Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has called for a response from Joe Worrall after his Rugby Park nightmare.

The Ibrox club lost 2-1 at Kilmarnock on Wednesday to fall three points behind league leaders Celtic, who also have a game in hand.

Worrall surrendered possession in the first half as Eamonn Brophy scored Killie's equaliser and Steve Clarke's side were revitalised thereafter.

With key stopper Connor Goldson still sidelined for this Sunday's trip to Livingston, Gerrard insisted it was up to the Nottingham Forest loanee, and the rest of the team, to show character in the weeks to come.

The Rangers boss, who revealed American Matt Polster has been granted a work permit, said: "I don't think Joe is that insecure he'll need a cuddle or an arm around from me, he's a big boy.

"People make mistakes, he's human.

"I'm more interested in his reaction and what he's going to give in terms of performance moving forward, that's the key.

"We all make mistakes, that's the game, it's how you react from them.

"The players have to go and prove themselves, it's important we get back to winning ways."

Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis were substituted late on during their debuts as Rangers slumped to defeat.

Gerrard said he'll continue to manage his high-profile recruit's game-time going forward.

"They haven't played much football of late," he added.

"I'm sure on a couple of occasions I'll have to manage them in terms of their game time.

"They are here for the next six months, not the next six games.

"It's down to me to manage them the right way.

"Recovery takes a bit longer after you've put in a shift on a plastic pitch so, not just with them two, but that is on my mind at the moment."

Defoe was paired in attack with Alfredo Morelos as Gerrard switched formation for the Killie fixture.

The ex-Liverpool coach, who has added Andy Firth from Barrow as a third-choice keeper, said he'll keep changing systems on a game-by-game basis.

"We'll play different systems as we go along," he said. "I'll play a system I think can go and get a positive result.

"I think the system we chose at Kilmarnock was doing really, really well before we gifted them the chance to get back into the game.

"For the final stages of that game we used a completely different formation that couldn't get us an equaliser.

"You can talk about tactics and formations for as long as you want, the reality is it is my job to pick a game plan and system that will work, but what I will say is that won't be the same every single game."