RANGERS were held to a frustrating goalless draw at Livingston in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.
Dominant throughout, the Light Blues couldn’t find a way to goal, albeit they were virtually untroubled at the other end.
From the team which defeated St Johnstone 3-0 on Wednesday to make it three wins and no goals conceded from three league matches so far this season, Canadian skipper Scott Arfield came in for Joe Aribo, while Sweden international Fil Helander started in place of Leon Balogun.
Aribo had picked up a slight knock with Gerrard opting not to risk him on the plastic pitch, while Balogan missed out with a minor quad issue.
A minute’s silence was held prior to kick-off to remember Rangers legend Tom Forsyth, who passed away at the age of 71 on Friday.
After doing very well to weather the usual, ferocious start from Livingston, Rangers built themselves into the game very well, dominating the ball and playing the game virtually all in the Livi half.
Gers had a claim for a penalty on 13 minutes turned-down with the ball coming off the arm of Jon Guthrie as he blocked a Ryan Kent shot on goal from the edge of the area.
Ryan Jack looked to find the run of Arfield with an excellent ball over the top of the Livi defence, but goalkeeper Max Stryjek was quick off his line to profit from the ball just skipping away from the midfielder on the bobbly pitch.
A super Tavernier cross from the right needed only a touch from Morelos to send it into the back of the net, but up went Guthrie to get something on the ball before the Colombian could nod home.
Livi continued to keep the Light Blues at bay for the remainder of the half, but Gers came again at the start of the second half with a pair of good opportunities inside the opening minutes.
Ryan Kent made an opportunity for himself, cutting in from the left before seeing his effort fisted away by Stryjek at the front post, before the ball dropped for Morelos on the edge of the area – on the spin, he shot just wide.
If a goal was going to come, it looked likely to come the way of the visitors, and an almighty scramble on the end of a Borna Barisic corner had Morelos, Connor Goldson and Filip Helander all having efforts blocked.
Morelos sent a back-post header from a Tavernier cross over the bar, while Kent flashed an effort across the face of goal which needed only a touch to take the ball into the back of the net.
Rangers were really pushing for the winner as the minutes ticked down, but Jon McLaughlin had to be alert at the other end to deny Craig Sibbald with an audacious effort from his own half.
Borna Barisic had a free-kick opportunity from similar distance to the one he netted on Wednesday against St Johnstone, though Stryjek made a superb stop to turn it onto the post before the loose ball trickled behind.
Sub Brandon Barker was denied by a last-ditch block on the line when the ball dropped to him at the back post, while Kent had an effort from the edge of the area slip just wide in injury-time.
Tavernier had a strike which Stryjek did well to hold onto, and that was to be the final effort of the game with Gers left frustrated at having to settle for a point.
RANGERS: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Helander, Goldson, Hagi (Roofe, 57), Jack, Kent, Kamara, Morelos (Itten, 75), Barisic, Arfield (Barker, 57).
SUBS NOT USED: Firth, Bassey, Edmundson, Davis, Patterson, Stewart.
LIVINGSTON: Stryjek, Devlin, Fitzwater, Guthrie, McMillan, Forrest, Bartley, Pittmann, Sibbald, Holt, Hamilton.
SUBS: Schwake, Taylor-Sinclair, Ambrose, Robinson, Crawford, Kouider-Aissa, Tiffoney, Poplatnik, Pignatiello.