THE Scottish Premiership resumed on Wednesday night after the winter break and with it came the usual drama, intrigue and controversy that is part and parcel of Scottish football’s top flight.

Celtic gained a one-point advantage at the top of the table, Kilmarnock leapfrogged Rangers after coming from behind to beat Steven Gerrard’s side 2-1, while elsewhere there were wins for Aberdeen, Dundee, Motherwell and St Johnstone.

A lot of the pre-match build-up was focussed on the impact Jermain Defoe would bring to his new side and Rangers fans were eager to see what the ex-Bournemouth player would bring to Gerrard’s team. We’ve analysed the new signing’s competitive debut for Rangers to see how he fared during his first outing in Scottish football.

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First off, it’s important to recognise that Defoe was up against a Kilmarnock side that continue to punch above their weight this season. A trip to Rugby Park is just about the most difficult debut a new player could face in the Premiership and Defoe was never going to have an easy ride. For this reason, we may have to take Defoe’s performance with a pinch of salt, but it’s fair to say that the Englishman will probably enjoy better days in a Rangers shirt.

Defoe did find the net but this aside, there isn’t too much to shout about surrounding the 36-year-old’s first competitive outing for his new club. Defoe played 79 minutes against Kilmarnock but despite his goal, never really got going on Wednesday night.

The goal itself was a tap-in, but Defoe certainly deserves credit for being in the right place at the right time. The striker’s movement and ability to read a game is one of his greatest assets and his goal would not have happened without these attributes. But, that aside, the numbers make for grim reading for the veteran forward.

READ MORE: Is Jermain Defoe past it? Here's what the stats say

Defoe made a total of 33 actions on his debut - this includes passes, dribbles, shots and attempts to win the ball back - but only five were ultimately successful, which equates to a paltry 15%. The goal early in the first half was his only shot during the game, and was one of just two touches the striker had in the Kilmarnock box over the course of the match.

Of the seven passes Defoe attempted, four found their intended target and the English striker’s sole dribble resulted in him being robbed of possession. Two headers were attempted, neither of which were successful, and the forward failed to make a single interception during the match.

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To be fair to Defoe, he only received four passes from his new team-mates so it wasn’t as if he was squandering possession on a regular basis. In other games, the former Tottenham striker will no doubt enjoy a lot more of the ball - and will be expected to do more with it - but against Kilmarnock, there is little to suggest that Gerrard’s most high profile signing to date did anything other than underwhelm.

The 36-year-old could have had a penalty in the second half admittedly, but this aside Defoe offered virtually nothing to his new team on his first competitive start. His goal will certainly help his confidence and clearly, his job in Gerrard’s side is to put the ball in the back of the net. Some will say that because he scored his team’s only goal, Defoe served his purpose against Kilmarnock and there is perhaps some truth to this. But there can be little doubt: Defoe will have to improve in future games if he’s to fulfil the promise so many Rangers fans have put in him.