Gerrard:This is for the fans
created more, we could have won by a bigger margin.”
Gers were boosted by the return of injury doubts Scott Arfield, Ryan Kent and Connor Goldson, while key Celtic duo Kieran Tierney and Odsonne Edouard were only fit enough to start on the bench.
Gerrard admitted his men had shown Celtic too much respect when they lost the opening derby clash in September, but there was no sign of that as the Light Blues’ incessant pressure forced the visitors into mistakes.
Parkhead skipper Scott Brown had a day to forget, capped off by Jack’s 30th-minute strike clipping his shins before flying past Craig Gordon.
“We wanted to play on the front foot,” said Gerrard.
“Ryan Kent’s performance, considering he’s been injured, was outstanding.
Scott Arfield left every single thing in his body out there. Connor Goldson took a jab to play. I can’t praise them any more.”
Rodgers could offer no excuse and said: “Rangers deserved to win. We didn’t play well. We made too many unforced mistakes.
“We’ve got players missing, but Rangers were better than us – 13th time unlucky, unfortunately.
“You have to be humble when you win, but honest when you lose.”
Asked if his team’s meagre ticket allocation had affected their performance, the Celtic manager added: “The games are better when there is a higher proportion of away supporters, but that doesn’t make you pass the ball better on the pitch.”