Ryan Kent's Rangers recharge moment, Lyon mistakes and 'learning quickly' - Steven Gerrard's points from the presser

The SPFL champions were outclassed by their French opponents who claimed all three points following a long-range Toko Ekambi strike and a James Tavernier own goal.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard spoke to the media afterwards and Derek Clark assesses what he had to say.

Gerrard on the result

“We created some decent moments without being clear cut. I think the scoreline is slightly harsh on us.

“We have made two mistakes in the game, clear mistakes if you like.

“We’ve had the ball turned over in the first half and we have been punished for it because good players do that to you.

“I’m a bit disappointed with our defending on the second goal.

"We allowed the ball to be switched, Greegsy makes a great save but our reactions are not good enough.

“The players know at this level you will be punished.”

There’s not a lot you can argue about Gerrard’s point on being punished for making two mistakes.

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Ryan Kent was guilty of losing possession on the halfway line and John Lundstram could be accused of not getting closer to Toko Ekambi before he unleashed his piledriver towards goal.

The second goal was a calamity, again Kent and Lundstram don’t cover themselves in glory with poor defending.

We’ll touch on Kent later but the manager hits the nail on the head when he says you get punished for making mistakes at this level. You may get away with it domestically but when you come up against top-quality opposition you can’t afford any slip-ups.

In terms of creating some decent moments, only Kent and Aribo’s strike in the first half really tested Anthony Lopes in the Lyon goal, that’s simply not good enough if you want to take anything from a game of this magnitude. Rangers lacked an intensity going forward and in the end, it was a stroll for the Lyon backline.

Gerrard on qualifying from the group

“There is only the pressure that we put on ourselves,” he said.

“I am someone who is always talking about standards. The players know what I demand, what my staff demand, what the club demands, what the fans demand. We are well aware of that. There is no criticism of the players today. We have to swat this. The week is too important.

“We can still get out of the group. Lyon came out of Pot 1. We know they’re a good team. Okay, I don’t think there was much in the gap today between both teams. But they’ve taken two situations really well.

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“We can be better in those situations so we need to learn from this quickly."

Again, Gerrard is right that Lyon are a class outfit who were Champions League semi-finalists just over a year ago. Losing to them is no disgrace and you would fancy Rangers to qualify alongside them.

However, as much as it was two mistakes that cost Rangers, Lyon looked comfortable and looked like they never got out of second gear. Last season you would expect the Ibrox men to at least take a point from the game. It’s clear they haven’t got going yet in this campaign and the pressing and intensity we witnessed last year, simply isn’t there.

It’ll be a worry for the management team but as Gerrard says there is no time to feel sorry for themselves, they have to get back to winning ways come Sunday when Motherwell come to Ibrox.

Gerrard on the injury sustained by Ryan Kent

"Until Kent goes for an MRI scan, your guess on how he is is as good as mine," he said.

"There is definitely a hamstring complaint there.

“Yeah, he can feel something in the hamstring. So we’ll assess that and check it out and obviously come back to you once we get the news on that.”

It’s never a good sight to see a player hold their hamstring and hobble off the pitch and in Ryan Kent’s case, it’s been clear he’s been nursing a niggle for some time.

Again last night, he looked jaded and not himself. His shot in the first half aside, he struggled to impose himself on the game and never posed any real threat apart from a move in which he got to the byline before finding Morelos who laid the ball off for Lundstram for a shot at goal.

Kent encapsulates Rangers early season form in a way, he’s yet to hit the heights of last season and has very much looked like he’s been carrying an injury.

Now, there is a lot to be admired about the player playing through the pain barrier but in the grand scheme of things, is it worth it when you’re getting 60-70% of the player we all know he can be?

It now looks like he’s set for a spell on the sidelines and, in a way, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise because it’ll give him time to recover properly and come back stronger. With Scott Wright returning to the fold last night, there are able deputies who are more than good enough to fill in so it’s important he isn’t rushed back.