Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths got the goals as Celtic outclassed Rangers to extend their unbeaten run to 57 matchesRead Graham Ruthven’s match report from Ibrox 2.06pm BST Graham Ruthven was our man in the Ibrox press box and here is his on-the-whistle report. Related: Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths set slick Celtic apart from Rangers 1.59pm BST Celtic extend their lead: The reigning champions pull five points clear of Aberdeen, having played one match more. Rangers are fourth in the table, level on points with Saint Johnstone but behind them on goal difference. 1.55pm BST Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeep! It’s all over and Celtic’s remarkable domestic unbeaten run continues. They’ve beaten Rangers comfortably courtesy of goals from Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths in an entertaining match where the gulf in class between these two Glasgow teams was all too apparent. 1.54pm BST 90+5 min: Rangers win a free-kick halfway insdie the Celtic half. Tavernier sends the ball into the penalty area where Craig Gordon claims it. 1.53pm BST 90+4 min: Celtic win another corner and Lustig and Dembele take it short in a bid to keep the ball in the corner and waste some more time. 1.52pm BST 90+2 min: Celtic continue to pile on the hurt, dominating possession on the fringes of the Rangers penalty area. Kieran Tierney pulls a cross-come-shot across the face of the Rangers goal, but Moussa Dembele isn’t quite quick enough to poke it home. 1.50pm BST 90+1 min: Stuart Armstrong tries his luck from distance, but shoots over the bar. 1.49pm BST 90 min: Celtic win a corner and play it short to kill time. Lustig eventually shoots, but doesn’t trouble Foderingham. We’ll have five minutes of added time. 1.48pm BST 89 min: Using post-watershed language, the Celtic fans behind Wes Foderingham’s goal let their hosts know that today’s victory has been rather easy. 1.46pm BST 87 min: Under pressure from Jozo Simunovic, Alfredo Morelos runs on to a Herrera pass, snatches at a shot and sends the ball over the bar. 1.45pm BST 86 min: Moussa Dembele is flagged for offside as he tries to sprint on to a Stuart Armstrong pass from midfield. 1.43pm BST 84 min: A very winded Craig Gordon shares a joke with referee Craig Thomson as Rangers make another substitution: Aaron Nemane, on loan at Ibrox from Manchester City, replaces Daniel Candeias. 1.41pm BST 82 min: James Tavernier chases what looks to be a lost cause down towards the byline and his industriousness is rewarded when he manages to reach the ball before it goes out of play and get a cross in. Craig Gordon comes for the ball and goes down injured after a mid-air collision with Morelos. 1.39pm BST 80 min: Celtic substitution: goal scorer Lee Griffiths off, Moussa Dembele on. The strength of Celtic’s bench compared to that of Rangers is ridiculous. 1.38pm BST 79 min: Another corner for Celtic, which Griffiths takes again. Simunovic gets his head on the ball, but sends his effort high and wide. 1.37pm BST 78 min: Celtic win a corner, which Leigh Griffiths takes. He arrows the ball towards Dedryck Boyata, but James Tavernier heads clear. 1.35pm BST 76 min: Candeias pulls the ball through the Celtic penalty area from the byline, but fails to pick out Miller or Herrera. the ball’s there to be smacked past Craig Gordon, but there are no runners from midfield on hand to do so. 1.34pm BST 75 min: Celtic continue to dominate and have assorted Rangers players chasing shadows. 1.32pm BST 74 min: Just before that Rangers substitution, Daniel Candeias was booked for a fairly agricultural challenge on Kieran Tierney. 1.31pm BST 71 min: Celtic substitution a couple of minutes ago: James Forrest on for Patrick Roberts. Rangers substitution just now: Eduardo Herrera on for Josh Windass. 1.28pm BST 69 min: Candeias picks out James Tavernier with a clever pass into the Celtic penalty area, but the Rangers full-back smashes the ball into the side-netting from a ridiculously tight angle. He should have crossed. 1.27pm BST 68 min: That Griffiths goal came from a lightning fast counter-attack in which Celtic took advantage of a high press from Rangers. Mikael Lustig won the ball high up the pitch and set the move in motion, but it was Patrick Roberts’s killer pass into the penalty area to pick out Griffiths that did for the hosts. 1.25pm BST 66 min: Leigh Griffiths runs on to a slide-rule pass from Patrick Roberts down the right side of the Rangers penalty area and slots the ball past Wes Foderingham with a first-time shot. Rangers will do well to come back from this. 1.24pm BST Leigh Griffiths doubles Celtic’s lead. 1.23pm BST 64 min: Dedryck Boyata gets booked for a foul on Alfredo Morelos, conceding a free-kick wide on the left in line with the right side of the Celtic penalty area. Candeias sends the ball into the penalty area, but Celtic clear. 1.21pm BST 62 min: Celtic substitution: McGregor on for Rogic. 1.21pm BST 61 min: Dealing with his second back-pass in quick succession, Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham takes a touch too many and gifts possession to Scott Sinclair outside the Rangers penalty area. Sinclair tries to curl the ball past Foderingham into the top right-hand corner, but sends his effort wide. 1.19pm BST 59 min: Fresh from signing a new four-year deal with Celtic last week, Callum McGregor is getting ready to come on and will replace goalscorer Tom Rogic. 