Raskin leads way as Ferguson stakes Rangers claim

As the Rangers players celebrated in the corner after their first win at Celtic Park for nearly five years, the camera zoomed in on Nicolas Raskin.

The midfielder pointed to match-winner Hamza Igamane and mouthed the Moroccan's name after his stunning strike clinched a second Old Firm win in a row.

But the foundations of this victory were built on Raskin's performance.

Not only did he score the first goal and set up the second, but his all action-display allowed Rangers to throttle Celtic and best them on their own patch.

It was no wonder he was named player of the match.

"It was amazing to make the stadium a bit calmer, but I'm just happy for the win," the Belgian said afterwards.

"The gaffer just wanted us to go aggressive and put the pressure [on]. The team has done very well, we were quite high up the pitch and got the two goals."

'Fantastic' Raskin helps Rangers control midfield

By half-time Rangers were 2-0 up and in control, with Raskin having a huge hand in their success.

After four minutes his desire to get across the front post and above Jeffrey Schlupp - despite his diminutive stature - from a corner and glance the ball into the net gave Rangers the perfect start.

Then his brilliant, clever run from deep and cushioned header teed up Mohamed Diomande to sweep home the visitors' second.

Off the ball, he was everywhere. With Luke McCowan replacing injured Celtic captain Callum McGregor in midfield, Raskin smelled a weakness.

Any time Celtic tried to build up from the back he was right on McCowan's back, snapping at his heels and preventing him from getting turned and playing forward.

When Celtic did manage to get the ball out to winger Nicolas Kuhn, Raskin joined with his defenders to shut the space down immediately.

He ended the game having been in 16 duels, winning 10 of them, and getting the ball back for Rangers six times. All of those were the most of any of his team-mates, as was his ranking for tackles made.

Only James Tavernier touched the ball more often for Rangers as well.

Nicolas Raskin's heat map shows he was constantly across to help shut down Nicolas Kuhn on Celtic's right-hand side

"Rangers are winning the midfield battle," former Rangers striker Steven Thompson said at half-time on BBC Scotland's Sportsound programme.

"You talk about McCowan, [Arne] Engels and [Reo] Hatate, they are not getting on the ball at all and whenever any one of them does, they are put under massive pressure from [Connor] Barron, Raskin and [Mohamed] Diomande."

That pressure unsettled Celtic and forced them to give the ball away in dangerous areas, which Rangers ought to have taken advantage of further before the break.

And Raskin's touch map shows how he appeared all over on the pitch to influence the game

In the second half, Celtic's undoubted quality - and perhaps Rangers' exertions from Thursday's penalty shootout win against Fenerbahce - started to take their toll as the league leaders roared back to 2-2.

However, with Celtic Park rocking and the momentum with the home side after Hatate's equaliser, Rangers' discipline kept them from being opened up regularly as they had done on their last five losing visits to their bitter rivals' stadiums.

"The box in the middle of the pitch was so pivotal," former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield said on Sky Sports.

"Nico Raskin is so important but don't underestimate the work Connor Barron does beside him.

"Nico walked away with the man of the match award and rightly so because he was fantastic. The workload those two got through is so important for this team."

A call up for the Belgium national side, a match-winning contribution in a derby win, and progression in the Europa League - it has been a special week for Raskin.

Ferguson building case for permanent job

It has been a great week for Barry Ferguson, too.

Having been in the managerial wilderness after unimpressive stints at Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa Athletic, he has guided Rangers past Fenerbahce into a Europa League quarter-final and a first win at Celtic Park since October 2020.

He is the first Rangers manager to win his opening derby at Celtic Park since Walter Smith in 1991.

It still feels early for Rangers to be making decisions on who will be their next permanent manager, particularly with a potential takeover looming.

However, Ferguson made the bold call to change the formation to a back three for the first leg in Turkey, and it has paid off in the last week.

Away from the pitch, he has cut a calm figure in front of the camera and has been clear in his messaging.

While his predecessor Philippe Clement often pointed to a congested schedule and managing minutes, the former Ibrox captain named 10 of the same 11 which started the energy-sapping midweek triumph and was clear tiredness was no excuse.

There is so much more to managing Rangers or Celtic than understanding the nature of football in Glasgow, but it counts for something in this unique rivalry.

"I knew there was a good team here," Ferguson told BBC Scotland. "They were just missing a bit of self-belief, and had to be driven on a bit more.

"The boys listen, they tune in, and over the past 10 days you've certainly seen the benefits of that."

Ferguson continues to insist come the end of the season he will be "away on a family holiday" and is "not even thinking" about staying on beyond his interim contract.

But it will not stop others considering it, particularly if he gets more consistency from this squad.

"It's a huge win for Barry and his staff," Arfield said. "He's making a big challenge to get the job [full-time]. He's got Rangers to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and now won at Celtic Park.

"You need to know what you're doing to outsmart this Celtic team and it's been evident today."