'John Beaton told me he got it wrong' - Rangers boss Steven Gerrard claims ref apologised over penalty shout against Aberdeen

Steven Gerrard has revealed he received an apology from John Beaton after the referee admitted he should have awarded the Ibrox side a penalty against Aberdeen.
Steven Gerrard felt Rangers should have been awarded a second-half penaltySteven Gerrard felt Rangers should have been awarded a second-half penalty
Steven Gerrard felt Rangers should have been awarded a second-half penalty

Beaton instead opted to give a free kick on the edge of the box after Alfredo Morelos was upended by Lewis Ferguson. Rangers were battling to find a winner after losing a 2-0 lead against the hosts.

Goals from Jon Gallagher and Andrew Considine cancelled out strikes from Scott Arfield and former Aberdeen midfielder Ryan Jack as Rangers fell two points behind Celtic at the top of the Premiership.

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A frustrated Gerrard admitted his side were slack in allowing Aberdeen back into the game but claimed Beaton’s error was a significant factor behind his side losing ground.

He made a point of speaking to the referee afterwards and claimed Beaton admitted his mistake.

“I have to be very careful what I say, obviously," he said. "But I don’t think there will be a more disappointed person outside of Rangers tonight than John.

‘He has just explained to me that he got it wrong. It was right in front of his eyes and there is no excuse. There is nothing more I can say on it to be honest.

‘Did he apologise? Yes. I went to see him.

“It’s 100 per cent a penalty. I’m surprised it’s not given as the referee is three yards away and looking right at it.”

Dons 'too fired up'

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes felt his side were too fired up in the early stages.

“We spoke the last time about not showing enough passion or aggression or being ready to do battle,” he said. “This time we were too excitable, too rushed in possession and we were probably too pumped up for the game.

“As a consequence we gave the ball away for both goals and at that stage a long night looked ahead as Rangers were bossing it.

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“I’ve seen Rangers go on to score three, four or five times in these situations but it was a great response from my players. What it did was allow Jon Gallagher to get on the ball.

“He got his goal and it was a real shot in the arm from then. We wanted fire and ice from the players. Fire when we wanted it back and composure when we had it.

McInnes added there was a “a tinge of disappointment” that Aberdeen did not gain all three points after Sam Cosgrove narrowly missed with a header from Ferguson’s corner.