Ryan Naderi struck the only goal as Rangers claimed a second Old Firm win over Celtic in the space of a week, cutting their rivals’ Scottish Premiership lead to just two points and leaving the champions with plenty to ponder before the international break.
Another dent to Celtic’s confidence
Martin O’Neill had been adamant that Celtic’s confidence was far from rock bottom heading into this fixture, despite a League Cup defeat at Ibrox followed by a loss to Ferencvaros in the Europa League. But in front of 60,000 of their own supporters at Celtic Park, that confidence took another significant hit.
Auston Trusty thought he had given Celtic an early lead, only for the effort to be chalked off after Liam Scales was found to have strayed offside before heading the ball across to his centre-back partner. Rangers took full advantage of the reprieve, with Naderi firing home the rebound after goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo had initially denied Min-Su Kim, sending the home crowd from cheers into jeers.
Chances at both ends before the break
Celtic tried to respond immediately, with Kieran Tierney crashing an effort against the crossbar, while Rangers came close to doubling their advantage soon after when Djeidi Gassama struck the woodwork at the other end.
Celtic’s first shot on target did not arrive until after half-time, but goalkeeper Ivor Pandur produced an excellent save to deny Colby Donovan’s header from close range and keep the deficit at a single goal.
Disallowed goal adds to the frustration
Rangers continued to press for a second, and thought they had found it when Olwethu Makhanya volleyed home a well-worked effort, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for handball. Despite the setback, Rangers pushed for more chances throughout the second half without adding to their tally, ultimately settling for a narrow but thoroughly deserved victory.
Celtic mustered some late chances of their own, but were booed off by their own supporters at full time as Rangers boss Derek McInnes became the first manager since 1991 to win his opening two Old Firm derbies in charge.
Pundits sound the alarm for Celtic
Reaction from Scottish football pundits was damning. One former Rangers striker turned analyst described the contest as men against boys, near-identical to the previous week’s meeting, and suggested Celtic were fortunate to escape with only a single-goal defeat given how thoroughly they had been outplayed. He added that the substitutions made little impact and that Celtic currently look like a team in serious trouble.
A former Celtic manager working as a pundit was equally blunt, saying Rangers were the superior side in every department, not just physically but in terms of football played. He described Celtic’s second-half performance as totally disjointed and outworked, calling for a total reset during the upcoming international break given how poor the last three performances in a week had been.
Another well-known pundit and former Celtic striker said he could not recall a Celtic team suffering such a one-sided defeat at their own stadium against Rangers, adding that Celtic appeared to be making things up as they went along and now have serious problems to address.
O’Neill calls for a reset
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill accepted it had been a tough week for his side but pushed back on suggestions of a full-blown crisis. He said his side had enjoyed plenty of possession but failed to convert it into meaningful chances, and stressed that the club’s history shows it can bounce back from difficult spells. O’Neill acknowledged the situation was concerning, but stopped short of calling it a disaster, insisting that a rethink and a reset would follow once players return from international duty.
McInnes hails a worthy win
Rangers manager Derek McInnes was understandably delighted with the result, saying his side delivered exactly the kind of big performance the occasion demanded and played with real confidence throughout. He expressed some frustration that Rangers did not add to their lead given how deserving they were of a more comfortable scoreline, but was satisfied that his team kept Celtic at arm’s length for the majority of the match, calling it a fully deserved win.
Quick Facts
- Ryan Naderi’s second-half strike was the difference as Rangers beat Celtic 1-0 at Celtic Park.
- It was Rangers’ second Old Firm win over Celtic in the space of eight days.
- Celtic’s Scottish Premiership lead has been cut to just two points.
- Rangers boss Derek McInnes became the first manager since 1991 to win his first two Old Firm derbies.
- A goal for Rangers’ Olwethu Makhanya was disallowed for handball after VAR review.
- Celtic were booed off by their own supporters at full time.
Both Glasgow giants now turn their attention to the international break, with Celtic under real pressure to respond when domestic action resumes. Fans across Kenya and East Africa can continue to follow all the latest Scottish football action live on DStv SuperSport.
