DAVIS AND KENT KEEP DREAM ALIVE
Double still on as Gerrard’s champions bring rival’s nightmare season to a close
THE dream double is still on for Rangers. The nightmare campaign is over for
Celtic.
John Kennedy claimed that his side were still the best in Scotland on their day and were more than capable of winning at Ibrox to salvage the Scottish Cup from a wretched season.
This wasn’t their afternoon. There have been few this term when Celtic have looked good enough to really trouble Rangers, never mind beat them, and this one can be added to the lengthy list of failures from those in green and white.
This was another show of superiority from Steven Gerrard’s side. The Premiership table tells its own story and now Rangers must add the cup to their tally to emphasise the gulf between them and their rivals during a historic season.
The fact that a 55th league flag will fly over Ibrox next term is the most important factor for Rangers. There is no reason why a 34th Scottish Cup should not reside in the Trophy Room at the same time but, as always, it will be one game at a time for Gerrard.
A Steven Davis strike and an own goal from Jonjoe Kenny had this one won at the break for Rangers. The only frustration will be that the margin was not greater come the final reckoning, but derby victory tastes sweet no matter the number of goals.
A trip to face St Johnstone in midweek is the next step in the bid for an unbeaten Premiership campaign. When the Saints visit Ibrox next weekend, it is Hampden that Rangers will look to stride towards.
This is now three wins from four derbies this season and Rangers are unbeaten in their last five against Celtic. These days used to be ones to dread for the club’s fans, but there is nothing to fear for Gerrard’s side right now and opportunities are there to be grasped.
When Rangers won the Old Firm fixture here in January, goalkeeper Allan McGregor had a defining say in the victory as he produced a stunning display to land a blow in the title race.
On this occasion, it was fellow Ibrox veteran Steven Davis that would break Celtic’s spirit, but McGregor’s time would come later in the afternoon as the Old Firm occasion again brought out the best in him.
It has been a season of plaudits and pristine performances for Davis, but goal scoring has not been his forte.
Indeed, the only one he had netted before this fixture came in the Betfred Cup defeat to St Mirren as his late equaliser proved in vain for Rangers. Within seconds of him scoring, Gerrard’s side were beaten and those cup dreams were over.
That certainly was not the case this time. Celtic may have had an encouraging spell after falling behind, but the acrobatic effort from Davis gave Rangers the platform upon which to build and the second of the afternoon would seal the win for the champions.
The finish from Davis was sublime as, with his back to goal, he flicked the ball beyond Scott Bain after just 10 minutes.
The moments before it were typical of what Rangers can do to teams as Ryan Kent dipped his shoulder and burst away from Scott Brown and started the move that saw Alfredo Morelos feed Joe Aribo. The midfielder would see his effort blocked before Davis reacted with quick thinking and movement to open the scoring.
Kent had been wiped out by Stephen Welsh on the halfway line and should have been booked by referee Bobby
Madden. But Rangers had the all-important goal.
When Celtic lost here at the turn of the year, their failure to capitalise when in the ascendancy ultimately cost them. That day, they would find an inspired McGregor in their way, and here they suffered from just the same kind of profligacy.
McGregor saved well from Odsonne Edouard after he spun Filip Helander, while Callum McGregor’s burst beyond Connor Goldson was only rewarded with a corner. The best chance fell after a David Turnbull cross, but Welsh could not convert from close range and Helander made a smart block on the line.
There was always the feeling that if Rangers stepped it up again then they would get the all-important second goal. So it was to prove.
Nathan Patterson could only find the side netting after a terrific run into the area, but it was from the same flank that Rangers would score minutes later as Diego Laxalt endured a horrid 45 minutes that ensured Greg Taylor replaced him at the break.
Aribo had the beating of Laxalt with ease and he skipped by the left-back once again before trying to pick out Kent. The winger could not get the decisive touch, but Kenny did and Bain had to collect the ball for the second time after it ricocheted by him from close range.
Celtic needed the next goal and Edouard should have provided it. A slack finish was symptomatic of his lackadaisical showing, though, as he flicked the ball over from six yards after McGregor had saved smartly from Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Worse was to come from the disillusioned Frenchman. The penalty award from Madden – as Aribo pushed Leigh Griffiths – was soft, but the save from McGregor was sensational to get down smartly to his right and inflict the final blow on a demoralised Celtic.
A day where there were no positives was fitting in a season where there has only been anger and recrimination at Parkhead.
At Ibrox, success has been the story of the campaign. Rangers are not finished yet, though, and a date could yet be circled for a double celebration.