CELTIC have all but sealed the Scottish Premiership title – and it came on a PLATE from a Rangers team that couldn’t stop making mistakes.
Some fans may point to a disallowed goal for Alfredo Morelos in the first half but in truth, the Light Blues lost this game because Celtic’s players are too good for a defence that makes this many errors.
ReutersKyogo scored twice[/caption]
GettyJames Tavernier scored a stunning free-kick to keep Rangers’ hopes alive[/caption]
GettyJota celebrates with teammate Callum McGregor[/caption]
The hosts weren’t at their best and they too made mistakes but they weren’t capitalised on in the same way.
And now their Premiership lead is 12 points.
Michael Beale was forced into one major change, with Connor Goldson ruled out through injury.
It meant John Souttar was handed his first start in over eight months.
Also making their Old Firm debuts were Nico Raskin and Todd Cantwell and in truth, all three had days to forget in terms of their contributions on the pitch.
Ange Postecoglou meanwhile welcomed back Aaron Mooy after acknowledging the team would miss Reo Hatate due to injury.
It was a fiery start, with Celtic Park filled only with Hoops supporters.
Kyogo thought he’d set the stadium alight after just five minutes as he sneaked in behind the new-look Gers back line and chested the ball down before firing home.
But the linesman rightly had his flag up as the Japanese striker had strayed offside.
Celtic, as is their modus operandi, immediately set out their stall to play out from the back on every occasion and a few times early on Rangers were inches away from nicking the ball and punishing them as they weren’t their usual composed selves.
The visitors also looked particularly dangerous on the counter but weren’t able to capitalise on any mistakes early on, with Tillman wasteful on a couple of occasions.
At the other end, Jota flashed a shot at Allan McGregor’s goal that had the Hoops faithful off their seats.
If there were any Rangers fans in the ground they would have been off their seats moments later – for a similar few seconds.
Morelos stuck the ball into the net but referee Kevin Clancy ruled it out for a foul on Alistair Johnston.
VAR looked at it but didn’t overturn the original decision to rule the goal out.
Any anger for those in Light Blue would be multiplied moments later.
Kyogo’s turn and shot on 26 minutes was devastating and McGregor had no chance.
His movement to find himself in space for Matt O’Riley’s cross was even better.
But Celtic never kicked on from there and gradually, Rangers pushed themselves back into the game.
The home side continued to look shaky at the back and even the experienced Callum McGregor got all hot and bothered in some handbags with derby debutant Nico Raskin.
Then two minutes from half-time, after decent work from Kent, Tillman beat O’Riley to a 50-50 and the Hoops midfielder brought him down with a sliding tackle.
Up stepped Tavernier to score an absolute stunner of a free-kick from 25 yards out that belted in off the crossbar.
Beale’s men carried that momentum into the start of the second half and if not for Mooy’s rugby-style intervention, had men over just minutes after the restart as Morelos tried to break away.
The Colombian then had a shot saved by Joe Hart from inside the box off of a loose ball.
Cantwell also had a volley fire just wide as Gers piled on the pressure.
Barisic has been a rather maligned figure on derby days recently, particularly at Celtic Park, and it was in some ways cruel that his terrific goal-line clearance from Kyogo’s close-range shot on 56 minutes counted for nothing as Jota had been caught offside in the build-up.
As it happens, the striker would be presented with another golden chance all by Rangers’ own doing.
Davies inexplicably chose to try and head the ball back into play as it dropped from the sky following Souttar’s scuffed clearance, rather than just let it go out for a corner.
He completely fluffed his lines as his header hit off Jota and into the path of Kyogo who made no mistake from five yards out.
Davies then got caught under the ball and almost let Kyogo in again from Greg Taylor’s deep cross on the left but in fairness to the Englishman he recovered to block the shot.
Celtic all but wrapped up the game – and the title – when Davies’ co-partner in defence made a terrible error.
Souttar sold McGregor short with a slack backpass and Jota leapt onto the ball and worked it round the goalkeeper to make it 3-1.
“Champions again, ole ole,” came the cries from the Parkhead stands.
It was all over.
Or was it?
Tavernier crept in at the back post to score his second of the day, nodding home Barisic’s cross.
It was also his 100th goal for Rangers and he was literally centimetres away from making it 101 just seconds later as the two full-backs linked up again but this time the skipper’s header bounced wide.
A mistake from Johnston allowed Kent to drive at goal but neither he, Morelos, Jack or Fashion Sakala pulled the trigger and eventually the Hoops were able to snuff the danger out.
Barisic had a late, late free-kick that may have given Gers a tiny bit of hope but it ballooned over.
Both sides go at it again in a few weeks’ time in the small matter of a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
Celtic will be eyeing a Treble while Rangers know the competition is their last chance to win a trophy this season.
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