And that’s your lot. Thanks for reading today and congratulations to Rangers, who look well placed to seal a league and cup double after outclassing Celtic at Ibrox this afternoon.
Join Daniel Harris for Manchester United v Burnley right here:
Ewan Murray’s match report is here:
If ever 90 minutes summed up a season. A season, that is, that Rangers do not want to end. Steven Gerrard’s hopes of claiming a domestic double remain alive after Celtic were swatted aside in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.
Steven Davis talks to Premier Sports: “It was a really big game, we knew how important it was ... we maybe ‘came off it’ a bit after we got the championship ... it just showed how much it meant to us today ... [the goal] it sat up nicely, I had a go, I wasn’t sure at the time if it was offside but delighted to take the lead with that goal ... Both teams had chances in the game, second half we probably could have taken better care of the ball at times, but overall we deserved the win and we’re delighted to get through to the next round.
“We want the league championship to be the first of many for us. I’m loving my football, at this age [36], playing for the club that I love and challenging for trophies ... My body feels good, and long may that continue ... We took our chances, they didn’t, and overall, I think we deserved it.”
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Rangers joy
FULL-TIME: Rangers 2-0 Celtic
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 18, 2021
🙌 Old Firm victory in the @ScottishCup for the #Champion55.
Celtic woe
Full-time at Ibrox.#RANCEL 🍀 #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/Ld01TnNYrh
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 18, 2021
Full-time! Rangers 2-0 Celtic
Gerrard’s men are through to the last eight of the Scottish Cup. The holders Celtic are out, and their last chance of silverware this season is now gone. Gers will take on St Johnstone next weekend for a place in the last four. That, by the way, is Rangers’ third victory against Celtic this season. No doubt as to where the local bragging rights are just at the moment. Edouard’s poor penalty was something that Celtic will look back on and regret - a goal at that point and they could have turned up the heat for the final 10 minutes.
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90 min + 2: Celtic win a corner thanks to a good clearance by Goldson. McGregor tries to punch it clear but misses - a very rare slip by the Gers goalie this afternoon. The Celtic substitute Griffiths is at the far post, and controls it with his chest, but then puts a volley well wide.
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89 min: Celtic are pinned back in their own half. What a finish we’d have had if that penalty had been dispatched by Edouard. As it is, Rangers are winning comfortably, and it’s hard to argue that they don’t deserve to be. We will have four added minutes.
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83 min: Davis dances down the left towards the byline for Rangers and squares for Aribo, but some desperate last-ditch defending keeps Gerrard’s men from a third goal. Ajeti comes on for Celtic, replacing Edouard, who is in the bad books after missing that penalty.
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79 min: Missed penalty by Edouard for Celtic!
Poor penalty, very good save by McGregor. The Frenchman, Edouard, arguably telegraphed the way he was going to hit that with his body shape. He strikes the penalty right-footed, sending it to his left, but it’s not well directed and McGregor guesses correctly, moving early to his right, and beating the ball out with what looks a comfortable save in the end. That would have set up a massively exciting finish ... but McGregor, who has been simply outstanding for Rangers today, had other ideas.
Meanwhile ... Morelos off, Roofe on.
81' SUB: Change for Rangers | 2-0
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 18, 2021
➡️ ON: Kemar Roofe
⬅️ OFF: Alfredo Morelos
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78 min: Penalty for Celtic!
Can they get back in it? It’s a foul by Aribo after that free-kick was bent into the wall by Edouard.
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77 min: Scott Brown is taken out by Connor Goldson and Celtic have a free-kick in a very handy area.
74 min: Patterson flattens Taylor on Celtic’s left. No yellow card is forthcoming. The resulting free-kick is pumped into the Rangers box, it is half-cleared and drops to Kenny on the edge of the area, and he launches a half-volleyed shot high and wide.
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73 min: Christie off, Griffiths on for Celtic.
🟢 #CelticFC sub:
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 18, 2021
⬅️ Ryan Christie
➡️ @Leighgriff09
🔵2⃣-0️⃣🍀#RANCEL #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/0zd3fXPeon
69 min: Kenny has the ball on the right for Celtic. He clips a pass infield, looking for the feet of Edouard. The French forward looks disgusted as it appears he wanted a ball in behind the defence. Needless to say, the move comes to nothing. Can Celtic find a way back into this? It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility, but given Rangers’ superior goal threat, I would think another goal for them is more likely.
