Rangers recorded a deserved win against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.
BBC Sport pundit Steven Thompson has claimed that Jermain Defoe proved to Steven Gerrard that he can fill Alfredo Morelos’ shoes following Rangers’ 3-0 win over Hearts on Wednesday night.
The Bournemouth loanee started for the Gers at Ibrox and he opened the scoring inside 16 minutes having previously had a goal disallowed.
It was a rare start for Defoe, who has had to play second fiddle to main striker Morelos but his suspension had opened up the door for the 36-year-old.
Speaking to Sportscene on BBC One Scotland (04/04/2019 at 12:20 am), Thompson credited Defoe for his performance, who had been ‘desperate’ to get a regular run.
“I thought he was great,” Thompson told Sportscene. “And he’s proven to his manager Steven Gerrard that he is more than capable of filling of Alfredo Morelos’ shoes.
“I think he’s been desperate to get a run in this side. I think he will get that now. He played well, as did Rangers and it was a really strong performance.”
In the game itself, after Defoe had opened the scoring, Conor Goldson doubled his side’s lead five minutes later following his header from a set-piece situation.
After the break, Defoe was involved in the third goal when his shot saved by opposition goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal before Scott Arfield bundled home the rebound.
The result means that Celtic, who are still 13 points clear following their 2-0 win over St Mirren, will have to wait another day to confirm their Scottish Premiership title and eight-in-a-row.
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