CELTIC 2 RANGERS 3
IF YOU thought Celtic couldn’t be more benevolent than they had been at Ibrox in January then you would be proved wrong at Parkhead this afternoon.
At the start of the year, the champions presented Rangers with three goals in an unacceptable performance of ineptitude on the highest scale.
Surely, the Hoops could not be so charitable again? Amazingly, they could as they proved conclusively as they conceded three goals to Ibrox opposition for the third successive game.
It’s a sequence of horror that saw Brendan Rodgers suffer back-to-back derby defeats for the first time and the hosts had no one to blame but themselves.
They looked hell bent on shooting themselves in the foot as they gifted the visitors a two-goal interval advantage.
Remarkably sloppy play allowed Barry Ferguson’s side to tuck a couple behind Kasper Schmeichel and the keeper, so often a hero, came close to presenting them with another.
There is no doubt the champions missed the controlling presence of skipper Callum McGregor as they failed to get any rhythm to their game and they presented possession way too often to their city rivals in a perplexing performance.
It took only four minutes before some alarming defensive frailties were exposed to allow Nico Raskin, one of the smallest players on the pitch, to score with a header from a left-wing delivery from James Tavernier.
Schmeichel had diverted a 20-yard drive from the Belgian past the post at the expense of a corner-kick.
The Rangers skipper swung it over and Raskin got in front of Jeffrey Schlupp to glance an angled effort past the astonished Schmeichel.
Could it get any worse? Alas, yes, it could.
In the 37th minute, Tavernier chipped a ball into the box and once again Raskin flicked a header onto Mohamed Diomande.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Co were marked awol as the midfielder whipped a close-range right-foot drive low past the exposed Schmeichel.
In between the goals, the Danish netminder had a moment to forget when he inexplicably passed a ball out to Vaclav Cerny.
The forward immediately hared towards goal, sidestepped the frantic keeper, took the ball to an angle, but Maik Nawrocki, thankfully, saved the Dane’s blushes by diverting the shot for a corner-kick.
Celtic just could not get their game together and they weren’t helped by an anonymous performance from Nicolas Kuhn on the right wing as he simply refused to attempt to get past Ridman Yilmaz and take the ball to the wing and get in a cross.
The German constantly drifted inside into traffic and his threat was immediately nullified.
On the opposite flank, Filipe Jota contributed little until half-time edged closer when he suddenly sparked to life.
In the 42nd minute, he cut inside Dujan Sterling and flashed a low drive at goal that was diverted from danger by Jack Butland.
A minute later, the Portuguese maverick whipped over an inviting cross from the left to Daizen Maeda.
The Japanese ace’s header looked netbound until Sterling cleared frantically yards from the line.
And just before half-time, Jota thumped in a long-range curler that had Butland scampering across his goal, but it missed by about a yard.
However, Celtic did break the barrier just four minutes after the turnaround following superb move with the ball being passed around at breathtaking pace.
Maeda, Schlupp, Engels, McCowan and Johnston were all involved before the Canadian defender slipped the ball wide to Jota.
The winger, moved to the right wing to accommodate for Kuhn who had made way for Adam Idah at half-time, sent over a precise cross to the back post.
Maeda leapt high to thump a header beyond Butland from four yards for his 28th goal of the season – and the fightback was on.
Six minutes later, Hatate walloped a first-timer wide after a left-wing corner-kick and then Butland was relieved in the 64th minute as a low drive from McCowan slithered wide of his left-hand upright.
Rodgers then threw on Yang Hyun-jun for the tiring Jota in the 70th minute as Celtic piled forward looking for the equaliser.
In the 74th minute, Hatate supplied the finish that made it all-square after McCowan had timed a through pass to perfection.
The midfielder raced in to the space before angling a first-time right-foot drive past the stranded Butland.
Four minutes later, Butland somersaulted to the right to push away a raging drive from Schlupp and then Hatate just missed the target in the 87th minute.
A goal just had to come – and it did. At the other end.
Amazingly, with their only shot on target in the second-half, Ferguson’s team won the match.
Carter-Vickers and Johnston were culpable in the build-up with neither defender decisive enough in clearing their lines and the ball ricocheted kindly for Hamza Igamane who first-timed a drive into the roof of the net.
Celtic’s day of mishap was summed up in the last moments of five-minute stoppage-time as a ball into the box from the left saw Johnston all on his own just six yards out.
This was the moment for the right-back to claim a deserved leveller, but, instead, he blazed wildly over the crossbar and, only moments later, Ferguson and Co celebrated a most unlikely victory.
If you’re looking for consolation, Celtic are 13 points ahead and the inevitable title triumph has been moved back a week.
But Brendan Rodgers will have to come up with some valid explanations for the overall display of his team. This just was not good enough.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki, Schlupp; McCowan, Engels, Hatate; Kuhn (sub: Idah 46), Maeda, Jota (sub: Yang 70).
