On a day in Glasgow when Rangers outclassed old foes Celtic, there was another timeless duel between two players which was won by the blue side of Glasgow.
Only – as it perhaps always has been – this was more a slaughtering than a duel between two Rangers and Celtic veterans.
Steven Davis, even at 34, looked every inch the seasoned international and Premier League footballer his career has defined him as.
Oozing class, the little Ulsterman didn’t just control the tempo of the 2-1 win at Celtic Park, but he dug in, found himself as the last line of defence more than once and epitomised the tactically disciplined job Rangers did on their rivals.
His opposite number, the 34-year-old Celtic captain Scott Brown, was taken aback by the pace of the match and by Rangers’ seemingly endless midfield pressure.
Brown was a passenger in this match and didn’t even get the opportunity to impose himself physically on the game.
For a neutral watching this, it would’ve proved this so-called contest to be the immense mismatch it always has been.
Davo has been to European Championships and the Premier League whilst Scott Brown – Scottish football’s biggest imposter – has bullied, goaded and lauded himself over opponents during an era when the financial muscle of Celtic was always going to be untouchable.
Until now.
It’s somewhat easier to look the business when you’ve no real challenger, Scott Brown getting by on undoubted leadership qualities and aggression where there’s a distinct lack of quality.
Others were deemed to be of more importance than the self-indulgent hardman.
Yesterday proved once again as if we didn’t know it already, that our veteran midfielder in blue is twice the player Celtic’s captain has ever has been, or ever will be.
