Axing Alf was easy
warned the Colombian he will have to show hunger and desire to get back in the side.
The gaffer made the shock call to leave his star striker out of his 20-man pool for the win which kept Gers top.
He was vindicated when replacement Kemar Roofe scored his first goal for the club before Ryan Kent sealed it.
Gerrard admitted before the game Morelos didn’t look himself as Lille plot another swoop after seeing a £16million bid for him booted out.
Yesterday’s snub suggests the striker is a step closer to ending his three-year stay in Glasgow.
Gerrard said: “I think you guys will decide how big a decision it was but for me it was pretty simple.
“If I see people who are not focused or who have taken their eye off the ball and are not really, really hungry to get this football club results, I have to make easy decisions and Alfredo made it easy for me.
“We need players who work hard every single day and who are ready and focused for the challenges coming up.
“I only want players who are hungry for the shirt and want to do a job.”
Gerrard was happier with Roofe, who broke the deadlock in the 50th minute.
He said: “He is starting to look a lot sharper. He is reaching full fitness and with another two or three games he will be really ready to go.”
At the other end of the pitch the Light Blues kept Killie out to record a fifth consecutive clean sheet – the first time the club has managed that at the start of a season since 1929.
Gerrard added: “I’m very pleased with the clean sheet.
“We have been working very hard on the training pitch.
“The players have applied themselves ever so well and they are now getting their rewards for it.”
Gerrard admitted his players had to step it up after a goalless first half and said: “We asked the players to play with more purpose and more intent.
“We hadn’t played at our maximum level in the first 45 minutes but we tweaked the formation and got our reward.”