Well, as nil-nils go, that was entertaining stuff. Celtic could have been a goal or two to the good by half-time, while Rangers had the second-half chances to take three points themselves.
Thanks for your company. Stick around on site for the reports and reaction and join Gregg Bakowski for today’s clockwatch. But from me, cheerio!
Peep! PEEP! PEEEP!!! All over. Honours even. And a fair result I’d say.
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90+1 min: Indeed, there’ll be just two minutes added. Griffiths goes into the book for some “verbals”.
90 min: … Rangers just about keep the thing out the ball bobbles around in the box. There can’t be much injury time to add – the ball barely seems to have been out of play.
89 min: Celtic force a corner …
88 min: Morelos off, Herrera on for Rangers.
87 min: Forrest slaps a shot against Bates. Ntcham sees his shot deflected into the arms of Foderingham. These sides are both reeling at this point.
86 min: … Boyata clears and John snuffs out the break.
84 min: Brown goes into the book for a slightly heavy tackle on Morenos. Dangerous Rangers free-kick …
82 min: Forrest flops to ground in the box, but referee Madden is not interested. And as Rangers break, Tierney becomes the first Celtic player booked for a trip on Candeias.
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81 min: Ntcham cruises forward and feeds the ball to Griffiths but Rangers swarm back in numbers to snuff out the chance.
80 min: Kranjcar off, Pena on for Rangers.
79 min: Tavernier, who has been superb in the second half, whips in a quite sensational cross and the unmarked Morelos glances wide from eight yards. Another fine chance goes begging.
78 min: A brief lull as the sides gather themselves for a frantic final 10 minutes.
These tribal affairs used to hold an appalling fascination even for those of us with no dog in the fight @John_Ashdown. Now it feels like just another afternoon on Twitter that you'll never get back.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 30, 2017
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76 min: McGregor does well on the right and spanks another wayward shot at goal. It looks to be zipping away for a throw-in but Griffiths manages to acrobatically keep the ball alive and cause a brief moment of concern in the Rangers box.
75 min: … Griffiths overhits it and Boyata is penalised when the ball is swung back in by McGregor.
74 min: That Gordon save seems to have enlivened Celtic/deflated Rangers. The home side are back in it now and have a corner …
72 min: Sinclair off, Ntcham on for Celtic.
70 min: Lustig lashes a cross into the box and Foderingham does well to claim.
67 min: How did that not go in? Tavernier storms down the right, romping past defenders and his cross finds Morelos, five yards out. The Colombian heads towards goal but somehow Gordon sticks out a leg and deflects the ball wide with the outside of his shin.
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65 min: … but Kranjcar’s delivery is again poor.
64 min: John wins another corner for Rangers …
63 min: Kranjcar’s corner is plopped straight into the hands of Gordon but this is comfortably Rangers’ best spell of the game.
62 min: Candeias has been excellent for Rangers since the break – another cross from the right causes consternation in the Celtic box.
61 min: Bates gets yellow card No3 for Rangers after hauling down Dembele. Dembele is then replaced by Griffiths.
60 min: The Celtic Park faithful voice their disdain as the optionless Lustig is forced to punt the ball aimlessly forward.
59 min: Windass tries to get on the end of Candeias’s vicious bouncing cross but is a yard or so away. This has been a much scrappier half but a more even one as a result.
57 min: Candeias and Tierney battle by the corner flag, with said flag eventually being barged out of the ground.
55 min: Celtic mount their first proper attack of the second half. it ends with Armstrong slicing his effort wide but that was better from the home side.
53 min: Celtic really haven’t got going this half – Rangers are quicker to every loose ball (of which there are many) at the moment.
52 min: Boyata slides in to deny Windass on the break.
50 min: The visitors have a bit of a spring in their step here.
48 min: Better again from Rangers. Tavernier feeds Morenos down the right. The Colombian zips in a cross but can’t find Kranjcar.
47 min: What a save! Craig Gordon does superbly to tip over Tavernier’s volley after Sinclair’s sloppy pass hands Rangers possession.
Peep! Off we go again then.
Stat-watch: There have been 13 Old Firm derbies since the last 0-0.
Half-time: And that’s the final action of the half. It’s been engaging but it’s also been goalless.
45+2 min: What a chance! Lovely stuff from Armstrong and McGregor puts the former in behind the Rangers backline. He cuts the ball across goal; Forrest can’t connect properly but it drops perfectly for Sinclair at the back post. His strangely timid effort is scuffed wide, though.
45 min: There’ll be a minimum of two minutes of injury time.
44 min: With the bloodied McCrorie on the sidelines, Rangers manage to scramble the corner away.
42 min: Armstrong ghosts past a couple of defenders but Bates is in the right position to block his low cross. Another Celtic corner, but first some treatment for McCrorie, who ran nose-first in to Forrest’s shoulder.
40 min: McGregor pokes the ball through but it’s too heavy for Dembele and Foderingham collects.
38 min: It’s one-way traffic at the moment. Rangers are grateful to see another optimistic long-range effort from McGregor waft harmlessly out of play.
37 min: Sinclair sizzles his way past two defenders then is just a touch too firm with his ball across the six-yard box. Dembele was loitering.
36 min: … Armstrong floats it in, Foderingham plucks the ball from the sky.