64 min: Rangers nearly put the match beyond doubt! A stunning turn by Ryan Kent, with his back to goal, takes him away from his marker and affords him a sight of goal from about 20 yards out. Kent hammers a right-footed shot which is beaten out by Bain. On the rebound, Morelos has a chance to shoot but sends his effort straight at the keeper.
63 min: Interesting news regarding a potential European super league here -
59 min: Celtic come again. Edouard charges down the left, draws a couple of defenders, and pokes a good low ball into Elyounoussi, who just has the keeper to beat. Elyounoussi’s touch is desperately poor, however - the ball escapes him just enough for the impressive McGregor to rush off his line and smother the danger. That was top-class goalkeeping but a very poor touch by Elyounoussi. Celtic should be back in this following two gilt-edged chances in the last five minutes.
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57 min: Elyounoussi weaves into the danger area for Celtic, controlling a pass with ease, before beating two defenders with a lovely mazy run. He shoots from an angle, and McGregor makes a brilliant save from point-blank range. The ball pops up to Edouard, who is lurking on the six-yard line. It’s an open goal, more or less, but an awkward height for the striker, and he tries to hit with the outside of his boot, and it flies over the bar. A shocking miss.
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54 min: Elyounoussi tries to make inroads for Celtic but he is dispossessed. Rangers stream forward, and Aribo powers a shot goalwards from 25 yards, but it cannons off the closest defender. The match has settled down after that high-octane first half - and obviously, Rangers are the happier to pass the ball around a bit and not bust a gut in trying to create chances. Celtic have to chase this.
51 min: Don’t forget - any of your thoughts on the match can be emailed to me here.
47 min: Brown has been flying into the tackles early doors in this second half. Ryan Kent is making a pacy break into the Celtic half with the ball at his feet: Brown flies in from the side, and appears to win the ball, but he takes quite a bit of the man as well. And that is the first booking of the match. I must say, the referee seemed to allow a lot worse in the first half without reaching for his book.
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46 min: Scott Brown wins the ball with a strong challenge in midfield - Turnbull is released to run at the Rangers defence, and cracks a venomous shot from outside the area. McGregor gets down well, low to his right, to palm the ball out for a corner.
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Second-half kick-off!
Here we go. Taylor is on for Laxalt, for Celtic.
🟢 Second-half gets underway as John Kennedy makes one change:
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 18, 2021
⬅️ Diego Laxalt
➡️ Greg Taylor
🔵2⃣-0️⃣🍀#RANCEL #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/p4go14EVtl
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Half-time! Rangers 2-0 Celtic
Both sides have created chances, but Steven Gerrard’s men have had the killer instinct, and have held on to possession very well at times. Can Celtic battle back into it from two goals down? We’ll find out in 15 minutes. See you soon.
44 min: There’s a little lull as we approach half-time, which is perfectly understandable considering the pace at which this match has been played for the first 40 minutes or so. Both sides have been committed to all-out attack in the best traditions of the Old Firm derby, and indeed local derbies across the world - and there have been countless full-blooded challenges which the referee has let go, certainly in terms of getting his cards out.
41 min: Patterson is, quite frankly, smashing it down the right for Rangers. He barges himself into possession and tries to start another attack. Patterson and Aribo have looked incredibly threatening down that Rangers right flank and Celtic simply can’t deal with them at the moment.
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38 min: Celtic win a free-kick in the left corner. Turnbull whips it towards the far post, it goes over everyone, but nearly drops into the net with the keeper nowhere. As stated, Celtic may be two down, but this match is far from over.
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37 min: GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!
35' GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! @ryankent 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mKjEvGVrmV
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 18, 2021
Goal! 35 min: Rangers 2-0 Celtic (Kent)
That had looked on the cards. Aribo makes a tricky run on the right, leaves his marker for dead, charges to the byline, and then does superbly to look up for his options, wait half a second, before crossing the ball low. It’s timed perfectly for Ryan Kent’s run to the near post, who deflects the ball into the top far corner. Celtic have showed their own threat, but Rangers have been clinical.
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29 min: Rangers keep the ball well for a spell, waiting for an opening, and then burst down the left. The ball is cut back for Scott Arfield, who skews a shot wide from near the penalty spot, but there was a flag up for offside anyway. Next thing you know, Patterson surges into the Celtic penalty area from the right wing and fires a shot into the side netting. Next up for Rangers, it’s Arfield again, striking a sweet half-volley from 20 yards, which is blocked almost at source. This is a very lively encounter.
