Rangers destroyed Celtic yesterday and made them look bang average.
Philippe Clement got his tactics spot on and the players took everything in their stride and did what had to be done all over the pitch.
Gers were at their best and goals from Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper and Danilo saw the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership narrow even slightly to ensure momentum swung towards Ibrox.
Former Celtic men were even praising Gers for their performances with the likes of Nico Raskin – captain for the day – and Hagi in particular being applauded.
And for Ally McCoist it was in the engine room where the hosts were completely dominant.
If fans are honest with themselves, that has not always been the case. Rangers‘ record in this fixture has left a lot to be desired in recent seasons.
Yet McCoist pointed to the pressing and the efforts to keep Callum McGregor in the Celtic lineup quiet as a key element of the victory.
Ally McCoist says Rangers silencing Callum McGregor was key
“The one thing I would say is Callum McGregor‘s been really, really quiet,” Coisty said on talkSPORT.
“Certainly in the last couple of games, he’s had his card marked a little bit.
“They’ve just put someone right on him and he’s finding it a lot more difficult to get on the ball.”
McCoist did acknowledge that the league title is probably out of the Light Blues’ reach this season considering the poor start they made to the campaign.
Recent dropped points to Motherwell and St Mirren have also dampened their chances.
But the ex-striker and manager at the club insists he was delighted with the derby win and how strongly the squad reacted to recent flops.
What Ally McCoist has said was ‘surprising’ about Rangers’ win over Celtic
“I was delighted for Clement,” he added.
“His first victory against Celtic in seven attempts. As you correctly pointed out yesterday, Brendan’s record in Old Firms is absolutely remarkable. It was a big result for Rangers but particularly for the manager, you could actually feel it and see it in his interviews after the game.
“The surprising thing, really, was the margin of the victory and the gap between the two teams. I know it’s only one game, I’m not going to get carried away, because Celtic are going to win the league. But even that performance surprised me, the levels from both teams.
“Celtic, I don’t know if you’re giving any of them a pass mark.
“I genuinely don’t know if you’d give any of them. They were (second best all over the pitch). I can’t remember them having a shot at goal in the second half.
“The question now to ask of Rangers, rightly so, is can they go to Easter Road and deliver the same performance.”
