Glasgow Rangers were beaten at Ibrox in the first Old Firm meeting of the season.
Steven Gerrard has told Rangers TV that he told his players after they were beaten by Celtic that while they had done well to get into their current position, they cannot afford to have an off-day in the Old Firm games as he admitted that the Gers got what they deserved on Sunday.
Rangers went into the clash with Celtic with plenty of optimism after securing the win in midweek that booked their spot in the Europa League group-stages. They also boasted a flawless record in the early stages of the new Scottish Premiership season.
However, it was Neil Lennon’s side who secured the bragging rights as Odsonne Edouard and Jonny Hayes scored either side of the break to secure a 2-0 win. And Gerrard explained what he told his players after the full-time whistle blew at Ibrox.
“I just said, ‘Look, we’ve done extremely well to get into this position, to get neck and neck before a ball’s kicked. But you’ve got to go out and perform well in an Old Firm and you’ve got to win your one vs ones and put in a performance that deserves to win the game. If you can’t win it, don’t lose it’,” he told Rangers TV.
“But we weren’t good enough today and we got what we deserved.”
There is no reason for Rangers fans to write off all of the optimism that they had going into the weekend’s contest. But it could certainly be considered a wake-up call for Gerrard’s men, particularly ahead of the final hours of the transfer window.
It is a reminder of how hard Rangers are going to have to work to end their wait to win the Scottish Premiership title back. They have the quality to turn the situation around.
But Gerrard may well be particularly disappointed that he is going to have to wait almost two weeks to start getting things back on track now that the international break has begun.
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