Rangers drew 1-1 with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Former player Steven Thompson has criticised Rangers manager Steven Gerrard after the former Liverpool man claimed his side were a class above Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen in their 1-1 draw at Pittodrie, the BBC report.
Rangers, despite going down to 10 men after just 12 minutes following Alfredo Morelos’s dismissal, looked on course for all three points at Aberdeen as a James Tavernier penalty set them on their way.
The Gers were outstanding despite their numerical disadvantage, yet the Dons rescued a point in stoppage time, prompting Gerrard to rue his side’s luck as he aimed a barb at the home team’s apparent lack of quality.
“Anyone at this game or who watched on TV must know we were much better than Aberdeen. [They] didn’t have any idea against us, and for 93 minutes it was perfect,” Gerrard told the BBC.
“Aberdeen only had one idea and it was to lump it into the box. Obviously, I’m gutted for my players we’ve conceded late on. But we showed today that we’re a class above Aberdeen. I thought we were tremendous.”
Rangers were unlucky not to take all three points, but Gerrard’s comments were somewhat disrespectful to an opponent who had recently taken Premier League side Burnley to extra time in their Europa League tie.
Commenting on the game for the BBC, former player Thompson felt it was too early for comment such as ‘class above’ to be branded about especially as the Dons finished higher than the Ibrox side last term.
“I thought the timing of Gerrard’s comments weren’t great… one game in, after a draw away from home.
“If you finish the league season above them, or even beat them on the day, then you can come out and say that but it seems a bit early to me given Aberdeen have been second for four years in a row. For me, it lacked a bit of class,” the former Ibrox man claimed.
Lack of experience in the heat of the moment?
Gerrard’s comments may seem a little disrespectful, but it’s worth considering this was his first competitive league game in his managerial career and his Rangers side were cruelly denied at the very end.
In the heat of the moment, the former Liverpool man arguably spoke from the heart as he proudly mulled over what was a really good performance considering his side had been down to 10 men for most of the game.
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