Rangers manager Steven Gerrard saw his players suffer the agony of a 1-0 League Cup final defeat to Celtic and vowed that the team will bounce back.

A Christopher Jullien goal was the difference between the sides though Rangers had the vast majority of chances and were playing against ten men for much of the second half following Jeremie Frimpong's red card.

Gerrard admitted that there was a "raw" feeling after the loss but said that his team had delivered the performance he had asked of them.

With a crucial Europa League match against young Boys on Thursday, the players need to be resilient and Gerrard said it was his job to make sure there was no lasting effect from their Hampden disappointment.

"We've got a huge game on Thursday and there's no better game to bounce back," he said. "I'll stay with these players. On the evidence of what I've seen today, performance-wise, I'm staying right behind them.

"We might have to suffer a little bit, of course. We have to soak it up, remember it and be ready to go and give ourselves another opportunity and that type of performance will get us where we want to get to.

"I've got a big job to pick them all up because it's a tough one. It's raw right now but this is football at the top. We'll suffer and then we'll bounce back."

Gerrard expressed his disappointment that Jullien's goal had stood after Celtic players appeared to be in an offside position but he insisted he wasn't looking for excuses for defeat. The Englishman said that he had been impressed by his side's display and regretted that the decisive moments had gone in Celtic's favour.

"I thought we were outstanding in terms of our performance," he said. "Everything we asked of the players today, in terms of how we approach it and what we wanted from them to a man I can't be much prouder of them.

"But finals are normally decided on big moments and the big moments haven't gone in our favour today.

"We conceded from a set-piece which we shouldn't have given away and had to defend it better. There were three Celtic players standing in offside positions but unfortunately we play in a country where there is no VAR.

"The penalty's a big moment. If you execute there and then, it puts you in a much stronger position. Unfortunately we haven't taken our chance in that big moment."