Steven Gerrard lauds Rangers loanee Ianis Hagi’s full debut display

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On the day Gheorghe Hagi turned 55, it was certainly fitting that Ianis Hagi scored the goal that handed Rangers a lifeline in their quest for their 55th league title.

But it appears that it was his overall performance on his full debut that most impressed Steven Gerrard, with the Gers boss telling the club’s official website that he deserves all the plaudits coming his way following the club’s 2-1 win over Hibernian on Wednesday.

Rangers looked to be in danger of falling further behind the league leaders at Ibrox. They went 1-0 down and were six minutes away from having to settle for a point.

But Hagi produced a moment of magic as stoppage-time started to loom. The Romanian unleashed a brilliant volley into the bottom corner to provide the winner for the Light Blues.

But it appears that Gerrard may feel that only discussing the 21-year-old’s goal would be doing a disservice to his overall performance in the victory.

“Hagi’s match-winning performance – he’ll deserve all the headlines, but I thought his general play was outstanding in the second half,” he told the club’s official website.

“I think he was coming to terms with the league and what it is about in the first half, but, what a performance on your full home debut second half and the finish is outstanding.”

TBR View – Moment of game-changing brilliance bodes well

It is no secret that Rangers are going to need a brilliant end to the campaign to turn the title race around. Should they win their game in hand, they will still be four points behind Celtic.

There are two Old Firm games to come. But it should also be noted that Neil Lennon’s men have won 22 of their last 24 games in all competitions.

So Rangers need to be prepared to put together a stunning run. They are going to all of their players capable of match-winning brilliance to step up.

They appear to have added to their pool of game-changers in January in Hagi. And they will be hoping that his strike against Hibs does not prove to be the last time he rocks Ibrox during the remaining months of the season.