Rangers ace Morelos was ‘lucky to stay on after forearm smash’, says Caldwell and Rangers are ‘BETTER’ without him

Referee Steven McLean showed the forward a yellow for the aerial challenge.

Replays showed Morelos caught Connolly with a stray elbow after the ball had been headed away.

But Gerrard was quick to defend his star man after the game, and said: “I didn't see an elbow. If you look at him again, there's no elbow there. The referee saw it and dealt with it."

But Sportscene pundit Caldwell disagreed and co-pundit Michael Stewart said the Scottish league leaders would be BETTER without Morelos in the team.

Caldwell said: "I don’t see an elbow either – I see a forearm smash in the face.

"There’s intent as he’s looking at him.

"What I can’t understand is that the ref booked him, so he has seen something.

"But how he can’t – along with his linesman – come to the right decision there is poor."

Stewart also agreed with Caldwell and insisted the flashpoints are undermining Rangers' excellent form.

The SunSport columnist also suggested a spell out the team might be good for both the player and the team.

He added: "He quite clearly is [missing confidence], he’s not the same player he was a year ago.

"You can see the frustration oozing out of him.

"As a striker you go through spells when you can’t score.

"The problem with Morelos is that he is not the talisman that he was a year ago.

"And I think Rangers as a team could comfortably have him out of the side.

"And I actually think the team would improve.

"Morelos doesn’t show anything as a team player for me.

"Before he was such a goalscorer and a real threat and he is not the same.

"And when he’s coming up with incidents like the one there with his forearm, that’s really undermining all the good work that Rangers are doing at the moment."