Madcap plot to glue shut the Ibrox turnstiles may have come unstuck - but Celtic are nailed on be champions now

The Rangers players’ attempts to close the gap on Celtic at the top of the cinch Premiership table at Ibrox yesterday proved just as futile.

The Scottish champions are six points adrift of their city rivals with just six matches remaining following a 2-1 defeat and now, with just one more Old Firm match left to be played in the league at Parkhead, require the leaders to come unstuck their title.

But the league winners look to be nailed on.

The way that Ange Postecoglou’s side fought back in a hostile and intimidating environment after falling behind in the third minute to a well-worked Aaron Ramsey goal suggested they have the mental strength as well as the football ability to cope with the pressure of the run-in. 

First-half goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers gave them a lead they did not, despite relentless opposition attacks after half-time, relinquish.

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Postecoglou threw on Matt O’Riley, Nir Bitton, Anthony Ralston, David Tuirnbull and Liel Abada as the contest wore on and also has James Forrest and Kyogo Furuhashi waiting in the wings to return from injury. So he certainly has the strength in depth which he requires.

Celtic squandered a five point lead with four games to go after winning a derby match at Ibrox an identical scoreline back in 2005. But it is very difficult to see history repeating itself in the 2021/22 campaign on the evidence of this encounter.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team were six points clear when play resumed after the winter break back in January, but are, after being held to draws by Aberdeen, Ross County and Dundee United and beaten twice by Celtic, now needing favours. The title race has an inevitability about it. 

James Tavernier and his team mates could not be faulted for effort yesterday. They scrapped until the final whistle and will doubtless continue to do so until it is mathematically impossible for them to prevail. But Callum McGregor and his fellow players appear to have hit peak form when it matters most.

It was a fascinating contest on the park and a colourful spectacle off it yesterday. It was a great advertisement for the Scottish game. It was, then, a shame that proceedings were marred by two sickening incidents.

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The start of the second half was delayed as Rangers ground staff cleared pieces of a broken bottle which had been hurled into the penalty box. It was concerning to see. It later emerged a member of the Celtic backroom team had required stitches after being struck by a bottle. Every effort must be made to identify the individuals responsible and ban them.

Van Bronckhorst brought in Kemar Roofe for Alfredo Morelos up front and persevered with his 4-3-3 formation. The Jamaican internationalist is a fine footballer who worked hard. But he was not a like-for-like replacement and lacked the physicality of his fellow forward. He failed to trouble Joe Hart with the limited service he received. He volleyed over and headed wide near the end. 

When Rangers were in possession John Lundstram dropped into the centre of the backline and Bassey and Tavernier pushed up and wide onto the touchline and the formation changed to a 3-4-3.

That tactic led directly to the opening goal in just the third minute. Calvin Bassey sent Ryan Kent haring into space behind Josip Juranovic with a perfectly weighted pass, the winger advanced and cut it back to Ramsey who was clinical.

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The Welsh midfielder, a marquee January loan signing from Juventus, became the first Rangers player to score on his Old Firm debut since Joe Garner back in 2016 and went a long way towards justifying his fee with his first-time effort.  

The early goal lifted the Rangers players and their supporters. They barely gave their stunned adversaries a touch of the ball in the minutes which followed. But Celtic levelled against the run of play in the seventh and turned the game on its head.

McGregor made a powerful run upfield before feeding Rogic inside him. The ball spun out to Reo Hatate on the edge of the penalty box and the midfielder forced a save from Allan McGregor with a dipping shot. But the goalkeeper palmed straight to the feet of Rogic and the playmaker kept his composure.

The equaliser silenced the stadium – aside from the pocket of 700 away fans who were shoehorned into the corner between the Broomloan and Sandy Jardine Stands – and Rangers were far quieter on the pitch thereafter.

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Ramsey had an effort palmed over by Hart before being flagged for offside and Joe Aribo had a penalty claim ignored after going to ground as he attempted to get on the end of a Tavernier delivery. But Celtic dominated possession, passed and moved well and created far more from open play.

Rogic, who was mesmerising whenever he got on the ball during the hour he was involved, split the home defence open twice in the opening 45 minutes and Daizen Maeda was unfortunate not to convert both of them. McGregor did well to get off his line and intercept the first and Bassey blocked the second.

Nobody could begrudge them the lead they held at half-time. Celtic’s second of the afternoon came from a set piece after Lundstram had scythed down Giorgos Giakoumakis. Leon Balogun nodded a Jota free-kick down to Carter-Vickers who rifled beyond McGregor. It proved to be the winner.

The home side threw everything they had at the visitors, who sat back, protected their lead and sought to score on the counter, when the second-half finally got underway. Fashion Sakala forced a one-handed save from Hart after replacing Ramsey and Roofe went close on two occasions.

Postecoglou took off Rogic, Hatate, Jota and Greg Taylor and threw on O’Riley, who limped off injured after less than 15 minutes, Bitton, Turnbull, Ralston and Abada and the latter should have sewn up the victory when the ball fell to him inside the area with nine minutes remaining.

McGregor tipped over the crossbar brilliantly. But the winger could have done far better. Still, after five minutes of injury-time that was irrelevant.