STEVEN Gerrard hit out at referee Willie Collum yesterday for refusing to listen to his fourth official John Beaton and award Rangers a free-kick in the build-up to the Celtic goal.

Gerrard was incensed that Collum ignored Beaton and allowed play to continue following a challenge on Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack by Celtic player Tom Rogic in the second-half at Parkhead.

Brendan Rodgers’s side immediately went up the park and Olivier Ntcham netted what proved to be the only goal of the Ladbrokes Premiership match.

“For me it’s a foul,” said the Rangers manager. “For me it’s a foul and it’s also a foul for the fourth official, who shouted down his mic ‘foul, foul, foul’. The referee in the middle has ignored that advice.

“For me it’s a blatant foul, he’s swept his legs. Jacko did well to get himself in between the man and the ball, but for me it’s a clear foul.”

Gerrard, whose Rangers team fell four points behind Celtic in the top flight table with the defeat, spoke to Collum at the end of the game and revealed the match official stood by his decision.

“He disagreed,” he said. “He didn’t think it was a foul. I think when he sees it again he will change his mind because it’s a blatant foul. I’ve seen it again, five times.”

But the former Liverpool and England midfielder, who was involved in an Old Firm derby for the first time, admitted he was perplexed the referee had refused to listen to his fourth official.

“Why are they there?” he said. “Say for example, there is a red card incident for them or for us and the fourth official is saying it’s a red it’s a red, I think he’d come over, speak to him, and take the advice.

“Now if he did and we were in the wrong or one of my men get sent off I’d look at it and say I it was a red card. But he hasn’t come over to chat about it.

“Five or six minutes later another foul happened on us and the fourth official shouted ‘foul, foul, foul’ and we didn’t get that one either.

“Listen, after the incident, they’ve gone on a great counter-attack and scored a good goal. If there was no foul, I would hold my hand up and say we got cut up by a good team, it was a fantastic goal, congratulations.

“But surely you can understand my frustrations when it’s a clear foul.”

“I won’t see that referee now. I’ve already spoken to him. We’ve had a decent chat, I’ve said my piece. But hopefully the next time I see him and we have a little chat about it, he understands that he’s made a mistake.”

However, Gerrard, who claimed that refereeing decisions had been going against Rangers for years following their opening league game against Aberdeen at Pittodrie last month, admitted that his goalkeeper Allan McGregor should have been sent off for an off-the-ball kick at Celtic centre half Kristoffer Ajer.

Asked if he would have complained if McGregor, who faces being punished retrospectively for the incident, had been red carded, he said: ‘No. I wouldn’t. He’s lashed out. I will speak to him about it.

“Look, I’m honest, I’ll tell you what I see. I’m not going to sit here and do otherwise. If something’s blatant, it’s blatant. But we’ve had one we should have got there.”

The defeat, the first Gerrard has suffered in 13 games as a manager, leaves Rangers with just five points from their first four Premiership games and languishing in seventh place in the table behind Livingston, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone.

It is the worst start the Ibrox club have made to a top flight campaign since the 1989/90 season.

“For a club like Rangers, that’s disappointing,” said Gerrard. “But look at the fixtures and what we have had to face as a brand new staff, a brand new group of players.

“We had Aberdeen away, Motherwell away, Celtic away in our first four and away to Kilmarnock sandwiched in the middle of that.

“And then eight Europa League games, with all the travel in that short space of time. I’m well pleased with where we are.

“I believe the next time this derby comes around we will be better, we will be more used to each other and hopefully we’re in a good place to make up the points we’ve lost.”