Rangers came out on top in a pulsating encounter against Royal Antwerp
Alfredo Morelos may not have got on the scoresheet, but his performance against Royal Antwerp earned plaudits from manager Steven Gerrard.
The Colombian worked tirelessly as Rangers came from behind to win a memorable game 4-3 in Belgium, and set up Ryan Kent for his superb goal seven minutes from time.
Morelos had missed the Ibrox side’s last three matches due to suspension, but Gerrard threw him in from the start on Thursday night and was rewarded with an impressive display.
Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Gerrard hailed the 24-year-old, who was mentioned in connection with both Leicester and West Ham by the Sun in April 2020.
He said: “Really pleased with his performance. I thought he improved as the game went on.
“He’s done enough to deserve praise in terms of his all-round game, his hold-up play was good, switching the play, being a constant menace, taking shots on.
“He did everything tonight but get on the scoresheet, but that’s a good thing for me because he’ll be desperate to get on the scoresheet at the weekend and next Thursday.”
Reflecting on an entertaining evening of football, Gerrard said: “I think over the course of the 90 minutes we deserved to win the game. We could have scored a few more goals.
“It’s a crazy football match to analyse right now because it’s only just finished, but I think once I watch it back it will be proven that defensively we need to work a lot and improve a lot.
“But it shows that we have got character and a lot of quality in our team.”
Rangers are likely to be without Kemar Roofe and captain James Tavernier for next Thursday’s second leg at Ibrox, with both being forced off due to injury during the first-half.
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