Read Ewan Murray’s match report. Thanks for joining us for another Old Firm meeting. Bye!
Scott Brown, the Celtic captain, speaks. “From start to finish, we dictated. They came to Celtic Park, and we showed them who’s boss. We showed our qualities yet again today, we’ve got a great team spirit.” Olivier Ntcham, the goalscorer, adds: “I appreciate a lot to play with Browny.” Aaah ..
Rodgers hugs Kieran Tierney and co, while Gerrard trudges down the tunnel. Celtic maintain that unbeaten streak over their rivals. For Rangers, that was pretty damning and an indication of the work they still have to do to get near this Celtic side.
Full-time: Celtic 1-0 Rangers
Brendan Rodgers’s side take the Old Firm bragging rights, thanks to Olivier Ntcham’s strike. There will be a green-and-white party in Glasgow tonight. And, to be honest, Rangers were pretty dire.
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90+3 min: Barisic gets to the byline, it looks promising ... but he sends his cross quite literally into Row Z. And that will surely be that.
90+1 min: Tavernier delivers, but it’s too high for Lafferty. It’s just getting away from them now, as Scott Sinclair looks ready enter for the closing stages.
90 min: It’s kitchen sink time for Rangers. And there will be four added minutes for them to throw it at Celtic’s back line. It must be said, in the short space of time he’s been on, Daniel Candeias has made a real impact, linking play.
88 min: Massive chance for Rangers! Tavernier drills wide from just inside the box, after good work by Morelos and a cute through ball by Daniel Candeias, who has just replaced Kent. For a moment, it looked as though Tavernier would send the net rippling. Not to be.
86 min: Griffiths powers it at goal, and it catches the knee of Christie on its way towards Allan McGregor. It’s a thunderous effort but Rangers keep it out. The rebound almost drops to Brown, but they shepherd it away from danger. Can Celtic add the gloss to a dominating performance?
85 min: Goldson is booked for an alleged foul on Christie, but the Celtic forward is very much looking for it. They win a free-kick right on the edge of the box. A promising position, and Leigh Griffiths fancies his chances ...
84 min: Scott Brown earns an ovation from the home faithful for a crunching challenge on Arfield. He loves one of those, doesn’t he? There’s no way he’s losing this match. As for those who have impressed most, he’s been up there. James Forrest and Kieran Tierney have also been superb.
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83 min: Celtic hit the post – again! Griffiths wraps his left foot around the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box and it rattles the outside of the post, that’s the fourth time they have done so this afternoon. Griffiths, a willing runner, has been impressive since jumping off the bench.
82 min: Lafferty plays a lazy ball forward, and Morelos has no chance of reaching that. Rangers have dominated the ball in recent stages, but Celtic are happy to soak up possession. Still, they only have that slender lead, courtesy of Ntcham.
81 min: Tavernier takes, but Celtic clear their lines. And Ryan Jack is off, Glenn Middleton’s on.
80 min: Christie’s first real contribution is a plucky little foul on Ryan Kent. Rangers have a lifeline. The free-kick is 20 yards from goal, left-hand side.
78 min: Rangers are appearing to ready 18-year-old Middleton, for only his sixth appearance. He could make himself a hero, etc and so on. Rangers win another corner, with Tavernier again prospering down the right flank. He’s their best bet of salvaging anything from this game.
76 min: Tom Rogic is coming off, to be replaced by young Ryan Christie. Meanwhile, get yer Cardiff v Arsenal fix right here:
75 min: Barisic raids his way down the left but Celtic easily repel him. Rangers haven’t given up, but they are going to have to do more than this.
74 min: Well, Rangers are still in it, but they are showing few signs of being able to rescue anything. The only promising moments have been when Tavernier bombs down the right, looking for Lafferty in the box. The striker has just glanced an effort off target. That’s their main hope, really.
72 min: Katic plays a hopeful ball forward and it runs out for a Celtic goal-kick. That’s oh so simple for Brendan Rodgers’s side. Rangers really have been schooled here.
70 min: Celtic are coasting.
68 min: Craig Gordon has not had to do much this afternoon but Morelos bullies Boyata, jinks inside and powers an effort goalwards. It is fairly straightforward for him to deal with but the Celtic goalkeeper pushes the ball away.
67 min: Griffiths’s first touch is to swing a delightful ball in and Lustig flashes a header just wide of the post. It’s great effort, and it drops just a couple of inches the wrong side of McGregor’s goal.
66 min: Edouard, recently back from injury, will make way for Griffiths.
65 min: Morelos is flagged offside, and that compounds things for Rangers at present. They’re behind to a slick counter. Jack and Rogic clashed in the buildup – Gerrard may have a point – but that was some 60 yards downfield from where Ntcham slotted home. Meanwhile, Leigh Griffiths is being readied to come on.
