RANGERS MANAGER STEVEN Gerrard says he will no longer defend the actions of striker Alfredo Morelos after his first-half red card in todayās Old Firm defeat to Celtic.
The Colombian picked up his fifth red card of the season after he elbowed Bhoys captain Scott Brown. The flashpoint came just four minutes afterĀ Odsonne Edouard gave the home side the lead.
Rangers pulled a goal back through Ryan Kent, but JamesĀ Forrest struck late to hand Celtic a 2-1 win.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the former Liverpool captain insisted disciplinary action will be taken against the 22-year-old.
āIāll deal with that internally,ā he said. āHeāll be punished and the punishment will be financial. The money will go to the supporters who came here today.
I think thatās only right. He let his team-mates down and the club down again. I canāt defend him anymore. I think Iāve gone above and beyond.
āI love him, heās still a fantastic player. Iāll still protect him, but it gets to a line and he was probably already above that line with me. But I canāt defend it anymore.
I will recommend to the board that heās fined a weekās wages and Iāll also recommend that that money will go to the fans.
Morelos is the leagueās top goalscorer this season with 17 goals in and four assists for Rangers.
Celtic now open up a 13-point gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership ahead of their Glasgow rivals.
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