BREATHLESS!
Six goals, huge VAR calls, heroic subs and a final whistle bust-up... this derby had a bit of everything
THIS was one of those rare Glasgow derbies which had a bit of everything. Six goals, two penalties, VAR controversies, impact substitutions and the inevitable bad-tempered melee in the centre circle at full-time.
The end to this game of football required a deep breath and eyes in the back of the head.
Two goals ahead at half-time — through Daizen Maeda’s early opener and a Matt O’Riley spotkick — Celtic were cruising.
Dragged back into the game by a James Tavernier penalty — after referee John Beaton initially ruled Fabio Silva had dived — Rangers became the more likely winners when Abdallah Sima marked his long-awaited return from injury by smashing a deflected shot off Liam Scales’ thigh into the top corner.
Bedlam was replaced by the sound of silence as Celtic reclaimed the lead moments later, substitute Adam Idah latching on to Paulo Bernardo’s through ball to rattle the ball low into the net for 3-2. Even then, the visitors’ celebrations proved premature.
Thanks to various VAR interventions, eight minutes were added on. A much-maligned figure, Rabbi Matondo became the third substitute to make a significant impact, curling a David Beckham-esque strike into the postage-stamp corner after 93 minutes. It was a fitting end to a breathless and quite brilliant game of football.
Where it leaves the race for the Premiership title remains to be seen. A point behind Celtic, Clement’s side will return to the summit if they win their game in hand against Dundee on Wednesday. With rain forecast for Tayside and the Dens Park pitch a quagmire, the game could be postponed for a second time.
In the cold light of day, this was a better point for Celtic. Rangers will visit Parkhead after the split and, if Scotland’s champions win their final six games, they will retain the crown. If they finally go to Kilmarnock and win, they’ll feel they’ve earned it.
Over two spells as Celtic boss, Brendan Rodgers has now won 12 and drawn three of his 16 meetings with the Ibrox side. For all that talk of Brodge Mk2 losing his mojo, his consistency in this fixture is relentless. This really should have been win No 13.
Seven days ago, Tavernier scored the goal which cemented his status as the highest-scoring defender in the history of British football. It took just 21 seconds for the cock of the north to become a feather duster.
Lethal in attack, Tavernier’s defensive qualities have always been suspect. Ushering a long Joe Hart clearance towards his own goal, a moment of hesitation proved fatal when Japanese international Maeda chased him down and blocked the Englishman’s clearance. The ball took a wicked break off the studs of Maeda and fizzed past a stranded Jack Butland into the Rangers net.
It was the fastest goal in this fixture since Chris Sutton netted for Celtic after 19 seconds in 2002. Rangers were spooked.
The last 13 times Celtic had taken the lead at Ibrox, they had left the home of their bitter rivals unbeaten. They could — should — have put the game to bed before half-time. Rangers had Butland to thank for keeping them in it.
Minutes after a Connor Goldson miss, Maeda ought to have scored his second goal when O’Riley gathered a loose ball and slipped a pass in behind. Watched by England manager Gareth Southgate, Butland saved brilliantly.
Seconds later, Reo Hatate swept a curling strike from 18 yards wide of the upright. The home support howled their dismay.
Butland’s next save should have broken Celtic hearts. Not for the first time, Tavernier was picked off by Maeda in his own half, Nicolas Kuhn crossing for O’Riley to bullet a header towards the top corner. The fingertip save was brilliant, a second Celtic goal in the post.
Over the years, a conviction has grown among Celtic fans that Goldson is somehow exempt from the handball rule. Not this time.
When Kuhn threw another cross into the area, the Rangers central defender’s elbow was in an unnatural position to block.
Rodgers’ men have had their issues with penalty kicks recently. When the VAR flagged up a trip to the monitor for referee Beaton, O’Riley grabbed the ball and, despite having been repelled by Butland moments earlier, clipped the ball down the middle with aplomb to double Celtic’s lead. The suspicion is he’ll be on penalties from now on. Away fans will finally return to this fixture next season and, on days like this, the value of excluding them at all comes into question. When Hart made himself big to deny Silva before half-time, the whistle shrilled to the soundtrack of angry boos around Ibrox. Abject and inept, their team could give thanks that they were only two down.
Salvation came from VAR. Penalties are one of the reasons Tavernier is now British football’s highest-scoring defender and, 10 minutes into the second half, the Rangers skipper had another spot-kick to thank for dragging his team back from the dead.
Silva had been warned in the first half for diving, and Beaton initially booked the winger when he crumpled under a challenge from Alistair Johnston. A video review was the answer to a Rangers prayer.
Already booked, Johnston’s trailing leg had touched the Portuguese and, while there were times here when Silva’s theatrics were laughable, there was clear contact. Offered a second chance, Beaton put his whistle to his mouth and blew for the penalty. Tavernier rattled his 132nd Rangers goal high past Hart.
It wasn’t the best of days for Beaton, in truth. The roof almost blew off Ibrox when Cyriel Dessers turned a Rangers breakaway into a goal from close range moments later.
The move should never have got that far. The official’s failure to spot a pretty clear-cut foul by Tom Lawrence on Tomoki Iwata in the attacking phase of play was bewildering. VAR corrected an obvious error.
But for play-backs, Beaton would have got almost every major call wrong.
While Celtic were still ahead, Rangers were looking better now and showing some intensity at last.
The introduction of Callum McGregor was an attempt by Rodgers to bring some calm to proceedings. It didn’t quite work.
The captain’s mistake surrendered possession for the first equaliser after 86 minutes. Matondo’s shot was headed out by Scales to the feet of Sima, the substitute’s deflected strike spinning into the roof of the net off the outstretched legs of Scales.
Once again, the din was short lived.
Celtic’s response was instant, Idah thumping a low strike brilliantly into the net for 3-2 after latching on to Bernardo’s perfectly-weighted through ball.
Given the VAR stops and hold-ups, eight added minutes was inevitable.
Rangers needed something special to save the day and they got it. The nets are still trembling from the thunderbolt unleashed by Welsh international Matondo to avert another Old Firm day of woe for the Ibrox side.
There was a full-time spat, because there usually is. More serious were the coins raining down on Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy.
Even the beautiful games between these teams come with an ugly side.