GOAL! Celtic 1-0 Rangers (Ntcham, 61 min)
Well, it’s been coming! Olivier Ntcham sweeps home, completing a swift counterattack. It started with Rogic, who bursts to the edge of the box to find Edouard. He lays in Forrest, who passes across goal for Ntcham to do the rest. Rangers had actually got into a decent area, but have been punished for failing to do anything with it, with Tavernier and Barisic both guilty. Steven Gerrard is adamant there’s a foul in the buildup, on Ryan Jack, by Rogic. As for Rodgers, he’s up and bouncing with the rest of the home crowd.
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59 min: Tierney cannot stop Kent’s cross but Boyata stoops low to head away. Rangers have, arguably, been a little brighter but it’s hardly been convincing. Any green shoots are in short supply.
58 min: Barisic and Rogic clash on the edge of the box, it’s a nasty coming together but both were playing the ball. Brendan Rodgers will surely want to freshen things up, more just for a change of luck than anything. They’ve hit the bar three times!
56 min: McGregor sends it in, Edouard is totally unmarked but he lashes a volley straight back at the kick-taker. That should have been on target. When McGregor asks another question, the Rangers goalkeeper punches clear. They really need to weather to storm. Surely Gerrard might make a change or two here.
55 min: Celtic get back on the front foot, with Rangers conceding a corner. Brown’s jostling with Ejaria, but Tavernier nods Ntcham’s ball away. Celtic are into double figures on the corner count, at least. Arfield heads away. Corner No 11 ...
54 min: Barisic’s corner fails to beat the first man, falling to Ejaria. Maybe it was intentional but they recycle the ball. Barisic sends it back in, and Katic rises highest at the back post but his header is straight at Craig Gordon, who makes a routine stop.
53 min: And now Rangers win their first corner of this contest. Barisic will whip it in ...
52 min: More Celtic pressure, but Rogic is a bit eager in a tussle with Ryan Kent, fouling the Rangers man. Every free-kick, throw-in or dead ball provides a moment’s respite for Rangers. They really have been outclassed – but the score’s level.
50 min: Rangers make progress, Kent fizzes infield before spreading it back out to Tavernier. He has a few options in the box but ... oh, that’s wild.
48 min: Brendan Rodgers looks a bit miffed on the touchline, doubtless confused as to how things are still level. The latest bombardment of McGregor’s goal ends with Ntcham powering an effort at goal, with the Rangers goalkeeper getting fingertips to it to palm it on to the bar. He seems to need a lie down after that exertion, and judged to have taken too long to take a goal-kick, the referee Willie Collum books him for time-wasting.
47 min: Celtic start as they finished the first half, dictating play and the tempo from the back. But for all of their dominance, a goal has eluded them, but they continue to ask questions.
46 min: We’re back under way at Celtic Park. Can Rangers show a bit more in this half? Of course, if Steven Gerrard’s side can nick a goal, then this performance could yet be considered a masterclass.
Half-time: Celtic 0-0 Rangers
And the whistle goes, with Rangers somehow not trailing. Just before the interval, Tierney does superbly to keep the ball in play before Scott Brown drives at goal. It’s always rising. Still, Celtic should be in front, with James Forrest and Mikael Lustig both hitting the woodwork. Something has to change for Steven Gerrard’s side, who are being bullied plain and simply at Celtic Park.
45 min: There will be one minute added on.
44 min: Safe hands from McGregor to collect a simple high ball. He takes an age to take the goal-kick, but Rangers – again – cannot make it stick. Rangers need half-time and badly.
43 min: Tierney v Tavernier is proving a good duel, but the Celtic man is definitely winning it.
42 min: James Forrest has had an excellent game, bustling down the right. He’s just stolen the ball away from Barisic, just as the Rangers man looked to advance down the wing. Moments after, a real half-chance for Lafferty, who gets in between Lustig and Boyata, as he meets Jack’s cross.
40 min: Somehow, Celtic are not in front. Rangers win a throw-in on halfway, and that will do. They need any form of respite at the moment. They have not been able to get Morelos, the man they call El Bufalo, involved in any shape or form.
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38 min: What a save by Allan McGregor! Edouard should score, maybe, but it’s great work by Tierney, who leaves a couple of blue shirts in a spin. The Celtic striker peels away from Katic at the back stick but when the ball comes in from the left, there’s the Rangers goalkeeper to make an instinctive two-handed save.
36 min: Edouard is booked for a collision with Ryan Jack, but the Rangers man comes off far worse. A replay of that ferocious Forrest effort a moment ago shows his effort actually deflects off Jack and on to the bar. It was some hit. Gerrard looks pretty glum on the bench. Celtic have been all over his side.
