Rangers & Celtic in Scottish Premiership title race: State of play with 10 games left
- Published
Rangers 'stepped up and showed more' at Kilmarnock
Ten matches remain in a Scottish Premiership title race of twists and turns with just two points separating Rangers and Celtic at the summit.
The Glasgow rivals are in furious pursuit of the title, with Rangers unseating Celtic three games ago and clinging on to top spot since then.
As the campaign approaches its climax, what might the race to the finish produce?
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Relentless Rangers reel in Celtic
When Philippe Clement replaced Michael Beale in October, Rangers were already seven points adrift of Celtic and, even at that early stage, their hopes of winning back a title claimed twice in a row by Ange Postecoglou seemed distant.
But the Belgian has overseen a significant upturn in form, just as Celtic began to stumble.
Rangers have dropped points only twice on his watch - the Old Firm derby in late December and a draw at Pittodrie a month earlier - and Wednesday's comeback win at Kilmarnock made it eight league victories on the spin.
In the same period, Celtic have faltered, losing at home to Heart of Midlothian and being held to draws by Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, with the nature of some performances sparking concern among the fanbase.
When David Watson levelled for Kilmarnock on 17 February and Rangers swatted St Johnstone aside a day later, Clement's men usurped Celtic to claim top spot by two points.
No-one expected that to be that, of course, and bundles of drama duly unfolded at the weekend and then on a packed midweek card.
Celtic issued a champions' response by scoring two added-time goals to beat Motherwell on Sunday before thrashing Dundee 7-1.
Rangers crushed Hearts to emphasise their good form but then fell behind against in-form Kilmarnock on Wednesday night - and nearly went 2-0 down - yet had the class and composure to pull victory from the fire.
Decisive derbies?
There are five fixtures - including a derby at Ibrox - before the league split.
Next up, Celtic face a challenging trip to Hearts, who had been in terrific form before Rangers walloped them 5-0 last Saturday, while the leaders host Motherwell.
The derby on 7 April will be pivotal, of course, but don't forget there will also be another to come after the top and bottom six part ways.
Celtic have won both derbies this season by a single goal, Kyogo Furuhashi providing the winner on each occasion as the champions prevailed 1-0 then 2-1.
With two wins up for grabs, and the opportunity to take points and momentum from their old foe, the derbies will inevitably be crucial in deciding where the trophy ends up.
What are the managers saying?
Rodgers revels in 'fantastic' Celtic performance
Clement has unflinchingly straight-batted any title talk during this purple patch, but even he allowed himself a smile after the Rugby Park victory.
The Ibrox boss savoured a "massive" win after his side were "like Bambi on ice" as they struggled to adapt to Kilmarnock's artificial pitch.
"Resilience, mentality, solidarity and the quality to adapt," said Clement.
"The reaction in the second half was major. The team stepped up and showed more.
"This is a really hard place to come. Kilmarnock make things difficult on this pitch. At the end of the road, I think this will be a massive three points.
"I've been enjoying it from the first second I stepped into the building and there's no difference from that. I don't make any predictions. We're just focused on ourselves."
Brendan Rodgers has come under fire for perhaps the first time in either stint as Celtic boss, claiming after the Motherwell win a "story was being written" about his team.
Answers on the pitch always trump those offered on the touchline, and Rodgers' men showed their ruthless excellence in putting Dundee to the sword.
The victory kindled fond memories of his trophy-laden first stint at the helm.
"I thought the level of our football for large parts was really good," Rodgers said.
"We created a lot of opportunities and in the second half, we kept pushing, we were creative, and seven different goalscorers is great. Overall, a great performance and result for us.
"Nights like that take me back to when I was first here - the performance, the intensity and everyone enjoying it. We're here to win, but Celtic is about playing football that gets the supporters excited."