STEVEN Gerrard has claimed that three Celtic players were offside when Christopher Jullien netted his second-half winner against Rangers and called for Scottish referees to be given help.
Gerrard was deeply unhappy that linesman David Roome failed to raise his flag when Ryan Christie played a free-kick into the six yard box in the 60th minute of the Betfred Cup final at Hampden.
The former Liverpool and England midfielder, who described his side’s performance against their city rivals as outstanding, stopped short of calling for the introduction of VAR in the game in this country. However, he believes match officials need assistance to get major decisions right.
“I’m not the type of person who blames or look for excuses,” he said. “The big moments have gone against us today, we are all responsible for that. But the reality is, at the top end of football, you expect the linesman to get one of them right from the three (Kristoffer Ajer, Odsonne Edouard and Jullien) who were in an offside position.
“Celtic had maybe just one chance on goal, which is offside but unfortunately it’s gone against us. Finals are decided on big moments and we never executed today. It’s tough but that’s where we need to be better, we need to take some of those chances.”
Asked if he was in favour of VAR, Gerrard said: “I think it has taken something away from the game, so I’d be a liar if I said I’m 100 per cent in favour of it.
“But one thing I do know is that the officials up here do need some support and help. Because there are too many things, not just for our club but across the board, that they maybe miss and need a bit of support on.”
Meanwhile, Gerrard confirmed he will try and lift his charges, and Alfredo Morelos in particular after the striker failed to convert a second-half penalty, before the crucial Europa League group game against Young Boys at Ibrox on Thursday night.
“I’ve got a big to pick them all up because as you can imagine it’s a tough one,” he said. “It’s a raw one right now but this is football at the top. That’s why this is such a big job. We’ll suffer and then we’ll bounce back.”
Gerrard is confident that Morelos, who has now failed to score in 11 Glasgow derby matches, will net against Celtic if he continues to apply himself. He also defended the decision to take responsibility for spot kicks off Rangers captain James Tavernier.
“Alfredo was the nominated penalty taker,” he said. “It was nothing to do with James passing the buck or anything like that. I decided we needed to change that up. Sometimes it’s about persistence and hopefully that will turn for him.”
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