RANGERS RACKED UP a second win over Celtic in eight days as boos rung around an all-green Parkhead following a 1-0 defeat by the Light Blues.
Celtic’s 74-year-old boss Martin O’Neill went into the game under the spotlight after two successive losses, including a bruising 3-0 Premier Sports Cup clash with the Gers at Ibrox last Sunday.
To silence inside a stadium populated with home fans only, Gers striker Ryan Naderi opened the scoring in the 33rd minute and it was enough for another huge victory for Derek McInnes’s men who will feel they should have added to that goal after the break.
It was a first Scottish Premiership defeat of the season for the home side, who are just two points ahead of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table going into the international break with more pressure on O’Neill.
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Due to a ticket allocation spat between the two city rivals which saw the authorities step in, there were only Gers fans inside Ibrox last week and only Hoops supporters at Celtic Park and they suffered another torturous 90 minutes.
In a frenetic start, Gers winger Djeidi Gassama got in behind the defence but failed to finish.
Light Blues defender Emmanuel Fernandez was booked by referee John Beaton for a foul on striker Camilo Duran as he raced down the right flank and from the free-kick, returning centre-back Auston Trusty had the ball in the net from a Liam Scales header but offside was given against Scales.
As Fernandez sailed close to the wind with a couple of challenges, Celtic began to rack up the corners amid growing pressure which subsided as the visitors held firm.
In the 27th minute a Naderi header from a Dan Neil cross went straight to Parkhead keeper Viljami Sinisalo before Celtic’s Kieran Tierney clipped the top of Ivor Pandur’s crossbar with a powerful drive.
Naderi’s goal came from a James Penrice corner from the left, cleared to attacker Kim Min-su, whose 20-yard drive was parried by Sinisalo to the Gers striker who quickly returned it into the net.
Moments later, when Gassama chipped the ball against the woodwork from a tight angle and Kevin Kelsy’s follow-up was desperately blocked by Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, the home supporters were in uproar.
O’Neill introduced striker Kasper Hogh in place of Luke McCowan for the start of the second half which began with Pandur making a great save from a Colby Donovan header at the back post, with Rangers getting the ball to safety.
Sinisalo was forced to a make a save from a Penrice drive before Naderi missed the target with a simple header from close range, before Kim fired wide from distance.
In the 63rd minute midfielder Benjamin Nygren was replaced by veteran winger James Forrest but again Rangers came close in a swift counter when Neil’s cut-back had the Hoops defence in panic, the ball forced behind for a corner which came to nothing.
Gers defender Olwethu Makhanya fired in a second in the 74th minute but it was ruled out for a handball. Rangers meandered forward on several more occasions before the end of the game to no avail, but their work had been done.
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Rangers continue superiority over Celtic as pressure grows on Martin O'Neill
RANGERS RACKED UP a second win over Celtic in eight days as boos rung around an all-green Parkhead following a 1-0 defeat by the Light Blues.
Celtic’s 74-year-old boss Martin O’Neill went into the game under the spotlight after two successive losses, including a bruising 3-0 Premier Sports Cup clash with the Gers at Ibrox last Sunday.
To silence inside a stadium populated with home fans only, Gers striker Ryan Naderi opened the scoring in the 33rd minute and it was enough for another huge victory for Derek McInnes’s men who will feel they should have added to that goal after the break.
It was a first Scottish Premiership defeat of the season for the home side, who are just two points ahead of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table going into the international break with more pressure on O’Neill.
Due to a ticket allocation spat between the two city rivals which saw the authorities step in, there were only Gers fans inside Ibrox last week and only Hoops supporters at Celtic Park and they suffered another torturous 90 minutes.
In a frenetic start, Gers winger Djeidi Gassama got in behind the defence but failed to finish.
Light Blues defender Emmanuel Fernandez was booked by referee John Beaton for a foul on striker Camilo Duran as he raced down the right flank and from the free-kick, returning centre-back Auston Trusty had the ball in the net from a Liam Scales header but offside was given against Scales.
As Fernandez sailed close to the wind with a couple of challenges, Celtic began to rack up the corners amid growing pressure which subsided as the visitors held firm.
In the 27th minute a Naderi header from a Dan Neil cross went straight to Parkhead keeper Viljami Sinisalo before Celtic’s Kieran Tierney clipped the top of Ivor Pandur’s crossbar with a powerful drive.
Naderi’s goal came from a James Penrice corner from the left, cleared to attacker Kim Min-su, whose 20-yard drive was parried by Sinisalo to the Gers striker who quickly returned it into the net.
Moments later, when Gassama chipped the ball against the woodwork from a tight angle and Kevin Kelsy’s follow-up was desperately blocked by Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, the home supporters were in uproar.
O’Neill introduced striker Kasper Hogh in place of Luke McCowan for the start of the second half which began with Pandur making a great save from a Colby Donovan header at the back post, with Rangers getting the ball to safety.
Sinisalo was forced to a make a save from a Penrice drive before Naderi missed the target with a simple header from close range, before Kim fired wide from distance.
In the 63rd minute midfielder Benjamin Nygren was replaced by veteran winger James Forrest but again Rangers came close in a swift counter when Neil’s cut-back had the Hoops defence in panic, the ball forced behind for a corner which came to nothing.
Gers defender Olwethu Makhanya fired in a second in the 74th minute but it was ruled out for a handball. Rangers meandered forward on several more occasions before the end of the game to no avail, but their work had been done.
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