GLASS IS ALF EMPTY
Morelos ban sours Gers win
STEVEN GERRARD once sneaked unnoticed into a fancy dress party at Liverpool on board a mobility scooter – but he’s in danger of being driven round the bend by Alfredo Morelos.
The Colombian hitman was on target as Rangers cruised into a semi-final against Aberdeen although it will take more than a decent disguise to get him to Hampden.
Morelos nabbed the third goal albeit only after he picked up a crazy yellow to earn a suspension that will leave his boss tearing his hair out.
The 22-year-old blew a gasket when ref Bobby Madden played advantage rather than award a foul after being clattered by Jamie Adams.
He gave the whistler both barrels then refused when summoned over for a chat. Andy Halliday eventually had to drag his mate across but the damage was done.
The moment of madness has given Gerrard a Hampden headache with Kyle Lafferty cup-tied and Umar Sadiq the last frontman standing.
Morelos is proving to be as much a handful for his manager as he is for defences after what should have been a stress-free night for Gerrard.
This was no costume party as again his side looked the part.
Youngster Glenn Middleton came dressed up as a shooting star with a stunning double on his first start, while Nikola Katic also nodded home.
Ayr were always game but were no real match for the slick, new-look Govan side who’ll fancy their chance of motoring all the way to major silverware for the first time since 2011. That’s even with striker problems. Rangers have come a long way in a short time under Gerrard but this outfit is light years away from the one seen the last time Ayr pitched up.
He could make six changes and not radically weaken his side. Back in 2014 the likes of Ian Black, Seb Faure and Bilel Mohsni were in the squad.
If then gaffer Ally McCoist was going to change half his starting XI he’d be pulling punters out of the stands and hoping they had a pair of boots in the car.
Four-and-a-bit years on, Gerrard could afford to give Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Daniel Candeias, Lassana Coulibaly and Scott Arfield the night off.
Halliday, Middleton, Joe Worrall, Wes Foderingham and Ovie Ejaria were all able replacements. There was also a first start since May for Graham Dorrans with the 31-year-old keen to make up for lost time. It was a slick return once the rust was blown off and it rarely looked anything less than a smooth ride into the last four.
Ayr were walloped 6-1 at Somerset by Gers in February but turned up with the swagger of a side off to a flier this season. United have delivered a few home truths to rivals and the freakish 5-0 loss to Queen of the South was their only one in normal time in 12 games.
Ian McCall’s men knew this was a free punch and took a couple of early swings, starting with Robbie Crawford forcing Foderingham to steer a 20-yard stringer over. Alan Forrest – brother of Celt James – then spun Katic to cause mild panic with his cutback. Rangers got the jolt and Middleton’s wicked low ball was inches away from a Morelos opener before Danny Harvie stuck it out for a corner.
But it was only delayed seconds as Ryan Kent swung over the set-piece and Katic thumped his header home.
Halliday’s inswinging free-kick wasn’t far away from being tucked away as Ayr fought to stem the flood.
United felt they should have had a penalty when Forrest was bumped by
Jon Flanagan as howls from the jam-packed away end went ignored.
And moments later it was two with a magical moment for Middleton but it was all about Halliday’s delicately curled cracker right into his path. Rangers could relax. At least that was the theory.
But Morelos doesn’t tend to turn his dial down – regardless of the score – and picked up a needless booking after throwing a mini-wobbler following a run-of-the-mill collision with Adams. Goodness knows what Gerrard had to say to him at the break but he came out determined to make his mark in a more positive sense.
Within minutes he’d spun and finished from close range – ending Morelos’s night as his gaffer had to find a quickfire solution to the frontline problem his man had created.
He opted to chuck on Eros Grezda and give Kent a run up top. There was also a return for Jordan Rossiter as he attempts to rebuild his Ibrox career after a wretched spell with injuries. Kent nearly skipped in for a fourth but on-loan Celtic keeper Ross Doohan hurled a glove in the way.
There was hee-haw he could have done to halt Middleton ramming into the bottom bin moments later, though, as Halliday teed him up again.
A hat-trick almost followed as the playmaker hit the side-netting. It was cruise control but Morelos might need something quicker than a scooter to get out of his gaffer’s way.