Jack the lad
Wait over for Gerrard but still room to improve
STEVEN Gerrard said he had been waiting six months for his side to produce the performance which delivered the club’s first Old Firm league win for the best part of seven years – but insisted that he remains focused amid all the euphoria on making the team better still.
A first-half Ryan Jack goal was enough to secure victory in the Englishman’s second Glasgow derby in charge – levelling the personal head-to-head with his old Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers – but the margin of victory might have been greater in a display which was as dominant as Celtic were at Parkhead in September.
While the former Liverpool midfielder gave pass marks to his players, some of whom passed late fitness tests to play, he said it wouldn’t change his determination to make further squad improvements during the January transfer window.
The win, which takes them level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership table having played a game more, was dedicated to the club’s long-suffering supporters, who had been on the wrong end of many Old Firm defeats in recent times.
“It’s a good result for the belief and confidence of everyone at Rangers, not just myself,” said Gerrard. “I’ve seen signs and performances which have been close to today, but maybe not from start to finish like this.
“The timing is really good: that’s six months now together and everything we’ve been trying to do on the training pitch and in games has come out today. And it’s been enough to get a big win.
“But I think that at a club this size you can’t stand still. You need to keep striving to improve and grow in all areas of the pitch, myself included. We need to try and strengthen in certain areas so we won’t stand still and milk this moment. We’ll enjoy the win, then have a rest and get back on the horse and get ready to go again. But we still have a lot of hard work to do.”
THIRTEENTH time unlucky then for Brendan Rodgers in Old Firm matches. But, in truth, luck had precious little to do with it. No fewer than 2470 days had elapsed since Rangers last tasted an Old Firm league victory, a 3-2 win for Ally McCoist’s side against Neil Lennon’s Celtic in March 2012, but the wait is finally over this morning after Ryan Jack’s first Rangers goal gave the Ibrox side a thoroughly deserved victory in a strangely lop- sided Glasgow derby. It levelled matters in the personal head-to-head between Steven Gerrard and his former Liverpool gaffer, who had previously won 10 and drawn t wo of t hese skirmishes.
While t hat 2012 win only prevented the Parkhead side winning the title for a week or so, this one will allow the Ibrox club’s long-suffering supporters – 6000 or so more than usual of whom got to witness it in person – to bring in the New Year dreaming of ending their rivals’ domestic dominance in the five months to come. Only goal difference will separate these two great rivals in the Premiership table as 2019 begins, although Celtic also have a game in hand up their sleeve.
With the honourable exception of auxiliary left-back Callum McGregor, all the heroes were in blue yesterday. Ryan Kent and Scott Arfield passed pre-match fitness tests to play with zeal and no little ability, while onetime reject Andy Halliday coped with the threat of James Forrest and crucially threw his body in the way to block a late Olivier Ntcham shot.
With Odsonne Edouard only deemed fit enough to reprise his midweek role as the club’s closer due to his ongoing hamstring issues, Brendan Rodgers handed Mikey Johnston his big chance up front. While it is still strange to see only 750 Celtic fans huddled into that corner, all the usual pleasantries were observed. Rangers fans goaded their rivals with banners in relation to child sex abuse; a couple of visiting fans refused to stay quiet during a minute’s silence to honour the victims of the Ibrox disaster at a New Year derby in 1971.
The tone was set on the field with a crunching Halliday t ackle on Ntcham, with Alfredo Morelos and Scott Brown involved in the first spat of the day. Celtic forced the first shot on target – James Forrest’s placed effort beaten out by Allan McGregor after nice interplay with Johnston – but the rest of the half was one-way traffic in the other direction.
Kent was becoming a nuisance for Mikael Lustig, the on-loan Liverpool man’s low cross met by the left foot of Candeias, Craig Gordon getting down well to block. Goldson was threatening at every set-piece, Gordon forced to dive full length to paw the ball away when he got a header in from close-range. A wicked Halliday corner flicked off the head of Scott Brown as he jumped with Morelos and came back off the bar.
A goal was coming – and it duly arrived. Kudos again to Kent who embarrassed Lustig out wide and had the calmness to provide the perfect cut-back for Ryan Jack. The midfielder’s measured finish went through the legs of Brown and found its way into Gordon’s bottom corner. Ibrox erupted, Jack’s celebrations taking him the length of the field.
You suspected Rangers needed to press home their advantage with a second goal but Kent could only fire wide when left one- on- one with Lustig again. The Swede was booked for taking out Candeias and didn’t appear again after half-time, being replaced by Tony Ralston. Filip Benkovic, who was having one of his less assured games, limped off before halftime to be replaced by Kris Ajer.
Rangers continued to chisel out chances – and miss them. Kent read a weak and telegraphed Gordon pass and was in on goal, the big keeper redeeming himself with a fine save low to his right, with Boyata hacking Arfield’s follow- up off his line. Ralston just got across in time to prevent Kent tapping in a driven Tavernier cross, then more heroics f rom Gordon were required to prevent Ryan Jack from adding his second of the day, another measured finish which was heading just inside his post.
Edouard duly arrived, right on the hour mark, for Johnstone, as Celtic went to a 4-4-2, and it almost paid off, Callum McGregor sliding the ball beneath his namesake Allan only for his celebrations to be cut short by a linesman’s flag.
Ajer ended up in referee Beaton’s book after being bewildered by the mesmerising feet of Kent, then Brown did too, Arfield raising his arms towards his midfield co-combatant in a mock version of the “Broony” gesture. The best part of seven years of hurt ended with a blast of Beaton’s whistle as Rangers kept the ball at the corner flag. When both sets of players had left the playing surface, Gerrard clapped all four of the stands then pumped his fist.
Only goal difference will separate these great rivals in the table as 2019 begins
Ref: J Beaton. Att: 49,863