Louis Moult discloses what Rangers’ Bruno Alves told him after second-half tangle in semi-final

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Glasgow Rangers defender Bruno Alves was lucky to escape punishment during the Ibrox side’s Scottish League Cup semi-final defeat.

Bruno Alves and Louis Moult

Louis Moult has told BT Sport that Bruno Alves admitted to him following their second-half tangle during the Scottish League Cup semi-final between Rangers and Motherwell that he should have also been booked.

With the score at 2-0, Alves, perhaps unsurprisingly, lashed out in frustration in the 87th minute after he clashed with Moult as the Portuguese went up for a header while the Well striker – who bagged a brace at Hampden Park to send Stephen Robinson’s men into the final where they will face Celtic – seemed to stand his ground, forcing both men to hit the ground as Alves landed.

The veteran kicked out while the two men were on the floor, catching the back of Moult’s leg with his studs before Moult responded with a kick of his own which appeared to catch the Gers defender on the thigh.

Surprisingly, the only players who were punished in the incident were Moult and Light Blues striker Eduardo Herrera, who was one of a number of players who got involved during the melee that followed the tangle, with both men seeing yellow, while Alves went unpunished.

And speaking after the game, Moult suggested that the defender had conceded that he was fortunate not to go into the book.

“He kicked me while I was down and he actually agreed with me that he should have been booked as well as me but that’s football,” he told BT Sport.

“It was feisty out there and we’ve come out on top today.”

Pedro Caixinha will certainly be hoping that there is no further punishment coming Alves’ way following the incident as, on another day, he could have quite easily seen red for his reaction. Similarly however, Moult is probably just as fortunate that his reaction did not tempt the referee to send him off either.