Rangers defeated Celtic 1-0 at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership table to a massive 19 points.
Celtic dominated the first hour against a surprisingly off-colour Gers side, but momentum shifted when Nir Bitton was sent off for bringing down Alfredo Morelos and a 70th-minute own-goal from Callum McGregor gave the home side victory on the 50th anniversary of the Ibrox Disaster.
Here’s how we thought the players fared:
Allan McGregor – 9
Made several strong saves in the early stages before pulling off a world-class stop from Leigh Griffiths’ curling effort that had looked bound for the top left corner. The reason the game was still there for the taking in the second half. Man of the Match.
James Tavernier – 6
An unusually quiet first half in which he struggled to push forward down the right while his forward passes lacked conviction. Improved after the break and played the ball in behind which led to Bitton’s sending off.
Connor Goldson – 7
Not quite the Man of the Match showing he produced at Parkhead in October but he had plenty to do defensively and stood firm, contributing to yet another clean sheet.
Leon Balogun – 7
This was a big test for the summer signing after surprisingly being preferred to Filip Helander. Took time to settle but his pace proved key at times in the first half as Celtic looked to get in behind and he made a superb last-ditch block on an Edouard shot in the 59th minute.
Borna Barisic – 6
Got forward more regularly than Tavernier and largely defended well when called upon. Went close with deflected free-kick. Booked in the second half.
Steven Davis – 6
Grew into the game after a slow start and his experience was key in terms of dictating the tempo after Celtic went down to ten men. Booked in first half.
Joe Aribo – 6
Was bigged up by Gerrard prior to the game but struggled to influence proceedings. Loose in possession at times and Rangers missed the tenacity Scott Arfield would have brought on the right side of midfield. Got a crucial touch before McGregor turned into his own net. Subbed late on for Barker.
Glen Kamara – 6
Not quite the high-class individual performance that Rangers fans are accustomed to seeing from the Finland international but he showed glimpses of quality on the ball.
Kemar Roofe – 5
Struggled to get involved in the game, often coming short to receive rather than spinning in behind. One good flick-on for Morelos who had looked to be clean through before an excellent Laxalt tackle. Surprisingly replaced at half-time.
Ryan Kent – 5
One promising run early on but lost the ball too often in the first half. His pace drew fouls from opposition players in the second period but he rarely genuinely threatened the Celtic goal. Subbed late on for Zungu.
Alfredo Morelos – 5
Should have been booked for an unnecessary challenge in the opening stages and struggled to hold the ball up for most of the contest. Did well to draw the foul that led to Bitton’s dismissal but was rightly taken off for the closing stages after picking up a booking.
SUBS:
Ianis Hagi – 6
Made a promising start, fizzing a long-range shot just wide in the 50th minute. Injected some much-needed energy in forward areas.
Cedric Itten – 5
Held the ball up well after replacing Morelos for the final 15 minutes. Went close with a powerful effort from the edge of the box.
Bongani Zungu – n/a
Brought on for the final few minutes to help see out the win.
Brandon Barker – n/a
Token late substitute appearance as Gerrard looked to run the clock down.
