ALL OVER BAR THE SHOUTING
RANGERS 0 CELTIC 2 Rangers fail to land blow as Celts show gap’s as big as ever
One manager turned the tide. The other stood shouting at it like King Canute, wondering why it wouldn’t turn back.
It’s now been 500 days since anyone last laid a glove on Celtic. Fifty-seven games unbeaten.
So if a team with as much to prove as Rangers did yesterday can’t even get within touching distance, far less land a punch, we may as well already declare the season a TKO. Hold Celtic’s arms aloft right now. Brendan Rodgers’ side maybe had to work harder for this one in the first half than they did during their 5-1 rout back in April.
But while the gulf in goals was less apparent, the huge divide in class, f itness and coaching – particularly when the sides came back out for the second half – was obvious for all to see.
Two goals in 16 minutes from Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths sealed Rangers’ fate, creating an eight-point lead for the champions over their old rivals with only seven games gone.
Rangers had one moment, the moment you always get in these games, that could have changed the entire narrative – an Alfredo Morelos header that was saved brilliantly at point-blank range by Craig Gordon at 1- 0 down.
But Celtic could have scored more, though, a bucketload more, by the end.
Once again, the fact the closing exchanges of the match were played out in front of a sea of folded-back blue seats told its own story.
The home fans couldn’t tolerate it any more so had made their way out.
Pedro Caixinha looked just as bereft, hollering unheard into the wind, imploring players to be where he wanted them to be, rarely where they were.
It was a message that clearly hadn’t made its way through before his players went out