Edouard helps retain crown

got away from Russell Mar tin and drove a right fo ot- shot across Alnwick into the far corner of the net.

The title par t y was already in full swing among the home fans and it was cranked up another gear w h e n C e l t i c s c o r e d t h e i r t hird on t he s t r oke of halftime. It was the sweetest of mo me n t s f o r Fo r r e s t wh o finally claimed his first goal in this fixture in his 16th appearance against Rangers. Collecting the ball wide on the right, the winger surged beyond three half- hearted challenges and drove a low shot beyond the exposed Alnwick.

There would b e l i t t l e r e s pi t e f or R angers as Celti c made i t 4- 0 l ess t h a n t wo m i n u t e s a f t e r t h e restart. Forrest was the catalyst, setting up Mcgregor for a shot which was blo cked. T h e b a l l e ve n t u a l l y b r o ke i n t o t h e p a t h o f Rogi c who coolly curled it to Alnwick’s left and into the corner of the net.

Celtic’s devastating burst of scoring continued, Mcgregor grabbing No 5 in the 53rd minute. Edouard turned provider t his t i me, b eati ng James Tavernier all too easily on the left and setting up a close- range finish from Mcgregor.

T h o s e R a n g e r s s u p p o r t e r s wh o displayed a unique f orm of maso - chism by remaining in the ground for the rest of the 90 minutes must have feared they would witness even greater humiliation b eing heap ed upon their team.

B u t a c o mbin a t i o n o f s o me f i n e saves from Alnwick, who kept out cl ose - r ange ef f or t s f r om Ntcham, Forrest and Rogic, and Celtic gradually taking their foot off the pedal as the second half wore on prevented the champions from adding further to their tally.