34 min: Rangers break with the ball wide. Kent does well, spraying the ball wide to Tavernier. The Rangers captain’s ball in is devious, but with Morelos lurking, Boyata calmly chests the ball back to Craig Gordon. No problem.
33 min: And from the corner, Lustig heads on to the bar! Boyata wins the first header, cushioning the ball for his team-mate to loop an effort at goal. Rangers are living ever so dangerously. The hosts are rampant, and Rangers can’t live with them.
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32 min: Forrest strikes the bar! A sublime first touch to set himself and a superb hit from 30 yards. That comes after the latest spell of Celtic pressure. Tavernier with a good block, but Celtic are having a right old time. They’re piling on the pressure. Lustig almost reaches Ntcham’s corner, but back it comes. Rangers concede another corner.
31 min: Celtic have a pop, with Arfield making a block. But they maintain the relentless pressure, winning a corner after Forrest does well.
30 min: Celtic are probing, they’re camped inside the Rangers half. Rangers cannot retain the ball and now Lafferty’s warned for a barge on Lustig. Yet another free-kick. A very stop-start game, this.
29 min: And now Barisic makes a stupid challenge on James Forrest. Rangers are racking up the fouls, much to Rodgers’s displeasure on the touchline. Celtic are playing football, Rangers not so much.
28 min: McGregor has to react quickly, the ball has plenty of pace on it as it comes in from Ntcham. He can really deliver a ball, and right on cue his free-kick is way over everybody. Still, Rodgers applauds the initiative, with Celtic dominating this.
27 min: Things are heating up. After Kent’s tricks and flicks play Rangers into trouble, Arfield swings through the back of Tierney. And now Celtic have yet another free-kick, this time from the left.
25 min: It’s a decent strike, straight at Allan McGregor, who palms the ball away. That’s good, but the Rangers goalkeeper is very lucky to stay on the field. The referee nor his assistants clearly haven’t seen it, but he has a little kick out at Ajer. If the officials see that, Rangers are down to 10 men.
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24 min: Morelos receives a warning from the referee after a silly challenge on Boyata, and a wild reaction to the foul. Rangers could do with keeping the free-kick count down, with Rogic now fouled on the edge of the box, towards the right. McGregor will swing it in with his left foot ...
22 min: Kent gets an earful from the home crowd after a clash with Tierney. Anyway, Celtic throw it in but they cannot make it stick to Edouard. Rangers clear their lines, but Celtic keep coming back at them. They cannot do this for 90 minutes.
20 min: Ejaria drifts infield, before passing on the baton to Tavernier. He looks for Kent but it’s ambitious and another move breaks down before it’s got started. Ryan Jack had Rangers’ best opening. As for Celtic, they’ll be happy with this.
18 min: McGregor wellies the ball clear after a long punt upfield almost causes Rangers problems. Forrest, on the right, and Tierney, down the left, are keeping a back-pedalling Rangers busy.
17 min: Celtic have enjoyed 73% of possession. And Forrest does well with a slice of it, driving down the right but Lafferty tracks him all the way.
15 min: Rangers are standing off Celtic, though seemingly on purpose, allowing Brown and co to have plenty of the ball in front of them. For most of this half, Rangers have been parked behind the ball, with Lafferty drifting wide to defend.
14 min: Brown and Rogic get a bit sloppy on the edge of the box, muddling with the ball and Ryan Jack steps in to hit an effort at goal, first time. It’s powerful, but off target. Still, that was as close as they have come to endangering Craig Gordon’s goal so far.
13 min: A delicious ball is played into the box, but Allan McGregor is a picture of calm, and gathers it no problem. Rangers could do with bit more of that kind of composure.
11 min: Tierney has made a really bright start, penning Ryan Kent in down the Rangers right. He bullies his way down the wing, before eventually being stopped in his tracks. Tavernier dives in to scoop the ball away, but Celtic have a free-kick, with Lafferty pulled up for a clumsy foul.
9 min: Scott Brown is booked, of course. He’s actually a little unlucky to be penalised, with Kyle Lafferty on the receiving end of a fairly tame, albeit late challenge. And now Morelos is pulled up.
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8 min: Barisic does well at first down the left for Rangers, nicking the ball off Forrest. But then he gets a little touchy-feely when he tries to seize the ball back and Celtic win a free-kick deep inside their own half. That allows Brown to kickstart another move, with Arfield making an important challenge.
7 min: McGregor whips in a dangerous corner, and Celtic believe they should have a penalty. Ajer is seemingly dragged down but nothing’s given. A busy start by Celtic, who have Rangers panting after them for the time being.