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35 min: John concedes a corner with a strong sliding challenge …
33 min: John gives away a daft free-kick on halfway. Rangers are beginning to look a little frustrated – they’ve barely had the ball for 20 minutes.
30 min: Armstrong swings in a Celtic corner but the referee spots an infringement as players bundle in at the far post.
28 min: Scott Brown batters his way through another couple of challenges. He’s won everything cleanly so far but it’s such a high-risjk way of playing. Mis-time just one …
27 min: Morelos pinches the ball from a Celtic defender but can’t make the most of it, dragging a weak effort wide.
26 min: Brown booms into a challenge in midfield, clattering Holt – roars from the home fans and winces from neutrals.
24 min: Rangers’ best moments so far have come when winning the ball in the Celtic half but they’ve struggled to build anything from deep. Case in point: Bates lumps the ball aimlessly forward and the unchallenged Boyata calmly chests down.
22 min: Some lovely one-touch stuff from Celtic. McGregor should keep things going with a simple pass to the onrushing Tierney but opts instead to welt a bouncing ball high and wide of the Rangers goal from 40 yards.
21 min: The sides take it in turns to give possession away for a few minutes.
19 min: Alves hobbles to the tunnel and the game takes a quick collective breather.
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17 min: In that tussle in the Rangers box Bruno Alves has picked up a knock. He landed awkwardly after challenging for a header. David Bates is set to come on to replace the stricken Portuguese.
16 min: Foderingham – who replays show made a superb save from that Forrest chance a moment ago – is having an excellent game. He does well to turn away Boyata’s looping header and then Sinclair scuffs his shot into the prone keeper from close range.
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15 min: Another Rangers player goes into the book – Niko Kranjcar gives the ball away then cynically trips his man.
14 min: “I’ll save you some time and wrap up the match for you,” writes Phil Withall. “First 20 minutes - relentless attacking from both sides, Rangers miss two good chances by rushing their shots. 21st minute - Celtic score after.some shambolic defending. 52nd minute - Celtic score again. 67th minute - a player is sent off (could be from either side). 90th minute Murty sent to the stands for his passionate protestations. Match ends. Just fill in the scorers/sent off players and put your feet up.”
Pretty accurate thus far it has to be said.
13 min: Celtic are inches away from opening the scoring, with Forrest sauntering through the Rangers backline then rolling his shot narrowly wide.
12 min: … hoiked in, nodded down by Boyata at the back post and helped on by the onrushing Dembélé – Foderingham gets down quickly to save.
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11 min: Danny Wilson becomes the first man to go into the book. He won’t be the last. His trip on Armstrong hands Celtic a free-kick in a useful position …
10 min: Tierney sees his shot blocked by Alves. And seconds later – this is being played at breakneck speed – Rangers surge down the other end and force an attacking throw-in.
8 min: More panic in the Celtic backline. Tavernier taps the ball off to McCrorie on the edge of the box and his effort is deflected away.
7 min: McCrorie and Brown have already had stern words from the referee after clunking challenges.
6 min: That was a big let-off for the home side and Rangers will be kicking themselves.
5 min: Rangers swarm all over Celtic in midfield and prompt an error. Lustig gives the ball away to Candeias, and it’s worked out to Morelos who is through on Gordon. His low effort is well saved and the loose ball is scrambled clear.
4 min: … Armstrong swings it in but a Rangers head is on the other end of it.
3 min: Sinclait skitters into the box as Celtic mount a first attack. Tavernier does well but concedes a corner …
1 min: Space for John on the Rangers left. He rumbles forward and cuts inside before spanking his cross out of play for a goal kick.
Peep! Celtic get things under way.
The atmosphere is building at Celtic Park … scarves are aloft and You’ll Never Walk Alone is ringing out. The players are in the tunnel and kick-off is imminent.
Pretty quiet/low key outside Celtic Park. Pub opening times perhaps the key factor.
— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) December 30, 2017
The teams
Celtic (4-1-2-3) Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Ajer, Tierney; Brown; McGregor, Armstrong; Forrest, Dembélé, Sinclair. Subs: De Vries, Simunovic, Bitton, Griffiths, Ntcham, Edouard, Johnston.
Rangers (4-2-3-1): Foderingham; Tavernier, Alves, Wilson, John; Holt, McCrorie; Candeias, Windass, Kranjcar; Morelos. Subs: Alnwick, Barjonas, Herrera, Bates, Hardie, Hodson, Pena.
Three changes for Celtic, two for Rangers. Stuart Armstrong, Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembélé all return for the home side, while Josh Windass, subject of a £500,000 bid from Preston North End this week, and Daniel Candeias are back in for Rangers.
Preamble
Hello all. Celtic and Rangers sign off before the winter break with the second Old Firm meeting of the season and all the portents pointing towards a convincing home win.
Celtic have not yet disappeared over the horizon in the Scottish Premiership but are threatening to do so imminently and will surely have the title wrapped up in the spring with plenty to spare. Rangers are a speck in their rearview mirror but at least visible – they’re third and within striking distance of Aberdeen in second.
But the Ibrox side have not beaten Celtic since March 2012 and not won at Celtic Park since October 2010. And, with Graeme Murty in place as manager until the end of the season, they have lost to Kilmarnock and St Johnstone this month.
The recent 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Hearts at least punctured Celtic’s aura of domestic invincibility but they should still have too much for their city rivals.
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