Steven Gerrard claims Ryan Kent didn’t strike Scott Brown in the face

Steven Gerrard has explained why Rangers decided to contest Ryan Kent's Scottish FA charge for his clash with Scott Brown.

Kent appeared to make contact with Brown in a fiery Old Firm derby last weekend but his manager is convinced that the winger, who is on loan at Rangers from Liverpool, didn't hit Brown in the face. "We have our version of events on Ryan Kent," Gerrard said at a press conference on Thursday morning. "We have challenged it and we will wait and see. We don't think it was in the face and the photo makes it look worse than it was." https://twitter.com/RangersFC/status/1113735053136285697 After Sunday's game, which Celtic won 2-1, Gerrard accused Brown of provoking Kent, as well as Alfredo Morelos and Andy Halliday, both of whom were sent off for incidents involving the Celtic captain. Kent's case is expected to be heard at a tribunal hearing on Thursday, where a decision will be made on whether or not to uphold the player's two-game ban. https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1113100924573093888 After midweek victories for both Celtic and Rangers, Steven Gerrard's side sit 13 points behind the reigning champions and Celtic can clinch the league for the eighth consecutive season as early as this weekend.