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23 min: Celtic’s McGregor crashes in a powerful angled shot which deflects out for a corner. The initial set-piece is repelled, but a cross comes over for Stephen Welsh and it’s a golden chance to equalise. Welsh tries to side-foot a volley into the net from close range but miscues it horribly, and it squirts off the side of his boot and away. Christie then hits another shot for Celtic from outside the penalty area - they are really raining the efforts down on Rangers’ goal - and it deflects on to the roof of the net. Celtic have responded strongly after falling a goal down.
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20 min: Now Scott Brown is hacked down by Ryan Kent. Honestly, this is great stuff. Celtic’s Turnbull and Elyounoussi then try a smart one-two near the edge of the box but it’s good, committed defending by Rangers. Edouard now gets a sight of goal from the edge of the area, after a fine turn having feigned to shoot with his left ... he fires a powerful right-footed shot goalwards but it’s straight at the keeper.
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18 min: Ryan Kent gets on the ball in the centre circle for Celtic, and turns smartly to his right, but he is swiftly upended by a bodycheck from the Uruguayan Diego Laxalt, in keeping with the physical approach of both teams so far.
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16 min: It’s refreshing to see a few old-fashioned, lusty tackles flying in from both sides. If this was a Champions League tie, I fancy both teams would be down to nine men by now.
14 min: The goal seems to have whetted Rangers’ attacking appetite, and they continue to stream forward at every opportunity. It’s all hands on deck for Celtic in defence right now.
10 min: Joe Aribo makes a good run into the penalty area and unleashes a low left-footed shot from an angle, into a forest of bodies. A Celtic boot manages to block the shot, but the ball balloons up across the six-yard box, and Davies is on hand to hook the ball acrobatically into the net, back over his shoulder. A nice finish and a great start for Gerrard’s men with a goal from their first shot on target.
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Goal! 10 min: Rangers 1-0 Celtic (Davies)
Steven Davies with a classy overhead kick to open the scoring!
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6 min: Celtic break on their right wing now, and Borna Barišić produces a good sliding tackle to snuff out the attack. In the next passage of play Scott Brown tries again for the Bhoys with a ball thumped over the top into space behind the Rangers backline. Odsonne Edouard tries to get on the end of it, but Allan McGregor anticipates the danger and comes off his line to collect the ball.
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4 min: It’s a suitably frenetic start, with both sides looking to attack at pace, as soon as they win the ball. Nathan Patterson makes a strong run for Rangers, to the byline on the right, and cuts the ball back well, but Celtic manage to clear the danger.
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First-half kick off!
Celtic get us under way. Rangers win the ball, and there is immediately a crunching tackle flying in from Ryan Christie, near halfway. The first of many, no doubt.
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Just the four pundits for Premier Sports this afternoon, including Strachan and Hartson, but the time for talking is now over. Celtic’s players have just jogged out on to the pitch, and now here come Rangers ...
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Over in the Premier League, Fulham lead Arsenal by a goal to nil. Rob Smyth has the latest here:
Last week’s sorry story here about the Czech government figure who hit out at Ondrej Kudela’s racism ban, following Rangers’ controversial exit from Europe:
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Teams
Rangers: McGregor, Patterson, Goldson, Helander, Barisic, Aribo, Davis, Kamara, Morelos, Arfield, Kent. Subs: Tavernier, Bassey, Simpson, Hagi, Itten, Zungu, Wright, Roofe, McLaughlin.
Celtic: Bain, Kenny, Welsh, Ajer, Christie, Turnbull, Brown, McGregor, Laxalt, Edouard, Elyounoussi. Subs: Barkas, Taylor, Bitton, Griffiths, Ajeti, Soro, Rogic, Montgomery, Ralston.
Referee: Bobby Madden (Scotland)
Preamble
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers may have won the Scottish Premiership, and in some style, but Celtic could deny them the chance of a league and cup double with victory in this afternoon’s Scottish Cup fourth-round encounter.
This match represents Celtic’s last chance of a trophy this season, but to stay in with a chance of retaining the Cup, they will need to bring an end to Rangers’ 100% record at Ibrox this season. Since Neil Lennon departed in February, Celtic’s results have been noticeably more encouraging, with a 6-0 win at Livingston last time out continuing John Kennedy’s unbeaten start as interim manager. A Scottish Cup quarter-final meeting against St Johnstone is on offer for today’s winner, but as always with Old Firm derbies, that is only part of the story. I’ll have team news and pre-match reading coming right up.
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