Steven Gerrard grappling with cup conundrum in wake of Rangers' stunning loss to St Johnstone

Steven Gerrard will never have to pay for a drink or a meal in Glasgow, thanks to the unbounded gratitude of Rangers supporters who will remain grateful in perpetuity that he prevented Celtic from winning an epochal 10th successive Scottish title. If, however, the former Liverpool and England captain had to depend for nourishment on his cup record at Ibrox, he would be in the queue for a food bank.

The astounding finale to Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final against St Johnstone - when the Saints goalkeeper, Zander Clark, got his head to a corner kick to assist Perth side's 122nd-minute leveller and so force a shoot-out in which he saved two kicks - meant that Gerrard had to stomach a sixth defeat in domestic cup competitions since he took the job in the summer of 2018.

His first season in charge saw Rangers dumped from both tournaments by Aberdeen. In December 2019, they met Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park but, after Fraser Forster saved an Alfredo Morelos penalty kick, Rangers lost to a Christopher Jullien header which was not only the Hoops’ only effort on goal, but also offside.

If that counted as rotten luck, Rangers’ subsequent ejection from the Scottish Cup by Hearts – then bottom of the league – was simply rotten form. In December they were favourites to win the League Cup after Celtic were knocked out by Ross County but, yet again, Gerrard’s players stumbled, in a 3-2 defeat by St Mirren.

This time around, having thwarted Celtic’s desire for 10-in-a-row in the league, Rangers also put an end to their arch foes’ hope of a fifth successive Scottish Cup victory with a 2-0 win at Ibrox 10 days ago. An impressive combination of achievements became possible – a first league and cup double since 2009 and a perfect campaign of home victories.

But St Johnstone posted a warning which Rangers did not heed. In the league meeting of the sides at McDiarmid Park last Wednesday, Callum Davidson’s players trailed 1-0 in injury time, but forced a draw with a Liam Craig penalty kick.

On Sunday, when the teams met again at Ibrox, Rangers had the bulk of possession but little of the swarming play which had overcome every domestic opponent who visited Ibrox previously this season. The impression that they were running into trouble was reinforced when a Morelos attempt ricocheted from a post into the grasp of the grateful Clark, but when the goalkeeper was beaten by a James Tavernier header three minutes from the end of extra time, it seemed Rangers had been granted a reprieve from humiliation.

Not so. Two minutes into injury time of the extra half-hour, Saints won a corner kick, Clark went up to reinforce his forwards and Rangers paid the price for leaving his 6ft 3in frame unmarked when the keeper’s header went in off Chris Kane to force a penalty decider. Clark’s saves from Tavernier and Kemar Roofe triggered hysteria among his team-mates – and several broadcasting outlets – and left Gerrard visibly sickened by the side of the pitch.

“I made it clear the Scottish Cup was a priority and we needed to keep hungry,” he said in the aftermath. “We have never said we are the finished article. That goes for me as well.

“I am really disappointed with how this has ended and I will reflect on how I can get this group better.”

St Johnstone, meanwhile, had delivered a timely message about the power of football’s local roots at the end of a week which saw the attempted coup by the European Super League plotters crushed by fan power.

At the age of 28, Clark has been on Saints’ books for 10 years, since he joined as a trainee and, although the equaliser was credited to Kane, the goalkeeper said: “I’m claiming it. I could see Kano put it in, but everybody was running to me so I was milking it. If a goalie goes up, he’s just trying to cause a bit of havoc. It was a great feeling.”

Now St Johnstone have the chance to add the Scottish Cup to the League Cup they won in February. They face St Mirren in the semi, with Dundee United or Hibs to come in the Final.

If St Johnstone succeed, a team in blue will have won the Scottish cup double – but not the one managed by Steven Gerrard.