Jermain Defoe started ahead of Alfredo Morelos during Rangers’ clash at Hamilton on Sunday.

Derek Ferguson was critical of Jermain Defoe’s performance during Rangers’ 3-1 win over Hamilton on Sunday afternoon.
Steven Gerrard opted to start Defoe in the match, but six minutes from time he was substituted for Alfredo Morelos, who ended up playing a part in Rangers’ third goal of the game.
Ryan Jack opened the scoring after seven minutes but Lewis Smith levelled the scores not long after before Ryan Kent restored Rangers’ advantage just before the break. Accies made life tough for Gerrard’s side after that before Kent netted in stoppage-time.
As soon as Defoe was substituted for Morelos late in the second half, Ferguson stated that he was being ‘respectful’ towards the Englishman but he thinks that he had a ‘poor’ game.
“I know we want to be respectful to Defoe but I think he has been poor,” Ferguson told BBC Sport. “He was just caught on his heels a lot of the time. He just didn’t have that sharpness that you would expect from a guy of his class.

On Rangers losing grip: “I can’t understand how Rangers have lost a grip of this. I can’t see any notable tweaks from Accies, so I don’t know if Rangers are tiring.”
It has been a stop-start return for Kent who has had to deal with injuries since his return, but his performance against Hamilton is why the Gers paid big bucks for him.
It means that Gerrard’s side are level on points with their Old Firm rivals after 13 matches as a tough festive period awaits everyone.

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