John Hartson has questioned Steven Gerrard over the way he shook Neil Lennon's hand following Rangers' win at Celtic .

The former Parkhead striker insists he was "surprised" by the Ibrox boss after what he claimed was more of a "slap" than a traditional handshake.

Gerrard went viral with his emotional celebration at Parkhead as Rangers triumphed on their rivals' turf for the first time since 2010.

But Hartson claims there was something off about how he approached Lennon and assistant John Kennedy at full-time.

He told talkSPORT : "I thought the handshake was slightly wrong. I thought he slapped Neil's hand and he slapped John Kennedy's hand.

"I thought Stevie would have shook hands, man to man, looked them in the eye.

(Image: Rangers FC/PA Images)

"But it was almost like a high-five, a slap and he walked away. It's not a criticism, he was obviously delighted to get the three points and his team played very well.

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"That was the only thing that I was a little surprised about that he didn't shake the guys' hands."

Hartson admits it's the first time he's seen such unbridled joy in Gerrard since moving to Rangers in 2018.

And he believes that's because the Liverpool legend, who he cites as a hero of his, has had little to shout about since taking his first managerial post.

The Welshman continued: "I've not seen that sort of excitement, shaking the camera. Obviously it means an awful lot to him, he's one of my heroes.

"I supported Liverpool as a kid, grew up watching the great Liverpool teams play.

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"He's arguably alongside (Kenny) Dalglish and all these other greats.

"He was a wonderful player and I looked up to Stevie. But, at the end of the day, great passion as a player but since he's been at Rangers he's not had a lot to shout about, or get passionate about.

"I can understand him showing that passion but I still feel, if you look at the celebrations, he sort of slapped Neil's hands.

"I thought he would've shook their hands properly and then celebrated. That was the only thing I was slightly, not concerned, but that surprised me a little bit."