THE OLD FIRM JURY
WAS Callum McGregor’s sending-off the turning point in the game? the most influential player on the pitch? REFEREE Nick Walsh made his Old Firm debut. How did he do?
1
PROBABLY not. Rangers continue to look miles ahead of their rivals in almost every department. McGregor’s red card didn’t help but the better team won – and by some distance.
2
RYAN KENT has become too hot for Celtic’s defenders to handle and his pace and trickery were too much for them again but Steve Davis put on another Rolls Royce display to dominate the middle of the pitch. He just shaded it.
3
KEMAR ROOFE has now scored 16 goals this term. Can he be the main man for Rangers next season if Alfredo Morelos moves on?
GERRARD likes all his forwardthinking players to share in scoring goals. After a patchy first season Roofe looks like he’ll make a huge contribution so long as he’s not interrupted by injuries.
4 WHO was
THE ref hardly put a foot wrong. It was a cheap shot for John Kennedy to try to shift the blame onto him after the final whistle. Callum McGregor deserved both of his bookings.
IT probably was given the fact it left Celtic with 10 men for over an hour but evidence of this term suggests it might not have stopped Rangers winning anyway.
STEVEN GERRARD had plenty of them. Kent always seems to cause danger and Davis was terrific.
ROOFE’S numbers are excellent given his appearances. He’s had a great first term at Ibrox which suggests he could step up.
WALSH had a big call to make over McGregor. Celtic weren’t happy with the first card but it was hardly a howler. He did alright.
IT was game over for Celtic at that point. There’s no way back when you lose a player and a goal that early and Celts were already fragile. Going level was a surprise but they were chasing shadows against 11 opponents.
GERS midfielder Davis absolutely strolled it. He dictated the play and fed the key attackers in his side. It was a pipe and slippers performance from the old master.
ROOFE has shown he is quality. It’s only a matter of staying fit for the frontman. A good pre-season and a run of steam and he’ll more than do a job for Gers.
PRETTY well. The early booking for Jack Simpson set a worrying benchmark but he didn’t get carried away. Decision to allow advantage for opening goal then show McGregor second yellow was spot on.
YES. Celtic were giving as good as they were getting and all impetus left them when the red card was produced.
FORMER Liverpool kid Kent was the root of most of Celtic’s problems as he’s a rare talent with an ability to be direct and eliminate defenders. That was the key for Rangers.
WHY not? Roofe knows how to score goals and leads the line with intelligence. There’s no reason to suggest he can’t take over the mantle from Morelos.
IMPRESSIVE for a first Old Firm game. Managed to get all the big calls correct and never allowed incidents to escalate.