Steven Gerrard takes blame for defeat as Rangers' title hopes fade | OneFootball

Rangers may have seen their title hopes fade and die on Wednesday night as they suffered a 2-1 defeat away at Kilmarnock.

Steven Gerrard’s side appeared to be in the driver’s seat after Scott Arfield’s 32nd-minute opener but Kilmarnock struck twice in the final 13 minutes to claim all three points.

The loss, paired with Celtic’s 5-0 rout of Hearts, left Rangers 10 points back of Celtic. In his post-match press conference, Gerrard put the blame on himself and claimed his side lacked fire in the final 45 minutes.

“In the second half, we never handled the heat or the pressure,” Gerrard said after the match.

“We never played like a team that was trying to fight to remain in a title race, a team that was trying to come away from here with three points.

“The reality is the opposition [Celtic] are in the driving seat. That’s down to two things – their form and us not being good enough since the winter break.

“But I’m responsible for that. I put this group together. I coach them, they are my tactics and decisions. So I’m not going to sit here and try and force any blame in any other direction than myself.

“It’s disappointing, it’s frustrating at the moment. We keep going, we keep fighting and see where we are. But on the evidence of the second half tonight, it’s very worrying for me right now.”

In their last five games, Rangers have only taken seven out of a possible 15 points while Celtic have won all seven of their league matches since their Old Firm defeat back in December.

Rangers will attempt to bounce back with a win against Livingston this weekend before next Thursday’s Europa League round-of-32 first-leg clash with Braga.