Rangers 2-2 Celtic
Chermiti (8′, 26′) Tierney (56′) Hatate (90+1′)
Substitute Reo Hatate scrambled home a 90th-minute equaliser to complete a two-goal comeback, and rescue a point for Martin O’Neill’s Celtic in a breathless Ibrox encounter.
At a Glance
A tale of two halves at Ibrox saw Rangers race into a two-goal lead courtesy of a Youssef Chermiti masterclass, including a breathtaking bicycle kick and a clinical finish following a defensive lapse.
But the visitors would respond in the second half. A towering Kieran Tierney header threw the visitors a lifeline before Reo Hatate secured a breathless draw at the death, reacting quickest to his own parried penalty to silence the home support.
Key Moments
Rangers thwarted their rivals in the first half with a determined performance. Mikey Moore drifted infield after eight minutes, finding Andreas Skov Olsen on the right edge of the box. The winger’s inviting cross was spectacularly finished past Youssef Chermiti, towering over the static Celtic defence to strike past the outstretched Sinisalo.
Danny Rohl’s side continued to bully their opponents and doubled their lead in the 25th minute. Murray misjudged the bounce of Nico Raskin’s speculative ball, allowing Chermiti space in the box. The striker’s first goal was emphatic, but this time he showed composure to cushion the ball past Julian Araujo and slot past Sinisalo.
The hosts had further chances in a dominant first half, Emmanuel Fernandez narrowly headed wide on the stroke of halftime for their closest effort.
Celtic had been blown away and looked set to remain nine points off the top of the table, but did respond in the opening ten minutes of the second period. Butland pushed away Reo Hatate’s low strike in the 54th minute, for the visitors’ first shot on in the entire game.
Their pressure paid off moments later. Benjamin Nygren’s lofted cross from the left was headed across goal by the leaping Kieran Tierney, the ball nestled into Butland’s bottom corner, producing a lifeline for the Scottish Champions.
Celtic continued to threaten in search of an equaliser. Tounekti linked with Maeda on the edge of the box, before slipping Luke McCowan through on goal. The substitute’s left-footed strike was smothered by Butland to maintain the host’s lead. Murray headed over from Nygren’s floated ball moments later.
John Beaton pointed to the spot in the 90th minute, after Maeda’s close-range header bounced off Sterling’s arm in the box. Butland produced a tremendous double save from Hatate’s resultant penalty, but the Japanese crashed home from close range to equalise.
The draw gives Hearts a six-point gap at the summit of the Scottish Premiership; the Glasgow rivals will meet next Sunday in the Scottish Cup, which will hopefully deliver another pulsating match.
Three Points
- Rangers Rock Celtic in First Half
Rangers grabbed the game in the opening ten minutes amidst a raucous Ibrox. Mikey Moore and Tuur Rommens regularly adopted an advanced position on the left flank, causing endless problems for the Celtic back four. The spectacular opening goal came from Moore’s positive run, before switching the play to Andreas Skov Olsen to cross for Chermiti’s acrobats.
- Chermiti Produces Again
The Portuguese striker has developed a knack for producing vital goals in big matches this year. Twice against Celtic in January, a hat trick against the Jambos in February, and two more against their city rivals in March. Rohl will hope his 8 million pound man can discover a consistent goalscoring return, but his big game credentials cannot be questioned.
- Substitutes Turn Game
January recruits Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Junior Adamu endured a gruelling baptism of fire, struggling to match the frenetic tempo of their first Glasgow Derby. Their premature withdrawal at the interval proved a turning point, as the introductions of Reo Hatate and Sebastian Tounekti injected much-needed urgency into the Celtic ranks. After a harrowing opening half-hour, Martin O’Neill will be immensely satisfied to have salvaged a point from the brink of collapse
Team Ratings
Rangers: Butland 7 Sterling 7 Souttar 7 Fernandez 7 Rommens 7 Chukwuani 7 Raskin 7 Skov Olsen 7 Moore 9 Chermiti 9 Naderi 7
Substitutes: Diomande 6 Gassama 7
Celtic: Sinisalo 7 Araujo 6 Murray 6 Scales 6 Tierney 6 McGregor 6 Oxlade-Chamberlain 3 Nygren 7 Yang 6 Maeda 6 Adamu 2
Substitutes: Tounetki 8 Hatate 8 McCowan 6 Saracchi 4 Forrest 4
