Rangers condemned their rivals Celtic to their first Scottish Premiership defeat of the season in the Old Firm derby on Thursday afternoon and secured an impressive 3-0 win at Ibrox.
The Rangers, despite their recent problems in the game, got off to a dream start and were ahead within seven minutes. Liam Scales’ erratic passing was taken advantage of by the hosts and Ianis Hagi finally took advantage, firing a low shot past Kasper Schmeichel from 20 yards out.
Vaclav Cerny’s deflected shot almost doubled Rangers’ lead less than ten minutes later when the crossbar spared Celtic, and the visitors continually struggled to cope with their rivals’ intensity throughout the Light Blues’ dominant first half.
Cameron Carter-Vickers’ excellent lunge attack denied Mohamed Diomande the chance to light things up between the sides late in the half, while an injury-ravaged Rangers side failed to take full advantage of their first-half superiority as they trailed a row promising counterattack missed attacks.
Shortly after the restart, Kyogo Furuhashi almost equalized, beating Liam Kelly with a superb touch and finish, but the offside flag rightly prevented the Japanese striker from taking on one of his favorite opponents.
The linesman kept his flag at his side at the other end as Cerny hit the woodwork for the second time at Ibrox. The Czech winger charged towards goal and fired a shot against the post after the hour mark, although the VAR may well have ruled out the shot had it broken through Schmeichel’s goal.
However, the Light Blues soon doubled their lead when a teasing corner found the head of the energetic Nicolas Raskin, whose shot was turned away into the path of Robin Propper. The Dutch defender slid in at the far post, sending the home fans into a frenzy and putting the Gers in a commanding position heading into the final 25 minutes.
The Rangers delved even deeper into dreamland in the 81st minute when substitute Danilo, who had only been on the pitch for 70 seconds, fired home from close range after a fortuitous deflection, securing a crucial win as the pressure wore on on Gers boss Philippe Clement, who has come under fire.
The Old Firm’s dismal performance has seen Celtic’s lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership reduced to 11 points, while Rangers continue to pull away from third-placed Aberdeen.
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Liam Kelly | 8.0/10 |
RB: Ridvan Yilmaz | 8.0/10 |
CB: Dujon Sterling | 7.4/10 |
CB: Robin Propper | 8.1/10 |
LB: Jephte | 7.9/10 |
DM: Nicholas Raskin | 8.2/10 |
DM: Mohamed Diomande | 7.3/10 |
RW: Vaclav Cerny | 7.8/10 |
AM: Nedim Bajrami | 7.7/10 |
LW: Ianis Hagi | 8.7/10 |
ST: Hamza Igamane | 6.0/10 |
SUB: Danilo (80th minute for Bajrami) | 6.9/10 |
SUB: Robbie Fraser (90+1′ for Jefte) | N/A |
SUB: Connor Barron (90+5′ for Raskin) | N/A |
SUB: Cyriel Dessers (90+5′ for Igamane) | N/A |
SUB: Oscar Cortes (90+5′ for Hagi) | N/A |
Substitutes not used: Mason Munn (TW), Leon King, Kieran Dowell, Rabbi Matondo.
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Kasper Schmeichel | 5.4/10 |
RB: Alistair Johnston | 5.4/10 |
CB: Cameron Carter Vickers | 6.1/10 |
CB: Liam Scales | 6.1/10 |
LB: Greg Taylor | 6.8/10 |
CM: Paulo Bernardo | 6.6/10 |
CM: Callum McGregor | 6.6/10 |
CM: Reo Hatate | 5.7/10 |
RW: Nicolas Gerrit Kuhn | 6.8/10 |
ST: Kyogo Furuhashi | 6.1/10 |
LW: Daizen Maeda | 5.7/10 |
SUB: Alex Valle (64′ for Taylor) | 7.0/10 |
SUB: Luke McCowan (64′ for Bernardo) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Adam Idah (64′ for Furuhashi) | 5.7/10 |
SUB: Arne Engles (75th minute for Hatate) | 6.1/10 |
Substitutes not used: Viljami Sinisalo (TW), Anthony Ralston, Auston Trusty, Luis Palma, Hyun-jun Yang.