MORELOS CAN’T SHIFT OLD HABIT

Disciplinary demons return to haunt striker as Rangers hold on to their lead with ten men

ASKED how hard it was for Rangers to see out the game after a first red card of the season for Alfredo Morelos, Steven Gerrard almost managed a rueful smile.

‘Yeah, well we’ve had a bit of experience of playing with ten men,’ said the Ibrox boss.

It happened after five red cards for the Colombian last season. And it happened in the most avoidable circumstances yesterday.

The pity is that no one will be talking this morning about the mechanics of a 27th goal of the season for Rangers’ top scorer. Or that he was virtually unplayable for 70 minutes. Not even the quality of the finish which earned his side three valuable points.

The only topic of conversation will be what happened next. The moment of needless goading which earned the striker a second yellow card. After months of improvement on the disciplinary front, the demons returned with a vengeance.

Make no mistake. Once Nikola Katic opened the scoring in 27 minutes, Morelos earned his goal. He was everywhere.

And when he turned Joe Aribo’s cross low into the net at the second attempt with 21 minutes to play there was no shortage of adoring Rangers supporters ready to meet his gaze.

Already sitting on a yellow card for a late challenge on Motherwell defender Jake Carroll, however, Morelos made a bewildering decision. Instead of celebrating with his own fans, he chose instead to run 20 yards to aim a ‘get it up you’ arm gesture at the Motherwell supporters.

To say they took it badly is like saying Jeremy Corbyn had a dire election. The Fir Park side have their issues with the fans in the east enclosure, as illustrated by the coins, lighters and bovril cups which narrowly missed Morelos.

When these things happen, supporters curse and denounce a lack of ‘common sense’ by officials. The truth is that Don Robertson was left with no choice. The referee didn’t get everything right — he missed a blatant penalty for Morelos in the first half — but the rules on posing a safety risk by goading fans is clear. It’s a booking. The striker had to go.

Mercifully for Rangers — and

Morelos — they won comfortably with ten men. They even saw a Borna Barisic free-kick crashing off the inside of the upright in added time.

Yet the top scorer is now suspended for another difficult away game at Hibernian on Friday night. Not for the first time, Gerrard will need to have a quiet word.

The pre-match fretting over Motherwell’s danger quotient was misplaced in the end. Despite three league wins on the bounce and a chance to go back third if they won here, the Lanarkshire team had triumphed just once in the last ten meetings of the clubs — and Gerrard’s plan was clear: get the job done as early as possible then ring some changes.

That should have been easier after an opening goal on 27 minutes from Katic.

The beneficiary of an injury likely to rule Filip Helander out of the Celtic game on December 29, the Croatian offers Rangers an attacking threat at set-pieces. He used his physical prowess to the full to resist a blatant pull on his jersey by Bevis Mugabi to power a Barisic corner into the net.

Motherwell keeper Mark Gillespie got a hand to the ball. He’d have needed three hands to keep it out.

For the hosts, a day which started with news of an arrest for manager Stephen Robinson on a day out in Edinburgh on Friday didn’t get much better.

They ground out a fine chance after 12 minutes when striker Chris Long capitalised on a mix up in the Rangers defence to nick the ball and take it round Allan McGregor. James Tavernier slid in ahead of Devante Cole to prevent a goal which just might have given us a game. But they had no Morelos up front. For the final 21 minutes, neither did Rangers.

It needed a terrific double save by Gillespie to deny the South American in the first half.

But the Fir Park keeper couldn’t hold back the waters forever. From the resultant corner, Katic pounced to give Rangers the lead. Eight minutes before half-time, Morelos took another Barisic pass in the area and smashed a left-footed strike at goal. Gillespie kept it out and Motherwell tried every means — fair and foul — to stop Morelos. Liam Donnelly was booked for a foul before half-time and that sparked a flare-up which led to Scotland colleagues Declan Gallagher and Ryan Jack being shown yellow cards for afters as they went down the tunnel. Gerrard (left) took that as evidence of referee Robertson shaping up for a red card. Whether he should have had a decision to make is the bigger question.

The game was settled by a second goal and an aftermath likely to have debates running for days. Where Morelos is concerned, this is how it goes.

Motherwell actually had a glorious opportunity to equalise in 65 minutes. Carroll’s long throw bounced enticingly for Gallagher to attack the ball in the six-yard box. His effort came off Connor Goldson’s head and sat up for what looked a certain equaliser for Long.

But there’s a reason why Rangers gave McGregor a new contract. It was there for all to see when the veteran keeper produced a stunning stop to claw away Long’s header from close range.

That opening breathed life into the visitors for one last push. Within four minutes, Morelos had sealed the points with a clinical piece of finishing and secured a needless, daft red card.

Study that sentence and it’s pretty much the story of his Rangers career.

Content with the way his team dealt with having ten men, Gerrard admitted: ‘I was happy that we continued to be strong, we continued to be organised, we never lost our shape.

‘The first away game against Motherwell last year, we were all over the place for a long part of the game.

‘Allan has had to be called upon once, which was a magnificent save. Apart from that, we have dominated and controlled it.

‘We are talking about a team that’s third — a team that has won the last three without conceding — so it’s a strong away victory.’ MOTHERWELL (4-2-3-1): Gillespie 8; Grimshaw 5, Gallagher 6, Mugabi 6 (O’Hara 78), Carroll 5; Donnelly 6, Campbell 6; Cole 5, Polworth 5 (Seedorf 64), Hylton 5 (Scott 58); Long 6. Subs not used: Carson, Tait, Hartley, McIver. Booked: Donnelly, Gallagher, Long. RANGERS (4-2-3-1): McGregor 7; Tavernier 7, Goldson 6, Katic 7, Barisic 7; Jack 8, Kamara 7; Arfield 7 (Stewart 90), Aribo 7 (Defoe 89), Kent 6 (Polster 84); Morelos 7. Subs not used: Foderingham, Edmundson, Halliday, Barker. Booked: Jack, Morelos, Tavernier. Sent off: Morelos. Man of the match: Ryan Jack. Referee: Don Robertson. Attendance: 8,369.