RANGERS’ unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership continues following a 1-1 draw at Parkhead in the Old Firm match this afternoon.
Alfredo Morelos’ first in this fixture cancelled out an opener from Mohamed Elyounoussi to ensure the scores were all-square and Gers are still to suffer a league defeat with just five matches left to play.
From the side which faced Slavia Prague in the Europa League on Thursday night, manager Steven Gerrard named two changes, with Fil Helander and Ianis Hagi coming into the side in place of Nathan Patterson and Scott Arfield.
That meant it was a back five of Alan McGregor in goal with Leon Balogun, Connor Goldson, Helander and Borna Barisic in front of him.
Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo and Steven Davis were in the middle of the park, while Hagi and Ryan Kent provided support to Alfredo Morelos in attack.
Before kick-off, both sides stood as opposed to taking the knee. Enough is enough and football stands with Glen Kamara.
Rangers began the better of the two sides, quicky establishing themselves as the dominant team in-terms of possession.
Ryan Kent pressed superbly to win the ball in an advanced area, but as he entered the area he was eventually crowded out by a cluster of Celtic bodies.
Ryan Christie flashed a shot over the bar for the hosts, while Ianis Hagi got something onto a Borna Barisic cross, albeit his headed effort went well wide.
Morelos then got header away from another Barisic cross, with Scott Bain gathering.
On 23 minutes, however, Celtic took the lead. Odsonne Edouard’s cross was met in the middle by Mohamed Elyounoussi to power a header beyond McGregor and into the back of the net.
Edouard was then booked for diving as he tried to win a penalty under a Steven Davis tackle in the area before McGregor saved well from Callum McGregor low to his near post when he cut in from the right.
Then, on 38 minutes, Rangers drew themselves level. Borna Barisic’s corner was met by Leon Balogun initially, and then, nipping in at the back post to get the ball over the line was Alfredo Morelos for his first in the Old Firm fixture!
It was his 16th of the season, and perhaps fittingly, his 55th league goal for the club.
From there, the game really came to life. Edouard found space in the Rangers box to get a shot through McGregor’s legs, but the Rangers goalkeeper recovered before the ball could make it over the line.
Ianis Hagi then picked Ryan Kent out in the area with a fine lofted ball which Kent superbly volleyed goalwards to bring an excellent save out of Bain.
Then, as the interval approached, McGregor was again called into action to turn an Elyounoussi header from a corner around the post.
Into the second half, and Stephen Welsh sent a header from a deep corner over, while McGregor saved well from an Edouard snap-shot from the edge of the area.
The home side had plenty of pressure and plenty of corners which Gers did superbly to defend, and McGregor was called into action again to deny David Turnbull at his near post.
McGregor saved again, this time from a Jonjoe Kenny half-volley from the edge of the box, while at the other end, substitute Kemar Roofe couldn’t quite force a Nathan Patterson cross home at the back post.
Connor Goldson saw a header from another Barisic corner slip just wide, before he met another corner from the Croatian which this time went over the bar.
But it finished all square, and Gers now have five post-split fixtures and the Scottish Cup to look forward to before the end of the season.
RANGERS: McGregor, Balogun (Patterson, 56), Goldson, Helander, Barisic, Kamara, Davis, Aribo (Wright, 76), Hagi (Arfield, 65), Kent, Morelos (Roofe, 76).
SUBS NOT USED: McLaughlin, Bassey, Defoe, Itten, Zungu.
CELTIC: Bain, Brown (Soro, 89) Turnbull (Forrest, 78), Kenny, Christie, Edouard (Griffiths, 89), Elyounoussi (Rogic, 85), Ajer, McGregor, Welsh, Laxalt.
SUBS NOT USED: Barkas, Taylor, Duffy, Bitton, Klimala.
REFEREE: Willie Collum