Ewan Murray’s match report from IbroxKey events1h agoEwan Murray’s match report from Ibrox2h agoFull-time: Rangers 1-1 Celtic2h agoGOAL! Rangers 1-1 Celtic (Idah 57)3h agoPeeeeeeeep!3h agoHalf-time: Rangers 1-0 Celtic3h agoGOAL! Rangers 1-0 Celtic (Dessers 44)3h agoRANGERS GOAL DISALLOWED!4h agoRangers hit the bar!4h agoPeeeeeeeeeeep!5h agoTeam news!5h agoPreambleShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureThat’s all from me.
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Until next time!Ewan Murray’s match report from IbroxHere’s the updated league table in Scotland.PosTeamPGDPts1Celtic3580852Rangers3533683Hibernian3514564Aberdeen35-4535Dundee Utd35-6506St Mirren35-8457Motherwell35-17458Hearts350439Kilmarnock35-164110Dundee35-213711Ross County35-273512St Johnstone35-2829There are many unanswered financial questions for both clubs, particularly for Rangers with their proposed takeover, but I wonder in which positions both teams will look to strengthen over the summer.Rangers could really do with a new left back and a left winger that is more consistent than Hagi or Bajrami.
Perhaps a new striker, too.
Both Igamane and Dessers blow hot and cold.Jota’s injury for Celtic feels pertinent – we might not see the Portuguese until the end of the year, if certain reports are to be believed.
So a forward and perhaps also another centre-back to compete with Scales and Carter-Vickers.That was a fine derby, considering there wasn’t anything in the table to play for.
It was sometimes lacking in quality but you can’t fault either team’s effort.
Rangers will be disappointed with the draw, given they took the lead at home, but Celtic could have easily have snatched a late winner.
The draw is probably a fair result.Full-time: Rangers 1-1 CelticHonours even.90+8 min: The last move of the match, Maeda has a golden chance to win the game! Celtic send a clearance up the field, and Maeda latches onto the ball, racing clear of the Rangers defence with his searing pace! But it’s a heavy touch, just as he approaches the Rangers goal, and Kelly saves!90+7 min: Ralston wins the ball back for Celtic and throws himself to the ground in an attempt to win a free-kick, but the referee gives a free-kick to Rangers for the dive!90+6 min: Maeda, probably the player of the year in the Scottish Premiership this season, has been so, so quiet today.
I can only think of one driving run at Tavernier, which in fairness, did help to create Celtic’s equaliser.90+4 min: The home crowd urge their side forward to find a winner, but Rangers seem content with the draw.90+2 min: Diomande is limping after a heavy tackle.
Rangers make another change, with Danilo coming on.
The Brazilian has scored in the last two Old Firm Derbies.90 min: Celtic’s Kenny is the next to go into the book, petulantly kicking the ball away after fouling Souttar.Seven minutes added on.
Time for someone to find a winner.88 min: A booking! Bailey Rice, Rangers’ sub, clips Bernardo and picks up the game’s first yellow card.86 min: The game is starting to break up.
Tired legs mean there are greater spaces, particularly in midfield.
Celtic sub Bernardo threatens to break free before Raskin brings him down and remarkably, the Rangers man is not cautioned.83 min: Both sides make changes.
Hagi looks like he’s struggling from that McGregor tackle and is the substitute is going to have to be substituted.
On comes Bailey Rice.Celtic, meanwhile, change goalscorer Idah off for Johnny Kenny.
They also have changed Taylor for Schlupp.82 min: How many slips have we seen in this game? Particularly at the end at which Rangers are now shooting? I count at least five or six occasions where keepers, defenders and forwards have all lost their footing.80 min: Huge chance for Rangers! Jefte floats a cross to the back post.
Rangers have a man over and Raskin brings the ball down but slips just as he is pulling his shot back! Instead, he scuffs a shot, saved by Sinisalo, and McGregor eases Hagi off the rebound with a clever use of his body.
Rangers and Ferguson appeal for a penalty, but there’s nothing in that.79 min: I wonder if, with nothing tangible to play for, both managers won’t go for the win in this situation.
I hope that’s not the case.77 min: This is increasingly a game short on quality.
But it does feel like a winner could come from either side.75 min: Right on cue, McGregor and Hagi clash in midfield.
Free-kick to Rangers, which they play quickly, hoofing a long, diagonal pass straight out for a Celtic throw.
Hmmm.73 min: Seventeen minutes to go and we are yet to have a single yellow card in the Old Firm.71 min: Igamane bursts down the left and a slip from Scales gives the Rangers sub a chance to shoot, but another slip and further dallying means Igamane fails to his shot off.
