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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Jonathan McFarlane

Steven Gerrard's killer Rangers touch as bulldozer Alfredo Morelos wages one man war on Antwerp defence

In a manner befitting a Champions League winner, Steven Gerrard plucked a loose ball heading for the dugout out of the sky and killed it dead with a solitary touch.

It was a moment that prompted Alex Rae in commentary to suggest ironically that the Scouser "do some work on his touch".

Just one of a plethora of individual moments worthy of comment that have been largely forgotten amid the madness of the Antwerp maelstrom.

A truly incredible European encounter by any standards finished 4-3 after a see-saw game that saw the Ibrox men twice fight back from behind.

The game produced yet more evidence of the incredible strides made by the team on the continent since being turfed out in the first qualifying round by opposition from Luxembourg back in 2017.

Here are five moments you may have missed.

Bulldozer Buff

(SNS Group)

Alfredo Morelos has had his critics this season but on his day he's still the best striker at the club - and didn't he prove it in style.

He may not have been on the scoresheet but his fingerprints were all over every goal his side scored.

Full of energy and power he waged a one man war against the three man Antwerp defence and caused no end of problems.

Sengalese defender Abdoulaye Seck looked almost relieved it was all over when he headed off the pitch red carded, having been put through the wringer by the 24-year-old.

Tavernier's injury pain

(SNS Group)

The captain's injury means he will miss at least a few games in the coming weeks and you can see from the concern on Connor Goldson's face just how difficult that will be.

The right-back has grown into a commanding Rangers captain who leads by example as he looks to finally win an illusive title with the club and bury the demons of failures past.

His form this season has been exemplary and will almost certainly put him in poll position for most of Scotland's Player of the Year awards when they are dished out so he will be a significant loss.

Balogun puts his ego to one side

(Offside via Getty Images)

Tavernier's replacement is likely to be Leon Balogun who slotted in well on the right hand side.

The big centre-back has played on the flanks during his spell in the Bundesliga and has the pace and mobility to make a good showing out there.

While the Nigerian international admits himself he's not going to be able to replace his captain like for like, he is an excellent option as a deputy with the absence of Nathan Patterson due to his Covid infringement.

Gerrard praised him after the game for putting any qualms to one side about performing in an unusual position and he performed admirably, putting his body on the line as necessary to ensure the win.

VAR moment of truth

(Getty Images)

We are yet to join the VAR revolution in Scotland and with Covid wreaking havoc on club finances it may be a while before we do - so it was felt like something of a curiosity to see it working in action once again.

A key moment in the game came down to when Georgi Kabakov inspected Ritchie de Laet's tug on Morelos in the box.

The official missed this incident initially but was quickly alerted to a probable penalty by the VAR team.

His look at the footage would have been a stressful watch for Gerrard and his backroom team but the Bulgarian thankfully came to the correct conclusion and Borna Barisic made no mistake from the spot.

Gerrard's calm amid the chaos

(Offside via Getty Images)

The game was bonkers in the best way and it often felt like everything that could go wrong for Rangers often did.

That they emerged victorious from such a frenzied encounter is another feather in the cap of the manager who took the rough with the smooth and never seemed to panic.

His introduction of Ryan Kent was crucial but less heralded, his move to bring on Ianis Hagi and Ryan Jack also helped tip the balance of the game in the men from Govan's favour.

While it's important for his career he lifts silverware in Scotland, any elite teams with an inkling to take the Englishman to a new project will be more interested in how he is performing at a higher level - and once again last night, he passed the test with flying colours.

Rangers will hope it's a few years yet before that worrying spectre haunts their present.

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