Rangers eye double after sinking Celtic

Rangers

Davis 10 Kenny 34 og

The switchback ride of Old Firm football fortunes, in which the ascendancy of one side is always fuelled by the misfortune of the other, was perfectly illustrated by this Scottish Cup tie, in which Rangers’ victory guaranteed that Celtic – after four straight seasons of clean sweeps – would have nothing to show for this campaign.

The game was attended by Dominic Mckay, Celtic’s incoming chief executive, who now knows that there must be a complete overhaul of the squad after he witnessed their inability to turn a superior share of possession into goals, even when awarded a debatable penalty.

Rangers, meanwhile, remain on course for their first league and cup double since 2009, thanks to an early strike by the ageless Steven Davis and a second that was claimed by Ryan Kent, although it went in off Jonjoe Kenny.

At the other end of the field, Allan Mcgregor reinforced his creden- tials as player of the season by making a series of crucial saves, two of them from Mohamed Elyounoussi and two from Odsonne Edouard, whose frustration was unbounded when the Rangers goalkeeper guessed his intention at a penalty kick 11 minutes from time.

The tournament is in Rangers’ gift and they now meet St Johnstone at Ibrox in the quarter-finals. Celtic’s last hope of taking some of the gloss off their arch-foes’ campaign rests on marring Rangers’ unbeaten domestic home record when the pair dispute the final Old Firm league derby on May 2.

Davis, meanwhile, summarised his ambition and that of his colleagues when he said: “We knew how important it was for us. Both teams had chances in the game and in the second half we could have taken better care of the ball but, in the end, I think we deserved the win. At a club like Rangers questions are always asked of you. This is another step in the right direction.”

Coach Steven Gerrard felt his side had stepped up a gear from recent displays. “I thought we were back close to our best. Celtic played their part, it was a real good cup tie, chances at both ends,” he said.

“When you play against a good team like Celtic, you always know they are going to have periods in the game, but we soaked that up really well. It was important we made a statement because you have to be on top of your game to beat Celtic, and we were.”

Rangers (4-3-3) Mcgregor; Patterson, Goldson, Helander, Barisic; Arfield, Davis, Kamara; Aribo, Morelos (Roofe 80), Kent. Subs Mclaughlin (g), Tavernier, Bassey, Simpson, Zungu, Hagi, Itten, Wright. Booked Barisic, Aribo, Kent.

Celtic (4-2-3-1) Bain; Kenny, Welsh, Ajer, Laxalt (Taylor h-t); Brown, Mcgregor; Christie (Griffiths 74), Elyounoussi (Ajeti 86), Turnbull; Edouard. Subs Barkas (g), Bitton, Soro, Rogic, Montgomerie, Ralston. Booked Brown.

Referee Bobby Madden.