Groans from the Rangers fans, that was a frustrating end to a promising move.67 min: “I’m sure the Hoops fans are loving their period of dominance, but actually and arguably Tinky-Winky from the Teletubbies could have managed the same job on a much reduced salary,” emails Jeremy Boyce.
“Rodgers’ version of Celtic is very much the ‘flat-track bully’ of the Graeme Hick variety.
Racking up tons against vastly inferior opposition, totally failing on the biggest stage.
There’s nothing new there.
He’s a recidivist.
Failure.
The Bhoys are in a comfort zone they really need to get out of, not sure Moses Rodgers is the man to lead them there.”Not sure I would use the word ‘failure’ – Celtic remain on for the domestic treble – but there are a few other interesting talking points in there to discuss when I’m not reporting on a live game.65 min: Rangers respond with a double change of their own: Hagi and Igamane on for Cerny and Bajrami.
I’m surprised to see the back of Cerny, who is visibly furious as he slumps down on the Rangers bench.
The Czech winger has not been at his best but still can create something out of nothing, as he did for the goal.
Not many Rangers players can do that.63 min: Idah wastes a chance to give Celtic the lead! It was actually a very similar opportunity to the one he put away a few minutes earlier, perhaps slightly harder.
A Taylor cross comes in from the left and Idah collects the loose ball but slices a shot on the turn.61 min: Celtic are now in the ascendency and make a double change to keep things fresh.
Paulo Bernardo and Yang Hyun-jun are on for Arne Engels and James Forrest.59 min: That was a really subjective call.
Maeda was definitely offside and while he wasn’t directly in the way of Idah’s shot, he was certainly in the vicinity of Kelly when he attempted in vain to make the save.
I wonder if the Rangers keeper was slightly put off by his presence.
But maybe that’s not enough to disallow the goal.GOAL! Rangers 1-1 Celtic (Idah 57)Almost as a response to my last point, Maeda sets off down the left and takes on his man, sprinting beyond Tavernier to the byline.
His cross is deflected and the ball goes loose in the Rangers box, with Idah first to collect it.
The Irish striker swivels on the penalty spot and fires a deflected shot past Kelly! There is a VAR check for offside, with Maeda threatening to get into Kelly’s line of sight, but the goal is given! Celtic are level and the nearby away fans erupt!Celtic are level! Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters54 min: Rangers have woken from their post half-time slumber.
They are committing men forward now.51 min: This is perhaps a wider problem of a lack of individuality but there is a real scarcity of attacks where players are willing to take their man on, one-on-one.
Cerny does that, occasionally, I guess.
Forrest has done that over the years, but is lacking that extra yard of pace now at 33 years old.
A good example is here, where Idah isolates Tavernier at right back, has a real chance to trick his way past and get to the byline, or perhaps cut inside for a shot, but instead chooses to just recycle possession.
Yes, it’s boring, but it’s also surely less effective that keeping the ball, only to lump a hopeful cross into the box.49 min: Celtic are dominating possession.
Rangers seem happy, for now, to play on the counter-attack.Jefte and James Forrest battle for the ball as the second half gets underway.
Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA47 min: Nice play from Scales to step out from the back and play a penetrative ball into midfield.
Celtic work it to their right, where Forrest has an overlap from Ralston, and Jefte is forced to concede the corner.
That is cleared by Rangers but a good start to proceedings for Celtic after the break.Peeeeeeeep!The second half begins.Half-time reading:Just a shame for Rangers that while they have risen to the occasion in the big matches this season, they can’t seem to stay consistent against the so-called smaller teams.
That’s why the top of the Scottish Premiership table looks like this.PosTeamPGDPts1Celtic3579842Rangers3534703Hibernian3514564Aberdeen35-4535Dundee Utd35-650Half-time: Rangers 1-0 CelticRangers are on course for their third successive win in the Old Firm!45 min: What a time to score.
Two minutes added on before half-time.GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Celtic (Dessers 44)Not a few seconds after that Kelly save, Rangers break down the pitch and score! Cerny is at the heart of this move, initially switching the play and later dummying the ball beautifully, as Diomande’s pass finds Dessers in Celtic’s penalty box.
The Rangers striker takes a touch, shrugs off Scales and neatly clips a left-footed finish into the far corner! Great goal!Cyriel Dessers scores for Rangers! Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters43 min: Huge chance for Idah, who latches onto a through ball, one-on-one with Kelly.
There’s a hush around the stadium, Idah tries a dink but Kelly stands tall and makes an outstanding save!
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