CELTIC ............ 1
RANGERS . . . . . . . . 1
STEVEN Gerrard ran out of superlatives to throw at Allan McGregor some time around the first week of January. Yet when it comes to frustrating Celtic, the Rangers goalkeeper now merits the ultimate Ibrox accolade. His displays in this fixture have become Goram-esque.
In the 1990s Walter Smith’s Rangers would travel across Glasgow and survive everything bar the kitchen sink coming their way. Time after time Andy Goram would stretch out a gloved paw and break Celtic hearts.
As the legendary Ibrox manager recovers from a recent operation, this Rangers display felt like a fitting and timely tribute. Suddenly Celtic’s interim boss John Kennedy must know precisely how the late Tommy Burns felt.
When the new champions lost an early goal to a diving header from Mohamed Elyounoussi they had no reason to panic. They knew Celtic would concede from a corner kick — because they always do.
After a performance with more vim, imagination and energy than they’ve shown this season Kennedy asked Celtic fans to focus instead on the bigger picture.
‘I don’t want the review of the game to be about Celtic conceding at another set-play,’ said Kennedy. ‘I want people to look at the actual performance. We showed we were the better team, created better chances and ultimately should have won the game.
‘It is something we will fix and continue trying to address. But overall the quality of performance was good.’
That might be so. Despite outplaying Rangers in their last two meetings, however, Celtic have taken just one of the six points available. And both goals they lost came from corners.
Alfredo Morelos finally broke his 15-game Old Firm drought from a yard out after Leon Balogun flicked a Borna Barisic corner towards the back post after 38 minutes. Thereafter, the invisible barrier erected by 39-year-old McGregor proved a match for the ring of steel built up outside Parkhead after a week of government warnings.
For Celtic, a point stopped the rot, but felt unsatisfying. The Parkhead side bore a strong conviction that they should have won all three.
When Willie Collum takes charge in this fixture controversy is not just likely. It’s guaranteed.
Four minutes after Elyounoussi opened the scoring, Celtic screamed for a penalty when Odsonne Edouard skipped past a lunging Barisic challenge in the area and crumpled to the deck.
The striker had a clear opportunity to fire home Celtic’s second goal but inexplicably preferred to wait for a clumsy challenge and go to ground instead. The striker was shown a yellow card for simulation.
If you’re a Rangers fan, it’s a dive. If you’re a Celtic fan, it’s a Collum special. So it goes in the fraught footballing landscape of Glasgow, where even a deadrubber derby matters.
Celtic will reflect on other chances to win it without the referee’s intervention. From captain Scott Brown to tireless left-back Diego Laxalt, they had the game’s best performers.
With Rangers captain and rightback James Tavernier injured and second-choice Nathan Patterson kept in reserve for an hour, Gerrard was forced to go with central defender Leon Balogun at full-back. The home side sensed the Achilles heel and nipped away relentlessly.
The opening goal came from Balogun’s area after 23 minutes and a fine goal it was, too. Callum McGregor’s weighted pass down the left flank gave Edouard something to chase. The ball was almost at the goal-line when the Frenchman pulled a first-time ball across the face of the Rangers goal. Elyounoussi ghosted in behind Filip Helander to bullet a diving header into the net for 1-0 for his first Old Firm goal.
Targeting Balogun seemed likely to reap a further harvest for Celtic. After half an hour Callum McGregor skipped in behind the visiting defence and rattled a low shot at goal. McGregor blocked with his legs and you had the feeling he was just warming up.
Rangers’ leveller was the story of Celtic’s season. Dominating possession and under no real pressure, they shot themselves in the foot from a corner. Again.
An attempted pass back by Jonjoe Kenny from close to the halfway line was badly miscued, gifting Rangers an unexpected foray up the pitch. The newly crowned champions had scored their last four goals against Celtic from set-pieces and were never likely to look a gift horse in the mouth.
For Morelos, this fixture has been the stuff of nightmares. For Celtic fans, mocking his awful finishing has been a source of hilarity. The laughing stopped when he headed Rangers back into the game from no more than a yard or two out.
But for McGregor, Celtic would have regained the lead quickly. A delightful move saw Kristoffer Ajer pick out Elyounoussi in the box and he found Edouard with a first-time pass, inviting the Frenchman to finish. However, his shot squirmed through the legs of McGregor and the Rangers keeper recovered to smother the ball close to the line.
Give him his due. Celtic’s Scott Bain produced a stop his opposite number would have been proud of to prevent the dangerous Ryan Kent volleying Rangers into the lead with a superb piece of technique moments later.
After a comatose start suddenly we had a game on our hands.
Usually so compact at corners, Rangers gifted scorer Elyounoussi a free header from David Turnbull’s inswinging effort on the brink of the interval. Yet again McGregor came to the rescue, scooping the ball round the post.
By now a pattern was beginning to emerge and it had a familiar ring. Celtic attacked; McGregor repelled.
Edouard’s half-volley was heading towards the far corner of the net from 20 yards until the keeper threw himself to push it away.
Inevitably, Patterson replaced Balogun for Rangers after 56 minutes. Scott Arfield then came on for the ineffectual Ianis Hagi later as Gerrard looked to change
the flow of play. He needn’t have worried. It didn’t matter what Celtic tried.
With 19 minutes to go, a slide-rule Ryan Christie pass played Turnbull in behind the Rangers defence. A thudding low shot was blocked by the legs of the impregnable McGregor. From the resulting corner Edouard had a clear header and put it on the roof of the net.
As an attacking force Rangers had barely been seen. In a quest to snatch the biggest Old Firm smash-and-grab win over Celtic since the last time these teams played, Gerrard threw on Kemar Roofe and winger Scott Wright for goalscorer Morelos and Joe Aribo.
Rangers spent the final stages in Celtic’s half a little more, sniffing for their first back-toback wins at Parkhead in one season since 1996/97.
Yet the visitors had another escape when low ball across the face of goal from Kenny only needed a touch from Edouard to convert with the final big chance.
Would he have beaten McGregor had he made contact? Only a brave — or a foolish — man would say that with any certainty.