Conor McCarthy’s stoppage time goal sent the Ibrox side spinning out of a tournament they were odds-on favourites to win and brought their 27-match unbeaten run in 2020-21 to a dramatic end.
“To call it a crazy night would be respectful to us,” said the Rangers manager. “Look, we haven’t performed well and I’m responsible for that.
“I made all the decisions, the tactical and personnel decisions, I tweaked certain things.
“This is one where I’ll take the blame, I’m responsible for it all – because the players have been absolutely first class since the first day of pre-season.
‘We’ve had an awful lot of praise as a group, defensively and offensively.
“But tonight we just weren’t at it. And to concede the three goals in the manner that we did is obviously disappointing.
“But I’m responsible for it. So we have to take what’s going to come our way. It’ll be a bit different for us, in terms of the way the season has gone so far.
"I’ll demand that we react in the right way. I’m bitterly disappointed because it’s an opportunity missed.
“We can’t allow the disappointment to spiral. At the moment emotions are running high, after a setback like this. But you have a choice in these situations. And you find out a lot about the group, about players.
“I know what I’ll be doing. I’ll be trying to react in a positive way. Of course it will sting. It will hurt. But it’s my job to pick them up and make sure they go again.
“Compared to the rest of the performances, 27 unbeaten or whatever it is, the players have been outstanding.
"They gave us a lot more than we expected. But tonight we just weren’t at it as a group. I’m not going to o point any fingers or criticise anyone. I’m going to stand forward and take the responsibility because they’re my players. I signed the majority, if not all of them. I pick the tactics, make the decisions. So it’s on me.”