MIND THE GAP
19 points clear... but Gerrard won’t get carried away
STEVEN GERRARD declined to grandstand after Rangers’ third consecutive victory over Celtic, insisting yesterday’s 1-0 derby win offers no guarantee of league-winning glory.
A break in front of goal saw Celtic captain Callum McGregor deflect a corner into his own net at Ibrox to open up a 19-point chasm at the top of the Premiership table.
While bookmakers moved quickly to slash Rangers’ title odds to a best price of 1-16, Ibrox manager Gerrard insisted he will warn his players against listening to the prevailing view that the league race is now over.
He said: ‘I’d be a liar if I said we are not going to be aware of that. Prior to this game, we were aware of the noise.
‘But it’s my job to protect my players and we are not going to gain anything or get an advantage by listening to the noise and getting involved in playing to it.
‘We need to keep a tight-knit group and keep doing the right things. We know it’s going to
be tough. Teams are going to keep trying to beat us. But we need to just keep being ourselves.
‘Everything we have done this season has got us into this position and we need to keep fighting to remain there.
‘We haven’t shown in previous years that we can go the distance. So the challenge for us is to stay humble and hungry.’
To that end, Gerrard refuses to acknowledge the full extent of the gap, instead exercising caution by referencing the three games in hand held by their rivals.
Admitting his team had been outplayed for large spells of yesterday’s game, he nevertheless insisted Rangers’ good fortune had been earned over the course of his two-and-a-half year tenure.
He said: ‘My reaction to the win is I’m really proud, really happy and satisfied with three important points. It stretches our lead to 10 points with where’s it at.
‘We played against a really good team today. Celtic were excellent for the first 45 minutes and we really struggled to get a foothold in the game.
‘The players deserve to enjoy tonight. It’s another derby win, two out of two this season.
‘We will give them a day or two off now to spend with their families because they have really sacrificed themselves over Christmas.
‘But there are 48 points to play for — no-one will be getting carried away, we will keep our feet on the ground.
‘The league starts now for us. We need to reset and really go and try to get a positive result at Aberdeen.’
The game turned on an error by Celtic defender Nir Bitton, who was caught wrong side of Alfredo Morelos in reaction to a long pass and hauled the Colombian down.
Bobby Madden’s decision to red card the defender was contested by Celtic but Rangers took full advantage, scoring within seven minutes before managing the game to a conclusion.
‘There was a significant improvement in us from half-time up until the red card but these games are all about big moments,’ continued Gerrard. ‘Celtic have got one badly wrong and we have capitalised on it and gone on to win the game.
‘You don’t always get out of this game what your performance deserves. We know that more than most. So to win and not be at our best is a big positive for me.
‘People won’t remember the performance or what happened in the game in months to come.
‘I don’t get many people stopping me on the street now and telling me how great we were in the League Cup final last season, which we never got anything from. So it’s about the result at the end of the day.’
That cup final loss to Celtic in December 2019 offers the most obvious reference point for yesterday’s game.
‘It’s not about revenge or payback,’ insisted Gerrard. ‘The message is that sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve. That’s been the way for many years.
‘Celtic were dominant in the first 45 minutes, that’s for sure. You and I know it’s about the result. We are taking three points away and that’s all I wanted from today.’