THE FALLOUT

We have sent Rangers back to square one, says Griffiths

LEIGH GRIFFITHS insists Celtic have pushed Rangers right back to the drawing board with their latest derby demolition.

The Parkhead side, aiming for back-to-back Trebles, recorded a thumping 4-0 victory over their Ibrox rivals in a one-sided Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

Celtic are now unbeaten in ten Old Firm meetings under Brendan Rodgers — and Griffiths believes Sunday’s convincing Hampden success returns Rangers to square one in their attempts to close the gap.

The Scotland striker also made reference to Graeme Murty’s admission that the Ibrox squad had cheered when the Cup draw was made last month.

‘I don’t see how they can be happy after that,’ said Griffiths. ‘They’ll need to go back to the drawing board and figure out where they’ve gone wrong.

‘When we bring our A-game, nobody in Scotland can touch us. You saw that on Sunday. That was a game that they cheered for.

‘Their manager said that but you should be

careful what you wish for in case it comes back to bite you on the a**e. ‘You always want to beat your rivals and we dominated the game in every aspect. ‘I could have had a goal myself near the end if Kieran (Tierney) had spotted me but he was trying to pick out Scott Sinclair instead. It was 4-0 going on five or six.’ Speaking last Friday, Murty suggested there had been evidence in previous Old Firm games of a narrowing margin — but admitted the next step for Rangers was to prove they could be victors. ‘Their manager’s choice of words are his own,’ added Griffiths. ‘In our changing room, we just focus on the job in hand. All that matters is that we get the job done.’ Regardless of any gulf in quality, the 27-year-old is adamant complacency in derbies will not become an issue for Celtic. They host Rangers for the final time this season a week on Sunday. ‘No, that’s not the case,’ he insisted. ‘You have to approach the game in the right manner and respect your opponents. ‘It was a great performance against Rangers but we need to take that into the game against Hibs now.’ Victory in Saturday’s trip to Easter Road would see Celtic wrap up a seventh successive league title. The game also provides Griffiths with a chance for success at the home of the club he grew up supporting — and for whom he played between 2011 and 2013. Asked if he had ever dreamed of winning a championship in Leith, Griffiths grinned: ‘Aye. It will be weird going there to try to secure the title at Easter Road against my boyhood heroes, but that’s how it’s turned out and I just need to concentrate on that. ‘My job is to go out there and get the victory for Celtic and wrap up the championship. ‘I grew up as a Hibs fan but my job is playing for Celtic and I need to help us achieve the three points we need. The only way I can do that is by putting the ball in the back of the net.’