Sunday 2 December 2018 16:56, UK
Steven Gerrard insisted Rangers are not a dirty team after his side received a seventh red card of the season during their victory at Hearts.
Scott Arfield was sent off 18 minutes from time for a challenge on Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal, but Rangers were able to hang on to their 2-1 lead to go top of the Scottish Premiership table.
The dismissal took Rangers beyond the six they received in the entirety of last season, at just the halfway point of the club's first campaign with Gerrard at the helm.
"Scott's late and he knows he is. I've no complaints, but he isn't a dirty player and we aren't a dirty team even though we keep getting red cards," Gerrard said.
"It is something we're trying to work on and trying to improve on. We've got a young team with some inexperience and at times we've got it wrong.
"We're not an aggressive team. We're fair. We want to compete, we want to fight all the way. We want to get that right but at times we have got it wrong."
Gerrard's side went behind early on at Tynecastle through a Gareth McAuley own goal, but strikes from Connor Goldson and Afredo Morelos gave Rangers a half-time lead.
Morelos, who has been responsible for two of Rangers' red cards this season, is making his presence felt in a more positive way as he equalled the Premiership record by scoring in a seventh successive league game.
Once in front the visitors took control and remained comfortable even after Arfield was sent off.
"We're getting used to playing with 10 men and we're quite good at it," Gerrard said.
"We've had many a practice at that. That's not to say I want to experience it again."
