RANGERS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

Murty proves a point once again at Parkhead while Celtic have Gordon to thank for saving them from defeat

WHATEVER role in which Graeme Murty is retained after this season of his coaching life, Rangers fans won’t be complaining if he is parachuted into the pandemonium of Parkhead on Old Firm day a couple of times in every campaign.

For the second time, he presented a Rangers team to prise an unlikely point from the fixture as this low-grade, unedifying festive scrap was settled as a stalemate much to the satisfaction of the visitors.

In March, a late Clint Hill goal sparked celebrations suggesting Rangers had won the game. Here, they actually would have done so had it not been for Craig Gordon’s staggering close-range save from Alfredo Morelos.

The keeper’s remarkable work stopped Rangers from topping their improved second-half performance with a goal as he also denied James Tavernier. Thankfully for Brendan Rodgers, Gordon was one of the few to bring his ‘A’ game to the table.

For Gordon had predicted the other day that, if Celtic turned up to play their standard football, then home victory would be assured.

While that patently wasn’t the case with a clutch of his team-mates for whom a mid-season breather is required, if the form book was about to be tossed completely out of the window by a Rangers player on derby day then Gordon would probably have caught it.

Morelos has plenty winter break time to beat himself up about two free headers passed up but Celtic were perhaps more troubled last night with their missed opportunities because they came from the off-form Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele. Rest is prescribed for Sinclair to freshen him up for the second half of the season. Dembele? With Rodgers predicting a ‘revolving door’ in operation next month, Celtic could be primed to cash in.

Wes Foderingham, Tavernier, Jason Holt and Danny Wilson were the only starters from Murty’s previous visit to line up from the off here. That the 11 for Rodgers featured only two differences — Callum McGregor and Kristoffer Ajer were in — spoke volumes for the stability in place within the hosts’ set-up compared to their rivals.

Rangers hadn’t won a festive Old Firm fixture since gangly Danish striker Erik Bo Andersen hit a double in a 3-1 Ibrox win in January 1997. The blueprint for digging out a shock had a hint of maroon about it, taking a cue from the success Hearts enjoyed a few weeks ago.

Steal the ball early and cause them problems. Those were the words in Murty’s pre-match interview for television. His players took heed. If only, for Rangers, they could have converted the plan into a precious goal just as Celtic stuttered in finding their feet, with Mikael Lustig criminally slack on multiple occasions.

Daniel Candeias charged down a nervous Lustig ball and, from the high press, Josh Windass pounced. Celtic were wide open, yet his release to Morelos should have been a split second sooner. The Colombian still managed a low drive, spilled by Gordon and smuggled away.

Morelos may be the same age as his opposite number but Dembele boasts the pedigree in the fixture. He and Sinclair accounted for nine goals against Rangers in their spectacular maiden seasons in Scotland. Yet yesterday they failed to feast on five glorious chances in the first half alone.

Dedryck Boyata’s terrific leap to meet a Stuart Armstrong free-kick dropped the ball Dembele’s way. He couldn’t muster enough power behind the attempt — Foderingham was grateful to push way. Celtic’s best move of the half saw Ajer, Sinclair and Kieran Tierney cut through a back-peddling Rangers defence for James Forrest to drive into the penalty area and drill in a right-foot shot. The tiniest touch from Declan John just diverted the ball past the post.

Foderingham clawed a Dembele header off his line then met two swipes from Sinclair at the back post to keep the Rangers survival plan afloat. Then, already shorn of Kenny Miller, Graham Dorrans and Ryan Jack, Murty had to make do without Bruno Alves after his first taste of the derby ended in the 17th minute.

A succession of strains have made the Portuguese a fragile figure for Rangers. His latest setback — which resulted in him leaving Celtic Park on crutches — thrust David Bates into the line of fire. Thanks to a combination of weak final Celtic ball, the excellent Ross McCrorie protecting his back four and Sinclair’s failure to hit the target, Rangers saw it out.

Last season’s top scorer looked all set to sweep home first time at the back post following a sweet switch of passes by Forrest and Armstrong.

But the direction of the shot was dire for a player of Sinclair’s prowess.

He started the second half no better, bullied off the ball by Candeias, who burst down the right flank. The winger’s cross was acrobatically fired at goal by Tavernier, forcing Gordon into a fine reaction save, tipping over the bar.

Sinclair and Dembele were shadows of the unstoppable powers of last term. In the Frenchman’s case, his mind might have already drifted to the south coast and the English Premier League where Brighton are keen to force through a January transfer.

Rodgers needed sharper and hungrier, so turned to Leigh Griffiths on the hour for Dembele then Olivier Ntcham for Sinclair to bring added composure to the middle of the park. Rangers looked the likelier winners, however.

Tavernier’s swashbuckling run was too much for Celtic down the right, the delivery ripe for Morelos to stoop in the six-yard box and nod home. The outcome, though, was an astonishing point-blank block from Gordon with his legs. You know when the Scotland No 1 celebrates on his own that the save is special.

With that warning, the athleticism of Tavernier had to be blunted by Celtic. The introduction of Ntcham brought McGregor to Celtic’s wide left but Tavernier escaped again to tee up Morelos with a delicious cross. Again, the striker was in isolation. On the run, he glanced the header wide.

On only his seventh domestic start since lasting 45 minutes in the 5-1 thrashing under Mark Warburton in September 2016, Niko Kranjcar ran his race and on came Carlos Pena for the final 10 minutes. Ultimately, Rangers couldn’t conjure a great result from a good one.