Rangers fans would have feared the worst.
Having lost twice already to Celtic this season, the Teddy Bears have been miles off their rivals.
Before this match, Rangers trailed Celtic by 14 points and had been poor over the Christmas period.
Just 18 days after the last Old Firm, where Celtic clinched the League Cup, Rangers were in horrible form.
Losing to St Mirren on Boxing Day and a draw against Motherwell had put Philippe Clement under considerable pressure.
Many couldn’t have predicted how the match would play out.
Celtic were rocked by the intensity with which Rangers played in the first half.
Ianis Hagi scored the opening goal from distance in the first 10 minutes.
The Hoops were on the ropes, struggling to match high-tempo Rangers.
The second half saw little difference.
The Gers were relentless.
Pröpper poked home Rangers’ second after reacting first to a Kasper Schmeichel save.
Then, in the 81st minute, substitute Danilo sealed the game, scoring with his first touch.
This was a game that Rangers dominated.
It was also a game where Celtic were uncharacteristically poor.
This post-match analysis will examine the areas where Rangers excelled and highlight the instances where Celtic failed to influence the game.
Rangers Vs Celtic Lineups
Rangers’ form wasn’t the only reason that they had their worries before this match.
Their defence was without regulars James Tavernier, John Souttar, Leon Balogun, and goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Backup goalkeeper Liam Kelly was between the sticks for only his second appearance.
Left-back Rıdvan Yılmaz had to play on the opposite flank, filling in at right-back.
Dujon Sterling and Robin Pröpper formed the centre-back partnership, while Jefté continued at left-back.
The midfield and forward line remained unchanged from the League Cup final.
Mohamed Diomande and Nicolas Raskin operated as the deeper midfield players.
Nedim Bajrami, Ianis Hagi, Václav Černý and Hamza Igamane made up the attack quartet.
Celtic had only one change from their League Cup final.
Kasper Schmeichel started in nets behind right-back Alistair Johnston.
Cameron Carter-Vickers was partnered with Liam Scales, who was the only change from the previous Old Firm.
Greg Taylor remained at left-back.
The midfield three was made up of Callum McGregor as the number 6, with Paulo Bernardo and Reo Hatate operating as 8’s
The Celtic forward line was made up of Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn and Daizen Maeda.
Rangers Mid-Block
Rangers defensive resilience was displayed during the League Cup final.
Philippe Clement set his side up in a mid-block to prevent Celtic from playing forward into midfield.
This tactic was used effectively again.
Here, we can see the setup clearly.
Rangers set up with forward Hamza Igamane pressing either centre-back as the Bhoys began the build-up phase.
