Celtic won the latest Glasgow Derby after a meeting with Rangers that had an edge unlike any other in some time.
The Hoops controlled the game right from the opening whistle but didn’t pull ahead until Odsonne Edouard was patient enough to dribble his way into the box after poor defending from Joe Worrall. He failed to step to Edouard, and the Frenchman sent the shot beyond Allan McGregor in the 27th minute.
Just minutes later, Scott Brown intelligently antagonised Alfredo Morelos into a red card for an elbow, spotted by the assistant referee. The forward didn’t seem to agree with the referee, who clearly made the appropriate decision.
The opening 45 minutes was all Celtic, but they had just one goal to show for it. They were, however, very poor in the second half, which saw Ryan Kent score in the 63rd minute after beating Dedryck Boyata to level things at 1-1.
Celtic were forced to use their third substitution on an injured Kieran Tierney, who was replaced by Jeremy Toljan. Moments later, Celtic were reduced to ten men as well, after Boyata exited with a hamstring problem.
Right when it looked like a draw would be the final result, James Tavernier made a costly error for Rangers, in which his short pass was picked up by Callum McGregor, who found Edouard. His patience found a wide open James Forrest, who took a touch and sent it beyond the goalkeeper to send Celtic 2-1 up and into euphoria in the 86th minute.
Celtic went home with all three points, although it was much more difficult than it should have been. The Hoops should have killed the game off in the first half.
Here are four findings from Celtic’s Glasgow Derby win:
Discipline
If Rangers had any sort of discipline today, they very well could have won that match. Instead, they were too concerned about beating Scott Brown at his own game, which the midfielder took full advantage of.
Brown’s typical extracurricular work got Morelos sent off, and should get Andy Halliday a ban for pinching the Celtic captain after the second goal.
At the moment, Steven Gerrard and his men are obsessed with the Celtic star instead of focusing on their own ambitions.
New style: Get the result
Celtic’s Derby delight is just another reason why their style since Brendan Rodgers’ departure is just grinding out the results, irrespective of performance.
Under Neil Lennon this season, Celtic have four wins and one draw. Three of those four wins have seen the match-winner in the last five minutes of the game.
Champions always grind out results under many circumstances, which is what Celtic have proven once again. They will win the league and likely the Scottish Cup, to claim a historic third straight Treble.
Over the three-year course, the Hoops have had many good moments, but Lennon has brought back another gear of passion amongst many of the supporters.
Gulf in class
Celtic have displayed yet again the difference between the two sides, with discipline playing a key part in this.
The Hoops are flying towards the league title, with Scott Brown playing a key role in that. Rangers are flying in second place, with Alfredo Morelos leading the league in goals and red cards, many of which have been easily preventable. It says a lot about the difference between champions and runners-up.
Morelos, Halliday, and Gerrard were all so focused on beating Scott Brown with dark arts that they forgot they had to play a game of football, which they didn’t do until the second half.
Jermaine Defoe hasn’t done much for Rangers after signing in January, while Steven Gerrard continues to blame his failure on others.
Confirmation that Scott Brown runs the league
Scott Brown was arguably the Man of the Match today. He has certainly been Scotland’s best player over the past decade.
He’s not just won a closet full of trophies but has also been such a mainstay for so many years for Celtic in the centre of the park.
Since January, he’s been without a doubt the best player in Scotland, coming up in huge moments. He’s scored an absolute firecracker, a late match-winner, and now found a way to wind up Rangers to lose composure on multiple occasions today.
An absolute legend of Celtic Football Club and one who has become an icon to so many supporters. We must not take it for granted.