Jermain Defoe hat-trick puts Rangers top after 10-man Celtic lose
Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick in Rangers’ 5-0 demolition of Hamilton, a result which put Steven Gerrard’s men on top of the Premiership after Celtic had earlier lost for the first time this season, 2-0 at Livingston.
Ryan Christie was sent off for the champions and while Neil Lennon lamented his team’s failure to trouble the home goalkeeper he had no complaints about the red card.
Christie was sent off by Willie Collum in the 26th minute for a reckless challenge on Scott Robinson. The Celtic manager said: “It is totally unlike him but he is late. It maybe looked worse in slow motion but it is a red card. I am not happy about it obviously, but it is not like him.”
Robinson put Livingston ahead two minutes into the second half and the striker Lyndon Dykes added a simple second in the 73rd minute for a shock victory, the Lions’ first ever against Celtic.
Gary Holt welcomed the latest achievement by the West Lothian club. The former Celtic and Norwich midfielder, who watched his side win for the first time in five matches, said: “These things are there to be broken.”
It was only the second defeat in 20 games for Celtic this season and they now have to wait until the end of the international break to make amends.
Lennon said: “You can’t panic but I am expecting better. I did tell them before the game that the fixture was a concern. It’s a dangerous opponent in a dangerous environment. I knew Livi would be well up for it and they were. We needed to match that.
“It is a poor result. I thought we started the game OK, we were quite bright, but obviously we lose Ryan very early and we have to adjust.”
The visitors went into the game in confident mode after their impressive 2-0 Europa League win over the Romanian side CFR Cluj at Parkhead on Thursday.
The game’s complexion changed markedly when Christie went in high on Robinson in the middle of the pitch, with the referee having no hesitancy in showing the red card.
The champions’ response was to increase the tempo and moments later the defender Kristoffer Ajer prodded the ball into the arms of Matija Sarkic after breaking into the penalty area.
Livingston’s opening goal was wellworked. Steven Lawless knocked the ball from wide into Robbie Crawford just outside the area and when he slipped in Robinson, he quickly drove high past Fraser Forster from 16 yards.
Lennon reshuffled, with the Ivorian striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo replacing James Forrest, and the Hoops went all out for the leveller. Sarkic made saves from Odsonne Édouard and Mohamed Elyounoussi before Forster blocked an effort from Robinson with his feet after a counterattack.
Celtic’s pressure and corner-count increased but one long free-kick from Sarkic went all the way through to Dykes, who calmly lobbed the ball over Forster for a victory that put an unlikely dent in the Hoops’ title hopes.
At Ibrox, Connor Goldson’s header and a Borna Barisic free-kick added to Defoe’s goals as Rangers moved two points above Celtic.
Hamilton had already survived several dangerous balls into their box before being cut open by Greg Stewart’s through ball in the seventh minute. Defoe chipped the ball over the diving Owain Williams and in off a post.
Goldson doubled their lead in the 34th minute after a long-range onetwo. The centre-back started running after passing the ball out wide to James Tavernier from midway inside the opposition half and dived to head home his captain’s cross from six yards.
Rangers, being watched by Paul Gascoigne, who played at Ibrox from 1995-98, remained in complete control after the break and Barisic curled the ball home from 25 yards after 61 minutes.
Defoe turned Brian Easton two minutes later before slotting home and the striker slammed the ball high into the net on 71 minutes, after Stewart had been denied by Williams.
There was a further positive for Rangers as Gerrard handed Jamie Murphy a first-team comeback as a 64th-minute substitute, almost 14 months after the wide player suffered a serious knee injury at Kilmarnock.