Rangers (Getty Images)
Rangers romped home to a comfortable 2-0 win over Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season, thanks to an unlikely brace from centre-back Connor Goldson.
The Gers opened the scoring nine minutes into the game when James Tavernier’s delivery from a free-kick was headed into the bottom-left corner by Goldson. The defender then doubled the advantage for the visitors in the 54th minute with a finish from close range after a long scramble inside the box.
The win sees Steven Gerrard’s side go four points clear of the Hoops at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings, with Celtic still having a game in hand. Rangers’ latest derby triumph means that they have now won back-to-back games at Celtic Park for the first time since 1997.
Here’s how the Rangers players fared at Celtic Park on Saturday:
The veteran shot-stopper had very little to do, with Celtic failing to register even a single shot on target in the 90 minutes. Had one nervy moment when Griffiths rounded him but did well to keep his composure.
The Gers skipper hardly put a foot wrong and was very much up to the task at both ends of the pitch. Claimed the assist with a lovely delivery for Goldson’s opener and was a constant threat down the right.
Rangers’ derby day hero had a rather easy day defensively. Had Klimala in his pocket throughout the game and took his chances well at the other end.
The Swedish international made a good block to deny Celtic and stuck to his task. Didn’t really have a lot of defending to do.
The Croatian looked a bit fatigued after returning from international duty but he did his job defensively. Provided a good outlet in the attack but often lacked the end product from his crosses.
Looked fairly reliable in possession and kept things ticking smoothly. Made a number of good interventions to counter the attacking threat of Ntcham and McGregor.
The Northern Irishman showed his experience and passed the ball around well but he lacked the quality to make serious inroads into Celtic’s backline. Not a bad display but probably could have done more in terms of attack.
The Canadian impressed with his work rate at both ends of the pitch and showed plenty of quality on the ball. Getting booked in the second half was perhaps his only a blemish.
Drafted into the starting XI ahead of Hagi, the former Man City winger struggled to make a big impression. His commitment can’t be faulted but there wasn’t enough end product.
Wasn’t his best game but was still very influential in the final third and offered a constant threat down the flanks. Won the free-kick that led to the goal and could have made it 3-0, only to be denied by Ajer’s intervention.
The Colombian didn’t really have too many clear goalscoring opportunities but he stuck to his task and often bullied the opposition with his movement and physicality.
Replaced Barker for the last 30 minutes or so and added more solidity to the midfield.