SO NIR YET SO FAR
Celts dominate but Bitton red card gifts Gers huge title lift
Callum McGregor’s arm decided this Old Firm derby.
In doing so, Rangers surely now have one hand on the Premiership trophy.
Steven Gerrard’s side are 19 points clear at the top of the table after victory over the Hoops at Ibrox.
McGregor’s own goal proved crucial shortly after Neil Lennon’s team were reduced to 10 men as Nir Bitton saw red for hauling down Alfredo Morelos.
At the other end, Rangers’ very own McGregor – goalkeeper Allan – was the Ibrox side’s top performer with a trio of saves that kept Celtic at bay.
Lennon’s men dominated the derby for long spells but they just couldn’t get their noses in front.
When Bitton was sent off in the second half, the tide turned in Rangers’ favour and with a massive lead in the title race, you have to wonder if this win will be pivotal in a Scottish football power shift.
Rangers were second best for most of the match but they still emerged victorious – their third straight Old Firm win in the league.
There was a poignancy about pre-match proceedings on the 50th anniversary of the Ibrox Disaster.
Tributes were paid to the 66 supporters who died on Stairway 13 in 1971, with both captains laying wreaths before kick-off.
With no fans inside the stadium, there was an eerie feel to the game but while Rangers looked to be affected by the occasion early on, Celtic were bang at it from the first whistle.
Lennon had two big calls to make with his team selection.
With Christopher Jullien now out for months with a knee injury, he opted for Bitton over Shane Duffy at centre-back.
In front of his defence, he kept faith with Ismaila Soro as his midfield sitter, leaving skipper and Old Firm veteran Scott Brown on the bench.
Lennon’s backline would have been viewed as Celtic’s weakness by anyone of a blue persuasion.
But that wasn’t a problem in the first 20 minutes because Rangers couldn’t get near the opposition box.
It was a blistering start from the Hoops. They looked sharper, quicker and hungrier than Gerrard’s men.
Playing and pressing on the front foot, they hunted Rangers in packs, forced errors and looked a real threat with Leigh Griffiths, Odsonne Edouard and David Turnbull in attack.
Lennon’s only issue would have been how his team weren’t at least 2- 0 up.
In the third minute, McGregor broke with pace from the middle of the park and teed up Edouard.
He cut inside Connor Goldson to get a shot off but McGregor made a terrific save to deny the Frenchman.
Rangers’ goalie made an even better stop when Edouard latched on to the loose ball, not knowing the striker was offside. It wouldn’t be the first time in the half the Rangers keeper would come to his side’s rescue.
He had a brilliant one-handed stop from a deflected Griffiths effort after slackness from Leon Balogun, who had been picked ahead of Fi l ip Helander in the home defence.
When Tommy Burns was Celtic’s gaffer, he said that he’d have the words ‘Andy Goram broke my heart’ on his
gravestone, after some of his stunning Old Firm saves.
Lennon must have felt the same about McGregor in the opening 45 minutes of this one.
The stop he produced from Griffiths’ curling shot – touching it on to the post – was truly world class.
That chance came from Joe Aribo giving the ball away and Rangers were miles off it.
They looked lethargic, sloppy in possession and second to everything. At times, they appeared to be playing in slow motion.
The biggest impact from a blue jersey came from Morelos’ late tackle early doors on Jeremie Frimpong, which somehow avoided a yellow card.
While McGregor was keeping his side in the game at one end, underpressure Celts keeper Vasilis Barkas wasn’t being tested.
With Lennon going for a midfield diamond, the feeling beforehand was that Rangers could cause them serious damage down the flanks but Gerrard’s full-backs were being pinned back.
In Old Firm derbies, formations and systems are irrelevant if there’s a lack of desire and that’s how it looked for the home side.
The only consolation for the Rangers manager was that they managed to get in at the break still level.
They couldn’t possibly be as bad in the second half and Gerrard made a half-time change, bringing on Ianis Hagi for Kemar Roofe.
The Romanian tried to make an impression right away by unleashing a left-footer from the edge of the box that swerved just wide.
But it was a token gesture from Rangers who, as an attacking force, were nonexistent.
Morelos – without a goal in 13 derbies – was toiling badly to hold the ball up and link the play.
The same couldn’t be said of
Edouard, who engineered a bit of space in the box only to be thwarted by a superb, last-ditch Balogun block.
The game was there for Celtic but the dynamic changed with Bitton’s red card on the hour.
The Israeli got on the wrong side of Morelos from a James Tavernier pass into the channel and made no attempt to get the ball as he hauled him down.
The question for ref Bobby Madden was if Bitton had denied the striker a clear goalscoring opportunity and despite the fact Kris Ajer was trying to get back to cover, it was the right call.
Lennon had to reorganise, with Duf fy on for the sacrificed Griffiths a n d Mo h a m e d
massive victory
Elyounoussi replacing Turnbul l. Rangers now had the upper hand with the extra man and it didn’t take them long to make it count.
With 20 minutes left, Aribo got the slightest of touches on a Tavernier corner and the ball ricocheted off McGregor’s shoulder and past Barkas for an own goal.
It was against the run of play but that won’t have bothered Gerrard who clenched his fists on the touchline. Celtic pushed for a leveller as Elyounoussi fired over the bar. Rangers also had a chance when sub Cedric Itten had an effort off target. The v i s i t or s battled but Gerrard’s side were resilient, held on and took a grip on the title race.