke coach

"It was a fantastic game from both sides, played at a high tempo. Hats off to my team when you consider that they last played on Thursday."

Spaniard Raul reaffirmed his dedication to the club, after weeks of speculation linking him with a move away, by scoring the winning goal - his second of the season in the Bundesliga. "In this condition, Raul is a huge asset for us," admitted Rangnick.

Gladbach coach Lucien Favre conceded his side, who would have moved to the top of the table with a victory, were given a footballing lesson by their superior opponents. "The technical tempo was too high for us," he said. "We lost the ball unnecessarily too often."