Rangers throw in the towel after Old Firm draw

GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST admitted Rangers’ inability to put Celtic away at Parkhead had realistically ended their title hopes. In an pulsating final Old Firm fixture of the season, the home side took the lead in the 20th minute through Portuguese attacker Jota’s close-range finish. But Fashion Sakala levelled in the 68th minute with a powerful drive, before hitting the post in a dramatic finale. With just three games remaining, Celtic remain six points clear. And without conceding the title was definitely lost, manager Van Bronckhorst said: ‘I think only a win would give us a chance to close the gap even more. It will be more difficult after today. ‘I couldn’t have asked for more from my players. Especially in the second half, we pushed really hard. We did very well in those moments, created great chances, hit the post. What can you ask for more? ‘The only thing is we didn’t score the big chances we had. ‘We did everything we could to win but in the end we are two points short.’ Rangers now turn their attention to the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig at Ibrox on Thursday, where they will try to overturn a 1-0 deficit. And Van Bronckhorst feels the display against Celtic stands them in good stead. ‘We have got to prepare like we always do and make sure we have the same intentions and character we showed here, because we also need it on Thursday,’ the Dutchman added. Ange Postecoglou would not concede that the result had effectively made Celtic champions. The Hoops boss, whose side are 29 games unbeaten in the Premiership, is looking to finish the season with a flourish. ‘I don’t know about unassailable but we are in a strong position,’ he said. ‘We have three games to go, two of them at home. We have been so strong at home all year, including today. From our perspective it gives us a great opportunity to take advantage of the position we are in. ‘The thing with us, we don’t want to sort of just get there, we want to finish strong and we have three games to do that. ‘The boys are not jubilant. They understand that they had to work hard today to get something out of it. ‘We will keep improving as a football team but the character they are showing at the moment, that’s priceless. ‘That’s what is going to hold us in good stead, not just for this year but for years to come, if we keep having that mentality of taking on every challenge before us and making sure we don’t yield and don’t give up at any stage. ‘They are a determined lot and they are determined to finish the season strongly.’