Motherwell goal hero Dan Casey says he was never concerned about being ordered off for a challenge on Ross McCausland during his side’s shock win over Rangers at Ibrox because he would never intentionally hurt an opponent.

The Rangers youngster was forced from the action during the first half of Saturday’s match after a coming together with the Motherwell centre back, with Casey cleanly winning the ball but sparking protest from the home players and technical area with his follow through in the challenge.

The incident was reviewed by VAR and no action was taken against Casey, infuriating Rangers manager Philippe Clement, who called for greater protection for his players after the game.

Casey would go on to head the winning goal in Motherwell’s 2-1 victory, but when asked if he was worried he might not have been on the pitch to score it, Casey said: “No. One of the Rangers coaching staff said something to me after the game about it.

READ MORE: Rangers 1 Motherwell 2: Gers stumble in title race as they are stunned by Steelmen

“I didn’t really listen or hear what they said, but I think it was something about what happened [with the tackle]. But I only went in to win the ball. I never went in to hurt anyone. I’m not that type of person.

“If you see it back, you can see I won the ball. I would never, ever try to hurt anybody. As a person, that’s not what I’m about.

“I only had eyes for the ball. I play hard and I go in hard, that’s just how I am.”

Casey aped the referee’s signal for a VAR review during the celebrations for his goal, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the penalty award that had temporarily dragged Rangers level in the game, which the defender felt was soft to say the least.

“To be honest, I don’t even know what happened,” he said.

“I don’t think it was a penalty at all. We were laughing after the game saying: ‘What happened?’ I’ve honestly no idea what he gave it for.

“You can’t even speak to the ref now or else you’ll get a yellow card. I just needed to bite my tongue and just keep going.

“We managed to score another goal and see it out, so it was good.”

While Casey hogged the headlines for his winning goal and his involvement in the game’s moment of controversy, scorer of the opening goal, Theo Bair, also played a huge part in Motherwell’s victory.

The striker dominated Rangers centre back Connor Goldson throughout the game, and Casey said that manager Stuart Kettlewell is now being rewarded for the faith he placed in Bair following his disappointing spell at St Johnstone.

“He was absolutely unbelievable for us,” he said.

“He held the ball up so well and got us up the field. He can do both – he can hold the ball up and he can also run in behind. That’s a luxury we have with him, especially when we’re under the cosh.

“He’s brilliant for us and he’s been scoring goals recently as well. Long may it continue.

“I know some people were maybe writing him off at the start of the season or whatever after his time at St Johnstone. But sometimes it just doesn’t work at certain clubs. It doesn’t make you a bad player at all.

“The gaffer obviously brought him in here and gave him a chance. We all see how good he is in training every day. I think it was only a matter of time until he showed that.

“The manager is great with his man-management skills. He has a great relationship with Theo.”

Another stand-out performer for Motherwell – once again - on Saturday was youngster Lennon Miller, who showed a composure way beyond his years, and Casey has been just as impressed by his recent contributions as those of Bair.

“He’s been brilliant,” he said.

“He’s playing like a 38-year-old veteran instead of a 17-year-old kid. It’s incredible.

“He’s got a maturity on the pitch that is way beyond his years. He helped control the game for us at times.

READ MORE: Kettlewell responds to Rangers vs Motherwell Casey tackle furore

“Our midfield was great in general. It was a proper team performance from us. When you come away from home against the likes of Rangers, you need everyone to be at it. If you’re not at it, you’ll get punished. But we all dug in and got a great result.

“Lennon works hard at his game. In terms of how far he goes in the game, that’s up to him. He’s got all the ability in the world and a great attitude as well. He’s in a good place.

“He’s playing every week now and doing well. The manager and staff are looking after him well.

“He can go as far as he wants. I see him in training every day – and he still shocks me to be honest in terms of how good he is for his age.”