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Rangers news: Steven Gerrard singles out one star after Villarreal Europa League draw
RANGERS boss Steven Gerrard insisted Kyle Lafferty’s equaliser against Villarreal was no surprise, pointing at Ally McCoist as he hailed his hitman.
Steven Gerrard: Villarreal draw's a 'terrific start to the group'
Rangers boss Gerrard saw his side claim a credible point against La Liga side Villarreal tonight, with Lafferty scoring a late equaliser.
The former Liverpool star watched his side twice come from behind to ensure their Europa League campaign get off to a solid, if unspectacular, start.
Rangers had Lafferty to thank and, after the game, Gerrard pointed at McCoist while hailing the striker.
And he also insisted he was not surprised by Lafferty’s superb goalscoring intervention.
“Sometimes away from home in Europe when you’re playing up on your own it can be a thankless task,” he said.
“You can give in and get frustrated but I thought the control on Kyle’s finish and the way he used the speed of the cross was fantastic.
“I’m no expert on being a number nine - there’s one at the back, he will tell you - but he kept it low and used the pace to guide it in. It was a fabulous finish finish and one our man at the back will be very proud of.
“I know it’s the first goal for Kyle at this level but he has scored many international goals, which is obviously a very high level.
“It’s not a surprise to me he scored tonight, it’s the reason I played him, it’s the reason I bought him and wanted him back here because I know he likes the big stage.
Steven Gerrard congratulates Villarreal players following draw
“I know he’s capable of scoring big goals. Before we signed him he scored an important goal against Celtic. It doesn’t matter who he’s playing against, the standard of the team, he believes in himself, he backs himself.
“I’m very proud of my team, especially in the second half, which was a very strong performance.
“We obviously got off to the worst possible start but the players bounced back and into the game by scoring a good goal.
“Conceding straight after we equalised was another big disappointment. We need to show a bit more experience there and keep the ball better.
“The message at half-time was to show more belief and have more courage in our play by making passes.
“We knew coming into this game we could cause Villareal problems in the final third but we never showed it until the second half.
“I was concerned at half-time we were going to have regrets after the game. When we won the ball back we never kept it well enough. We never had enough belief when we were getting into really good areas.
“We didn’t really believe we could cause the opposition problems, but from half-time we did and we could have scored a few more goals. We deserved a point.”