Steven Gerrard was furious at Hibernian staff after Ryan Porteous clattered into Rangers left-back Borna Barisic and was sent off. The two sides met in the Scottish Premiership on Friday night at Easter Road with Rangers looking to close the five-point gap to Celtic.
Rangers cruised to an early two-goal lead through Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo and added a third through a smart Jermain Defoe finish early in the second half.
But the match descended into chaos on the hour mark, as Porteous went through the ball and into the shins of Barisic with strong force with an horrendous challenge.
That left Barisic writhing around in agony and incensed Rangers staff, who had to be split from members of Hibs coaching staff on the sidelines.
And Gerrard led the charge as both sets of coaches spilled into each other’s dugouts, with TV cameras showing the Liverpudlian using a few choice words in the direction of his Hibs counterparts after the incident and angrily pointing his finger towards the opposite bench.
Porteous was rightly dismissed for the foul and he wasn’t the only one shown red, as Hibs assistant coach John Potter and Rangers coach Tom Culshaw were sent to the stands for the following bust-up by referee Nick Walsh.
Conor Goldson and Daryl Horgan were also both shown yellow as tempers flared on and off the pitch.
And Rangers fans took to Twitter to hail Gerrard for his reaction to seeing his player fouled.
“I cannot love Gerrard more,” one tweeted.
Another wrote: “Steve Gerrard getting stuck in there what a guy.”
“Got to love Gerrard,” said a third.
“Loved Gerrard’s reaction there,” another said simply.
A fifth wrote: “Stevie G ready for a kick off, love it.”
Barisic returned to the field of play after treatment as Rangers controlled proceedings.
There were further flashpoints however, as Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor clashed with Hibs striker Chrisian Doidge late on.
Rangers did not add to their lead despite their one-man advantage over the hosts, settling for a 3-0 win of which they were fully deserving.
That moves them two points behind table-topping Celtic, who they face in their final game of 2019 on December 29.
Before then, the Gers take on Kilmarnock on Boxing Day, while the Hoops host Aberdeen tomorrow (3pm) and travel to St Mirren on December 26.