Rangers on Thursday swept aside Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic as Ianis Hagi’s superb strike inspired a 3-0 win over their Old Firm rivals.
Hagi put Rangers on course to exorcise their derby demons with a long-range blast early in the first half at Ibrox.
Robin Propper struck after the interval and Danilo wrapped up a first victory against Celtic in seven attempts for Rangers coach Philippe Clement.
Photo: Reuters
The only dark cloud on a memorable day for Rangers was the sight of Celtic midfielder Arne Engels being struck by a missile thrown from the crowd in the closing minutes.
Beaten for the first time in the league this season, champions Celtic still hold an 11-point lead over second-placed Rangers.
While Rangers remain unlikely to catch their neighbors, this was a cathartic win after a 3-0 loss at Celtic in September last year and a League Cup final penalty shoot-out defeat against Brendan Rodgers’ team last month.
Photo: Reuters
Those results were part of a miserable run for Rangers in the Glasgow derby and their first win over Celtic since May 2023 was only their second success in the past 15 meetings.
After their Boxing Day defeat at St Mirren and a tepid draw with Motherwell, Rangers’ second win in six games eased a little of the pressure on under-fire Clement.
“It is a very important win. It gives belief to fans and everyone following Rangers,” Clement said. “The boys get the reward they deserved, what they did not get in the last few weeks and in the League Cup final. The squad is working hard to get better. This is proof of that.”
Celtic’s first defeat in 19 games in all competitions, since losing 7-1 at Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, was a painful start to the new year.
“It was not a very good performance. We made too many mistakes. It was very unlike us,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure if the 14-point gap took the edge off. It shouldn’t, but maybe subconsciously it can do. We are not robots and Rangers wanted to prove a point.”
Rodgers had said that Celtic would “not soften up” because of their huge lead in the title race, but the Hoops were unusually lethargic from the moment Hagi caught them flat-footed to give Rangers the lead in the seventh minute.
Nico Raskin drove forward with intent and slipped a clever pass to Hagi, who unleashed a low long-range drive that appeared to take Kasper Schmeichel by surprise as it flashed past the slow-to-react Celtic goalkeeper.
Hagi’s first league goal for Rangers since May 2023 was one his father, Gheorghe Hagi — who played for Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 1990s — would have been proud of as he watched from the stands.
Clement’s team were inches away from doubling their lead moments later when Vaclav Cerny’s deflected strike slammed against the bar from the edge of the penalty area.
Rangers were without skipper James Tavernier, goalkeeper Jack Butland, and defenders John Souttar and Leon Balogun due to a variety of fitness issues. Ignoring those absences, Rangers produced their best performance of the season.
Cerny drilled against the far post in the second half, then had a header saved by Schmeichel before the hosts finally delivered the knockout blow in the 66th minute.
Raskin rose to meet a corner and his header was pushed out by Schmeichel to Propper, who slid in to convert from close range.
Danilo kept the party in full swing for Rangers’ jubilant fans in the 81st minute when he slotted home from close range with his first touch after coming off the bench.
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