Celtic 4-0 Rangers: Defending champions lay down marker after comfortable win
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Jota's sublime dinked finish put Celtic 2-0 in front
Celtic laid down an ominous marker in the Scottish Premiership title race as they dismantled rivals Rangers with a scintillating first-half display.
The defending champions were sharper all over the pitch, with Liel Abada forcing home following a quick throw-in, before a swift free-kick ended with Jota dinking over Jon McLaughlin.
Abada made it 3-0 before the break after Rangers once again switched off at a throw-in, before their horror was compounded by McLaughlin passing to David Turnbull, who added a fourth.
The emphatic victory moves Ange Postecoglou's team five points clear of Rangers at the top of the league after just six games, with both sides in Champions League action against Real Madrid and Ajax respectively in midweek.
Celtic have started the season in fine form, having hit nine against Dundee United last week, before putting four past Ross County on Wednesday in the League Cup despite making nine changes.
And they shrugged off the loss of star striker Kyogo Furuhashi after only three minutes at a rocking Celtic Park to run rings around Rangers in the first 45 minutes.
Firstly, when a quick throw caught Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side off guard, Abada made a trademark dart from the back post to side-foot in O'Riley's cross after just eight minutes, with McLaughlin's hand not strong enough to stop the ball.
It was alert play from the champions, and Rangers failed to learn their lesson as a quick free-kick allowed the outstanding O'Riley to whip a ball in behind for Jota, who sublimely dinked McLaughlin to strengthen Celtic's advantage.
But the home side were far from finished in the opening period.
After McLaughlin denied Jota from close range, another quickly-taken throw-in allowed Greg Taylor to cross, and Abada turned home his side's third goal after O'Riley flicked it into his path.
Rangers were left utterly shellshocked and, although Borna Barisic provided a series of excellent crosses which Antonio Colak ought to have scored at least one from, they were miles off the pace.
Celtic dropped their intensity and accuracy in the final third slightly after the break, but were never troubled by Rangers, and McLaughlin presented a gift to Turnbull to roll into the net and seal a significant win.
Player of the match - Matt O'Riley
O'Riley set up two goals and made 19 passes in the final third, creating four chances. He was the heartbeat of Celtic's team.
Celtic outclass passive Rangers - analysis
This was a near carbon copy of the 3-0 win for Celtic in February, when they scored all three before the break in an all-action display.
Since then, though, Postecoglou's style has become even more refined. Celtic look more comfortable playing out from the back, and their one-touch play and intensity going forward is overwhelming for teams in Scotland.
Jota and O'Riley were such a handful for Rangers, but to a man the team were outstanding, including off the ball as they pestered their opponents at every opportunity.
They have now scored 25 goals in six games while conceding one. It really looks ominous for the rest of the league.
Rangers are naturally meant to be the exception to the rule, the team that can lay down the challenge to Celtic. They fell well short on this occasion.
The midfield three of Steven Davis, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram looked pedestrian in comparison, and too many of their key men did not turn up. Their defending has not been convincing at times this season, and this time it was brutally punished.
The only silver lining is that Rangers learned from their 3-0 defeat last season, and improved in the following three derbies.
Van Bronckhorst will need a similar turnaround, but five points already feels like a significant gap against a Celtic team now unbeaten in 38 Premiership games.
'We've been getting better every week' - reaction
Celtic outstanding from start to finish - Postecoglou
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "The boys were outstanding from start to finish. We know what this game means to our supporters. We've given them another memorable day and the players deserve all the credit for that.
"You can win games in many ways, but our form has been outstanding and we've been getting better every week. If we keep going like that, we're going to be hard to stop."
Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst: "We knew the threat they had with quick throw-ins and free-kicks. We were exposed twice, which gave two goals away. That's very disappointing. We weren't prepared enough.
"The longer the nil is on the scoreboard, the more you can grow in the game. Today, that wasn't the case. Everyone needs to reflect in what they did well and what they did wrong, same for me."
Giovanni van Bronckhorst: Rangers 'knew threat of Celtic but weren't prepared'
What's next?
Celtic host holders Real Madrid in a glamorous opening to their Champions League group stage campaign on Tuesday (20:00 BST), while Rangers are away to Ajax the following day (17:45).