Gerrard: Morelos ban is great chance for Defoe
● Without Morelos Gerrard’s men put in dynamic display to see off Hearts
Steven Gerrard welcomed Jermain Defoe’s contribution to Rangers’ 3-0 win over Hearts at Ibrox and challenged the veteran to prove he can oust Alfredo Morelos as the club’s firstchoice striker.
As top scorer Morelos began his four-match suspension following his red card in last Sunday’s Old Firm defeat at Celtic Park, Defoe made the most of his first start since February.
The 36-year-old opened the scoring with his sixth goal for Rangers since joining them in January, earning praise from his manager.
“I’m happy with Jermain because he’s been a top professional since he came,” said Gerrard. “He’s been immaculate around the place.
“When he’s come on in games, he’s given everything and his numbers have been good considering the chances he’s had.
“He won’t be too happy with me as I know Jermain better than most. He will want more minutes and I get that. I respect it.
“But he will get a run in the team now. I told him, if he plays well and scores goals he will get a run and if he continues to play well and score goals, it will be interesting in three games time [when Morelos is available again].”
Rangers remain 13 points behind Celtic at the top of the Premiership table with just six games of the campaign remaining but Gerrard was gratified by their response to their Old Firm disappointment.
“It was what we needed after a difficult result at the weekend,” he added. “There has been a lot of frustration in the air over the past few days. It was the performance I was looking for and the players deserve credit.”
Hearts manager Craig Levein was dismayed by his team’s display in the absence of injured striker Uche Ikpeazu and admitted their preferred style of play is too reliant on the physical presence of the big Englishman who is expected to return for Saturday’s derby against Hibs at Tynecastle.
“It was a poor performance,” said Levein. “I just want to consign it to the bin and think about the derby.
“We will have Uche back
for Hibs and we are a different team with him in it. But I can’t be relying on just one player. We need to get back to the gusto and determination we played with in the second-half against Aberdeen on Saturday. Tonight was really poor.
“I think a lot of it was to do with personnel and maybe I’m asking people to do stuff they are not capable of doing. Next season, for sure, we need another option when Uche isn’t in the team.”
Rangers provided a strong response to Steven Gerrard’s demand that they do not allow their season to fizzle out meekly as they ended a fivematch winless run with a comprehensive victory over a listless Hearts side.
Gerrard’s men may now only be delaying the inevitable as they trail in Celtic’s slipstream at the top of the Premiership table but they showed a determination to make the champions wait as long as possible to clinch the title.
It was as impressive a display as Rangers have produced for some time and indicated they can cope with the month-long absence of top scorer Alfredo Morelos as he began a fourmatch suspension for his red card in Sunday’s defeat at Celtic Park.
First half goals from Jermain Defoe and Connor Goldson put them firmly in command before Scott Arfield’s early second half strike wrapped up the points.
The absence of Morelos saw Defoe handed his first starting appearance since February and the veteran former England striker delivered an early declaration of his intent to make the most of the opportunity.
He beat Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal with a fine finish inside the opening 90 seconds, latching on to Ryan Jack’s pass after John Souttar had been dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area, but the effort was ruled out by a tight offside decision.
It was clear Rangers were fired up to get the despair of Sunday’s Old Firm defeat out of their systems as quickly as possible as they secured a stranglehold on possession and placed Hearts under constant pressure.
Defoe found space in the box again in the fifth minute and this time saw his close range shot deflected wide for a corner.
Hearts were struggling to make any headway out of their own half, surrendering the ball quickly and often cheaply on the rare occasions it came their way.
Rangers captain James Tavernier had the visitors on their heels once more when he surged into the box, sending in a cross which his Hearts counterpart Christophe Berra scrambled behind.
It was relentless, one-way traffic at this stage with Rangers producing some eye-catching and incisive football in the attacking third.
One especially slick move ended with Tavernier lashing in a shot from 20 yards which Zlamal fisted to safety.
Gerrard’s only concern on the touchline would have been the failure of his team to capitalise on their total dominance but he was soon joining the applause of the home fans when they did make it count with two goals in five minutes.
Defoe claimed the 16thminute opener with the kind of instinctive and predatory finish that has been a trademark of his career. Arfield’s threaded pass to Tavernier saw the full-back’s shot spin into the air off Zlamal and, when the ball dropped, Defoe was there to slam it home via the underside of the crossbar.
Rangers had the bit firmly between their teeth and doubled their lead from a set piece.
Tavernier floated in a freekick from the right and Hearts were guilty of sloppy marking as Goldson got ahead of Peter Haring to guide a close range header beyond Zlamal.
The prospect of a heavy defeat was staring Hearts firmly in the face but they finally roused themselves into a meaningful response.
Home goalkeeper Allan Mcgregor was called into action for the first time when he held a Berra header from Oliver Bozanic’s free-kick, then the Rangers No 1 excelled himself with a brilliant reaction save to turn another closerange effort from the Hearts captain over his crossbar.
Hearts were now threatening to force their way back into the match but they almost fell completely out of contention on the stroke of halftime when, after Ryan Kent had been floored by a clumsy Jamie Brandon challenge, Joe Worrall might have done better than head over from Tavernier’s precise free-kick.
Rangers began the second half clearly determined to rediscover the tempo and dynamism of their opening half hour and that duly brought them their third goal just two minutes in.
Another top-quality delivery from the right by Tavernier picked out Defoe in space and his first time shot was brilliantly parried by Zlamal diving to his right. The ball broke to Arfield, who was rewarded for being more alive to the situation than the Hearts defence
It was clear Rangers were fired up to get the despair of Sunday’s Old Firm defeat out of their systems as quickly as possible
as he slammed a left foot shot high into the net.
Any hopes the visitors had of a recovery were well and truly quashed in that moment as Rangers picked up momentum again and looked to add to their tally. Substitute Ross Mccrorie fired just over from 20 yards, then Defoe came close with a similar effort.
Eros Grezda hit Zamal’s right-hand post with a header and, although Brandon rattled Mcgregor’s left-hand upright with a stinging effort in stoppage time, this was a night to forget for Hearts who must now lift themselves for Saturday’s Edinburgh derby. RANGERS: Mcgregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Worrall, Flanagan; Kamara, Jack (Mccrorie 61), Davis, Arfield (Grezda 68), Kent, Defoe (Lafferty 78). Subs not used: Foderingham, Katic, Coulibaly, Candeias.
HEARTS: Zlamal, Souttar, Berra, Shaughnessy; Godinho (Burns 59), Haring, Bozanic, Brandon; Clare (Keena 59), Djoum (Lee 70); Wighton. Subs not used: Doyle, Maclean, Mulraney, Dikamona.