5 min: Ajer and Brown knock the ball about at the back, as Celtic look to get a decent grip on things. They have certainly started much the better. Rangers look a little startled, with Morelos guilty of an odd handball a moment ago. Defensively, Rangers are a bit all over the place. Suspect.
4 min: Lafferty v Lustig, and the latter wins the aerial battle. That’s already getting a bit tasty.
3 min: Tierney does superbly down the left, bombing on, with McGregor taking the ball on with a good first touch taking the ball away from Tavernier. But the cross is poor, and wayward.
2 min: Arfield does brilliantly to snatch the ball away from Edouard, just as the Celtic striker is primed to shoot from inside the box, having collected the ball following good work by James Forrest.
1 min: Kent, Arfield and Tavernier play a neat little triangle to regain possession on the right flank. A lofted ball forward is soon gobbled up by Boyata and co, though. Celtic will build.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!
Celtic get things started.
So, this Celtic team is the same one that thumped Rangers 5-0 at the end of last season. Rangers are a different proposition now, though, aren’t they?
You’ll Never Walk Alone rings around Celtic Park, an anthem that both Brendan Rodgers and Steven Gerrard are of course au fait with. In the tunnel, suited and booted, hands in pockets, Gerrard is ready for business. Craig Gordon, for one, looks in the zone, while the Rangers skipper James Tavernier is psyching himself up.
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Brendan Rodgers chats. “They are always tough games, but they are all different in their own way. It’s been difficult, a lot more complicated than the two previous summers but the window is closed now. We have to stay calm and play our football.”
Steven Gerrard speaks. “I’m used to these big games, it’s no problem to me. But it’s not about me, it’s about my team. They have to have balls to go and play out there. It’s important we play with our heads.”
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Celtic have the experience, that’s for sure. Each and every one of their starting XI has played in an Old Firm match-up before. For Rangers, the spice of the Glasgow derby will be a new occasion for Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic, Ovie Ejaria, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Borna Barisic to swallow. Ejaria and Kent, the Liverpool loanees are undoubtedly young and talented – and they need to not shrink into their shell and make a splash.
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A quick reminder that while both teams have made decent starts, with Rangers impressing in Europe, neither have exactly flawless records in the league. If Rangers fail to win, regardless of the result, they will have just one Scottish Premiership victory to their name in four matches. As for Celtic, one point ahead of Rangers, they are after their third league win of the season. Whoever wins will move second in the division, behind table-topping Hearts.
A killer pre-match stat, via Opta: this will be Brendan Rodgers’ 12th match against Rangers as Celtic manager, more than he’s faced any other opponent – he is yet to lose against them.
Rangers have made some healthy strides under Gerrard, keeping Morelos and adding Kyle Lafferty says a lot. In terms of his team at Celtic Park, Ryan Kent, on loan from Liverpool, gets a start and they need someone to turn up and frighten the hosts’ back line. Meanwhile, an allocation row means there will only be 800 Rangers fans inside the stadium this afternoon. Shame.
The teams!
Celtic: Gordon, Tierney, Ajer, Boyata, Lustig, Brown, Ntcham, Forrest, Rogic, McGregor, Edouard
Subs: Bain, Griffiths, Sinclair, Gamboa, Christie, Benkovic, Kouassi
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Katic, Barisic, Jack, Arfield, Kent, Ejaria, Lafferty, Morelos
Subs: Foderingham, Worrall, Flanagan, Halliday, McCrorie, Candeias, Middleton
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Preamble
So, Celtic have just flogged their striker, Moussa Dembélé, while Rangers, revitalised under Steven Gerrard, have tied their prized asset, Alfredo Morelos, down to a shiny new contract. Dembélé posted a gushing message to supporters after his £20m move to Lyon, but fans were having none of it. But of all the things Dembélé said, he said he would miss playing Rangers. Brendan Rodgers’s Celtic are currently on their longest unbeaten streak over Rangers – unbeaten in 12 matches under Gerrard, who is making this management lark look easy. Who will prevail? The mentor or his former pupil? In the meantime, here’s Ewan Murray on the match:
A city derby has seldom felt so personalised. From the moment Steven Gerrard was appointed as Rangers manager, his duel with Brendan Rodgers was a source of fascination. On Sunday, Celtic versus Rangers, to all intents and purposes, becomes Rodgers versus Gerrard. Brendan versus Stevie G.
The true dynamic of the relationship between this pair, as manager and captain at Liverpool, has never been fully explained. Snippets from Gerrard’s autobiography suggest friction, but perhaps occasional friction is inevitable given the environment. Gerrard was by far the more significant figure at Liverpool but a player whose exit coincided with Rodgers’ spell in charge …
Read the full story here:
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