RED RAG TO A BULL

Scoring late winner at Livi has helped Max atone to Gers fans for Europa League sending-off

- BY GAVIN BERRY

LAST action Rangers hero Max Aarons insists his dramatic late Livingston winner was payback for his horror Champions League red card in Belgium.

And the fullback says the spirit summoned by the Light Blues in West Lothian is proof that the Ibrox squad are firmly behind under-fire boss Russell Martin.

On-loan Bournemouth defender Aarons was left out in the cold for a month following his early dismissal in the 6-0 defeat to Club Brugge.

But the 25-year-old came off the bench to score his first goal in more than three years to earn Martin his first Premiership win at the sixth attempt.

Despite the goal, the travelling fans still chanted for Martin to be sacked but Aarons hopes it can be a turning point for the manager and his group of players.

Aarons, who last netted for Norwich in a 1-1 draw against Wigan in August 2022, admitted it was a dream moment after his summer arrival - following the nightmare in Europe.

Asked if he was desperate to make up for that eighth minute sending off which left his side with a mountain to climb, Aarons said: "Yeah, no one was more disappointed than myself with that. I've never been sent off in my career.

"A moment like that, a lapse in concentration, was extremely disappointing for me, especially in a crucial game like that.