TEN IN AROW HAS BITTON THE DUST
Israeli’s red so costly for dominant Celts as Rangers edge it to all but end the title race
WITHOUT an inspired piece of goalkeeping from Allan McGregor, Rangers might well have suffered their first Premiership defeat of the season.
Had Nir Bitton not seen red in disputed circumstances, Celtic’s dominance may well have held for the duration of this match.
But this result did not occur in a vacuum. Three straight defeats in a little over a calendar year tells the story of a Celtic team that has forgotten how to beat Rangers, a process that became a habit akin to breathing as they stacked up a record-equalling nine titles in a row.
As a consequence, surely that’s it for the ten, and having passed what may prove to be the final significant test of their credentials, Steven Gerrard’s team can now embark on a procession to Rangers’ first top-flight title in a decade.
The hosts weathered a first-half storm initiated by a vibrant Celtic team that has found form too late to make an impact on the title race.
A full 19 points clear at the top of the table, they’d still enjoy a doubledigit advantage in the event Neil Lennon’s side won each of their three games in hand.
Somewhat in keeping with an accident-littered season, it was an own goal from captain Callum McGregor that settled the match, the midfielder deflecting a corner in off his shoulder, minutes after Bitton’s departure for hauling down Alfredo Morelos.
The day had started in solemn circumstances as the two skippers — first McGregor, then James Tavernier — led their men out then laid a wreath in the centre circle in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster in which 66 Rangers fans perished.
Constructed in response to that tragedy, the all-seated Ibrox stood as a near empty monument the lack of fans adding an extra layer of poignancy to the minute of silence.
The pendulum has swung several times from one side of Glasgow to the other in the last half century but perhaps for the first time in a decade, Rangers had earned their status as firm pre-match favourites.
Comfortable league leaders and victors in the last two derbies, for Gerrard, the business of selecting a team came down to a couple of minor tweaks. The biggest dilemma came in attack where the manager chose to trust Morelos, whose temper and shooting boots have repeatedly let him down in this fixture.
For Lennon, there had been much more to ponder.
Already publicly committed to starting his unconvincing £5 million goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas, he also had to decide whether to include Shane Duffy or Bitton in place of the injured Christopher Jullien. Fatefully, Bitton was his choice.
Leigh Griffiths partnered Odsonne Edouard in attack, while in midfield Lennon kept the diamond shape that brought sparkle to his team of late, with Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull both included.
The decision not to start captain Scott Brown may have been overdue but was nevertheless a landmark call, given that the 35-year-old has begun the last 30 Old Firm games.
In all, there were six changes to the team that succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at Parkhead in October, a sign of the mid-season evolution that has been enacted by Lennon.
Necessity has been the mother of re-invention for the Hoops boss and there was a need for a victory here today, not only to eat into the points gap at the top of the table but also to sow a seed of doubt in the minds of their opponents.
Having failed to register a single shot on target in that last fixture, the visitors worked McGregor within three minutes of kick-off, his namesake Callum burning past Tavernier to tee up Edouard for a low shot that was beaten away by the goalkeeper.
Razor sharp and hungrier in the first half, Celtic’s diamond offered angles and combinations that allowed them to bypass blue jerseys.
Griffiths had a deflected shot saved, McGregor whistled another just wide and the temperature rose as Lennon responded to something said in the home dugout after a needless late challenge by Morelos on Jeremie Frimpong.
If all eyes had been on the other right-back and the damage Tavernier might inflict on Diego Laxalt, Frimpong was proving the most enterprising player afield, accepting his manager’s instructions to pick up and drive.
Subdued by Glen Kamara in the previous meeting, this time it was the Finn’s turn to play second fiddle.
Celtic’s best effort of the half came at the midway point when Griffiths arrowed a shot towards the top corner. The Ibrox keeper would rather have had a goal kick but referee Bobby Madden recognised McGregor’s brilliant fingertip touch that turned the ball onto the post and wide.
By the 25th minute, Soro had committed enough minor fouls to warrant a lecture from Madden and was booked for clattering Borna Barisic a minute after Steven Davis had earned the game’s first caution.
Half-time allowed Gerrard and tactician Michael Beale to reset and they opted for a personnel change, withdrawing the anonymous Kemar Roofe for Ianis Hagi.
The Romanian offered an instant upgrade and dispatched a swerving shot that bent away as Barkas leapt to cover his right-hand post. The Greek’s lack of conviction under a cross ball led to Rangers’ next opportunity as Hagi collected and combined with Joe Aribo, who fed Morelos. Kristoffer Ajer blocked the shot to extend the Colombian’s derby drought.
By the hour, Rangers had gained a foothold but not control as Celtic continued to probe. And then the tide suddenly turned.
For virtually the first time in the game, Rangers managed to play out from the goalkeeper through Connor Goldson to Tavernier. His clever ball into the channel invited Morelos to run in behind.
Bitton, a converted midfielder, was sucked in and hauled down Morelos in a two-arm grapple that merited at least a yellow. On account of the angle, distance from goal and Ajer’s recovery pace, Madden’s decision to deem it an obvious goalscoring opportunity may have been harsh but any misjudgment on the part of the referee was minor compared to the player’s rash decision-making.
Lennon threw on Duffy and Moi Elyounoussi for Griffiths and Turnbull in response but his team soon fell behind. A corner from Tavernier was aimed for Aribo at the near post but took a mere nick off the midfielder and clipped McGregor’s shoulder before spinning beyond Barkas.
It was Rangers first and only ‘shot’ on target of the game.
In desperation, Lennon also threw on Brown and Hatem Abd Elhamed but his side’s fluency had gone. Duffy was booked for a nasty lunge on Ryan Kent that sparked a melee and bookings for the Irishman, Morelos and Callum McGregor.
A scrappy finale suited Rangers just fine and, by the end, Celtic were back to the ragged, shapeless mess of earlier in the season as Duffy and Frimpong barrelled around aimlessly alongside Edouard in attack.
Having thrown everything at this match and still come up short, manager Lennon may face a few nervy moments as he awaits the results of that promised New Year review from the Celtic board.
The suspicion is that he will be allowed to see out the season but with question marks hovering over the futures of Edouard, Ajer, Ryan Christie and more, there is, in more ways than one, an end-of-empire feeling around the defending champions as Rangers prepare to take the crown.