BRENDAN RODGERS hailed his 10-man Celtic’s 3-2 victory at Ibrox as the “most satisfying” of his time as Parkhead boss.
The Hoops took a massive step towards a seventh successive Premiership title when they twice came from behind to seal three points with a breathtaking winner from substitute Odsonne Edouard.
The 20-year-old French striker, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain for the remainder of the campaign, had only been on the pitch two minutes when he fired in the 67th-minute winner. Central defender Jozo Simunovic had already been banished after a clash with Alfredo Morelos before the hour mark.
Rodgers has now won seven and drawn two of his nine games against his Glasgow neighbours, claiming this was the one he enjoyed the most.
He said: “Yes, definitely because the odds are against you at times. It was like a game I’d watch when I was growing up watching Celtic v Rangers.
“We made a mistake to go behind. In fact, we were behind twice, but we had great pride in the team.
“We played well and showed that toughness and character you need.
“In fairness to Rangers (sic), they have been in really good form and this was at the height of their confidence levels.
“For us to go and win it and win it with 10 men was a splendid performance.”
PRESSURE GAME…Moussa Dembele fights for the ball with James Tavernier.
Rodgers reorganised his line-up following Simunovic’s red card. He made no complaints about referee Willie Collum’s decision to flash a straight red card.
He said: “I have watched it again and I can see why it is given.
“Normally, defenders go with a straight arm. Jozo’s arm was slightly bent and then his elbow catches him.
“It is unfortunate for Jozo. It put us under a little bit of pressure, but we coped with that well.”
Rodgers added: “There was a lot of noise coming into the game, but the boys kept their humility and had to twice come from behind.
“They then came up with a brilliant, brilliant win. I thought we played well with 11 men – we were the better footballing team.
“We had to cope with a lot of long balls and direct play. We made a couple of mistakes, of course, defensively.
“But we’ve always got that threat going forward and our intent was to be aggressive in attack.
“When we go to 10 men, you see the players calm. We have a plan when we go to 10 men and you could see what the players were doing.
“I thought we dealt with that final 30 minutes of the game very well. I’m very proud.”
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