Rangers took a huge step toward winning its first Scottish Premiership title in a decade with a 1-0 win over Celtic in the Old Firm Derby on Saturday at Ibrox — and much of the thanks must go to the Hoops.
The win sent Steven Gerrard’s side 19 points clear of Celtic atop the league standings, although Celtic has three games in hand. The two clubs meet again at Celtic Park on March 20, the penultimate match day. But the Bhoys, who have won the last nine league titles, will struggle to catch Rangers with such a large gap, even if they win out.
Rangers vs Celtic Highlights 2021
Celtic actually had the better of the play early on and forced keeper Allan McGregor to earn every bit of his clean sheet, but the match turned on a dumb foul.
Nir Bitton cynically hauled down Alfredo Morelos in the 62nd minute and was sent off for being the last man and denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
Eight minutes later, Rangers had the lead.
On a corner kick in the 70th minute, Callum McGregor accidentally headed the goal into his own net, giving the Gers a precious lead to defend along with the man advantage.
Ultimately, Rangers saw out the win despite not recording a single shot on target. Gerrard’s team remains unbeaten on the season, including in the Europa League, with an astonishing 18 clean sheets.
REACTION: Steven Gerrard spoke to @RangersTV after today's Old Firm victory at Ibrox. pic.twitter.com/T41i7FULqk
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 2, 2021
