Rangers beat Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday, with midfielder Dan Neil scoring twice in what was described as manager Derek McInnes's best performance since taking charge. The result handed Celtic boss Martin O'Neill his first defeat in an Old Firm derby in 21 years.
O'Neill had returned to Celtic last season after being asked back not once but twice, and had gone unbeaten in four derbies against Rangers since his second spell began. That record ended in front of a 50,000-strong Ibrox crowd that had the stadium bouncing throughout.
Rangers pressed high and aggressively for large spells, unsettling a Celtic side that could not match their energy, power or pace. It was a similar pattern to the one LASK Linz used to knock O'Neill's Celtic out of the Champions League qualifiers last month.
Nervy night for Old Firm debutants
Several Celtic players making their first Old Firm appearances struggled to adapt. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, preferred over Viljami Sinisalo, flapped at a number of crosses and gave away possession with slack passing that invited further Rangers pressure.
Big-money signings misfire
Kasper Hogh, signed for a reported fee of £11million, offered no threat up front despite having proven Champions League pedigree from his time at Bodo/Glimt. Camilo Duran had his quietest game since joining Celtic, while Sebastian Tounekti was anonymous for 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time. Midfielder Mika Baur also struggled to get into the game.
An alarming pattern for Celtic
Celtic's defence has looked unconvincing for some time, regularly allowing opponents five or six clear chances a game. Against a Rangers side driven on by their home crowd, those weaknesses were exposed just as they were against LASK Linz in Austria.
Celtic have now lost their two biggest matches of the season, against LASK Linz and Rangers, by an aggregate scoreline of 8-1. The defeat echoes last season, when a loss to Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan set the tone for a difficult campaign.
Neil inspires Rangers to statement win
Dan Neil, wearing the captain's armband in the absence of Lawrence Shankland, was the outstanding player on the pitch and scored both Rangers goals. Since joining from Sunderland in the summer, Neil had faced comparisons to Joe Rothwell, but his display dispelled those doubts and saw him get the better of Celtic captain Callum McGregor throughout the match.
Ryan Naderi also stood out, robbing Cameron Carter-Vickers of possession to start the move that led to Neil's opening goal.
What happens next
Celtic face Ferencvaros in Glasgow on Thursday night in the Europa League before hosting Rangers again the following Sunday at Celtic Park, a match that will be played without away fans. O'Neill admitted that the defeat would have come as a shock to some of Celtic's new signings.
