STEVEN GERRARD admits Rangers have undone their Old Firm win by losing ground in the title race with a 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock.

The Light Blues moved level with Celtic at the top of the table last month but have now dropped behind Steve Clarke’s side and three points off the Premiership pace.

Jermain Defoe gave Rangers an early lead at Rugby Park but Eamonn Brophy and Jordan Jones clinched a deserved victory for Killie.

“I think so,” Gerrard said when asked if Rangers had undone their Old Firm win. “We got a lot of praise for beating Celtic. We won every single key individual battle in that game.

“I’m struggling to find one of them tonight. So we deserve the criticism and have to suck the pain up over the coming days.

“It’s even more painful because we had so much control in the first 15 minutes of the game and looked so good. One moment had a huge effect on us and that’s a concern.”

Gerrard handed competitive debuts to Defoe and Steven Davis and saw his side start brightly at Rugby Park.

But a costly blunder from Joe Worrall allowed Brophy to equalise before Jones won it with a driving run and clinical finish in the second half.

Gerrard said: “It is a difficult one to take. Having started the game so well, having complete control and taking the lead, creating more dangerous opportunities to extend the lead. Then a huge mistake gave Kilmarnock the opportunity to get back into the game.

“That moment affected the whole team and the whole atmosphere in the ground. We never recovered at all from it.

“I know when I sit down and analyse the game later, it will be us having all the ball, us trying to create stuff. The two big moments which have gone against us, we have gifted Kilmarnock.

“There was Joe’s moment for the equaliser and then a square ball in the second half which sees us get done with a counter attack. We backed off Jordan and let him onto his favoured foot. A player of that ability is going to punish you from 20 yards.”

Winger Jones was given a warm reception by the travelling Gers support pre-match after agreeing a Bosman deal at Ibrox earlier this month.

But he proved his worth to Kilmarnock once again as he capped a fine performance with his third goal of the campaign.

Gerrard said: "That's football, isn't it! I've been around the game long enough and sometimes that happens to you. That adds to the pain, but what can you do?

"The disappointing thing is analysing that moment and first away we gave a square ball away on a difficult surface, when they were asked before the game to play no square balls. That was the first part we got wrong.

"Then we allowed the counter without getting close, backing off, before we allowed him to shoot.

"It was a catalogue of errors after the first square pass and that's the frustrating thing."

It was to prove a frustrating night for debutants Defoe and Davis as Rangers lost crucial ground in the Premiership title race.

Gerrard switched from a 4-3-3 formation to a diamond midfield as Defoe partnered Alfredo Morelos through the middle.

He said: "There was a temptation to keep the same team but then if we lost having done that the accusation would have been that we were predictable given they had so much time to work on it.

"People will look at the formation and personnel and blame me, which they can, that's no problem.

"But if we don't give Kilmarnock two gifts tonight we win the game and people would be saying well done for changing the system. That's football."