Watch best of action as Rangers beat Celtic in derby

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland at Ibrox

Rangers reduced Celtic's Scottish Premiership lead to 11 points in stunning style as Philippe Clement claimed his first Old Firm derby victory at the seventh time of asking.

Ianis Hagi early on, then Robin Propper and Danilo after the break, produced the decisive moments as the hosts overwhelmed their opponents in front of a raucous home support.

Victory ends a barren run of results for Rangers against Brendan Rodgers' Celtic, who had only tasted defeat once in 20 derby matches prior to this outcome.

Pressure had been mounting on the Ibrox side after falling so far adrift of their rivals off the back of a defeat at St Mirren and draw at Motherwell over the festive period.

Their problems seemingly intensified with Jack Butland joining captain James Tavernier and centre-back John Souttar on the sidelines and Celtic's bright start suggested they might exploit that.

How wrong that idea proved to be.

Rangers took a firm grip of the game, showing incredible intensity and threat throughout and got their reward when Hagi's accurate strike from 25 yards found the bottom corner.

That, crucially, got the crowd behind them as Clement's side pressed relentlessly and entirely disrupted Celtic's rhythm.

Vaclav Cerny came close to a second when his shot deflected off Cameron Carter-Vickers and on to the crossbar and Reo Hatate was denied by Liam Kelly just before half-time in Celtic's first attempt.

But the anticipated response from the league leaders after the break did not materialise. This was not Celtic's day, nowhere near it.

Cerny hit the inside of a post, then was denied by Kasper Schmeichel, but Rangers were in no mood to let this derby slip and found the crucial second goal when Propper slammed home from a set-piece.

The gloss was added when Jefte's shot was blocked and Danilo was on hand to gleefully finish.

A vital win for Rangers and a fully deserved one.

Rangers rampant in comprehensive win

SNS

Rangers were depleted in terms of personnel. Not many home fans came to Ibrox convinced a win was on the cards.

They had the significant matter of that 14-point gap to eat into and it was surely non-negotiable to take three points back in front of their own supporters.

Their approach resembled just that. They produced a level of performance that left Celtic struggling for answers and it is not often that has happened of late.

They were rampant, winning second balls, forcing errors from their opponents and constantly carrying threat.

Had the scoreline been wider, it would have been hard to argue having hit the woodwork twice.

It is such a big moment for the club. Defeat would have been unthinkable. Clement getting this first derby win over the line is so important.

They remain a long way back in the title race but this will appease many Rangers fans, who had simply had enough, for now.

Their side need to back this up consistently, but have shown the levels they can reach.

Celtic completely out of sorts

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Celtic came into this in as good a place as you can get. All the pressure was on their opponents and Rodgers knew it.

In the opening couple of minutes it looked like they would seize the initiative. That was an entirely false dawn as Rangers took a grip and got a vital early lead.

They lacked precision in their passing, to a large extent because they were pressured.

Time and time again they gave up possession as Rangers harried and harrassed. It was so unlike the Celtic we have seen this season.

They just could not muster an answer.

Rodgers' side have earned such a sizeable lead in the table that they will remain odds-on to retain their title but this, and the manner of it, will undoubtedly hurt.

What they said

'Everyone can see Rangers are on right track' - Clement

Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "The boys get the reward they deserved, what they did not get in the last few weeks.

"Things were not on our side. Even with injuries and changing a lot, everyone in the squad is working hard to get better and better. This is proof of that. We need to continue like this for the next couple of months.

"It is a very important win. It gives belief to everyone following Rangers. This new squad is building, there is a lot of potential in it and we will work hard to make it better. That is my job to do, and my mission, also."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "Rangers were the better team. We were not aggressive enough without the ball. On the ball, it was far too slow.

"I'm not sure if the 14-point gap took the edge off, it shouldn't, but maybe subconsciously it can do. We did not play well and Rangers deserved to win.

"It was one of those days. They are not robots. The energy in the stadium, they wanted to prove a point, they hadn't beaten us and they are so far behind in the league, so there are many reasons why."

Rodgers says lead maybe 'took Old Firm edge off' for Celtic

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