1.17pm BST 58 min: Rangers win a free-kick about 40 yards from the Celtic goal. Daniel Candeias’s delivery is rubbish and Jozo Simunovic clears for Celtic. 1.16pm BST 57 min: Josh Windass appeals for and gets a free-kick after being put into the advertising hoardings behind the Rangers goal by Leigh Griffiths while making a clearance. 1.14pm BST 54 min: Rangers win their first corner of the match. Candeias pings the ball to the near post, where Miller helps it on its way. With Celtic unable to clear their lines, a spell of relentless Rangers pressure ends with a fine Craig Gordon save from an Alfredo Morelos header from point-blank range. 1.12pm BST 52 min: Rangers substitution: Kenny Miller on for Carlos Pena. 1.12pm BST 51 min: THere’s a pause in play as a flare is thrown on the pitch and lands on the edge of the six-yard box. A couple of stewards try to put it out with what look like . cushions? That was a sloppy goal for Rangers to concede - several of their players had chances to clear the ball as it fell to Patrick Roberts on the edge of the area. His shot was blocked, but broke to Tom Rogic in the area and he made no mistake. 1.09pm BST Rogic gives Celtic the lead, pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area and hammering it into the roof of the net. 1.08pm BST 49 min: Scott Sinclair runs at the Rangers defence at pace and helps win Celtic their sixth corner. 1.07pm BST 48 min: Celtic have begun the second half as they did the first - dominating possession and in complete control. It took Rangers 15 minutes or so to get a foothold in the game and they’re unlikely to get away with a similar bedding-in period now. 1.06pm BST 47 min: Scott Sinclair gets on the ball after a slip from Tavernier and jinks his way into the Rangers penalty area. He tees up Leigh Griffith with a pull-back and the Celtic striker looks certain, but his shot is deflected wide for a corner by Ross McCrorie. From the ensuing set piece, Rangers clear. 1.04pm BST 46 min: Fabio Cardoso larrups the ball into the stand as Celtic go forward. 1.03pm BST 46 min: Referee Craig Thomson gets the second half started, with Celtic kicking off. There are no changes in personnel on either side. 12.49pm BST 45+2 min The ref blows for half-time and there’s a bit of a scuffle between Scott Brown and Rangers manager Pedro Caixinho as the players troop off for their brew. It’s been an entertaining game and having been subjected to a horrendous mauling in the first 10 minutes, Rangers will be happier with the 0-0 scoreline. They’re entitled to feel hard done by for not getting a penalty around the 13th minute mark for a Simunovic foul on Morelos. 12.47pm BST 45+1 min: Patrick Roberts takes on and beats Lee HOdson again and goes on a meandering run into the Rangers penalty area. He eventually slides the ball to Mikael Lustig, who tries a shot with his left foot. As you were. 12.45pm BST 45 min: There’s a break in play as Dedryck Boyata receives treatment. 12.45pm BST 44 min: Alfredo Morelos, cited by many as a red card waiting to happen in this game, gets the first booking for a challenge on Dedryck Boyata. It looked a little harsh to me, but he’ll need to be careful. 12.43pm BST 42 min: Ross McCrorie dispossesses Leigh Griffiths with a meaty challenge down by the byline, prompting roars of approval from the Rangers fans. Moments later he’s pressed into service again and wins a free after Patrick Roberts ran into him milli-seconds after he’d hoofed a clearance out of play. 12.41pm BST 40 min: Wes Foderingham hoofs the ball long and out of play after receiving a bullet of a back-pass from Fabio Cardoso that he won’t be thanking the centre-half for. 12.38pm BST 38 min: A promising Celtic passing move ends in disappointment when Stuart Armstrong stumbles and falls over when shaping to shoot in the Rangers penalty area. 12.37pm BST 36 min: Celtic play the ball wide to Patrick Roberts on the right wing. He’s looked very dangerous today. He cuts inside and picks out Armstrong, whose shot from the edge of the penalty area is saved by Foderingham. 12.35pm BST 35 min: Rangers attack through the middle and the ball is played out wide to Daniel Candeias. Kieran Tierney tackles him and leaves the Rangers man rolling on the ground in pain. 12.34pm BST 32 min: With half an hour gone, we finally have something resembling a lull. Patrick Roberts brings it to an abrupt end, taking the ball past Lee Hodson into the Rangers penalty area and shooting from a tight angle. Foderingham saves. 12.32pm BST 31 min: Morelos gives Mikael Lustig the slip and tries to get his head to a Tavernier cross from the right, but there’s too much whip on the ball and it fizzes wide. 12.31pm BST 30 min: Graham Dorrans fires high over the bar under pressure from two Celtic defenders. The ball was played to him by Morelos, who made ground down the left flank but ran down a blind alley while trying to make room for a shot of his own instead of crossing for Pena. 12.29pm BST 28 min: Tavernier beats his man on the left and tries to play the ball through to Pena in the penalty area. Celtic clear. 12.28pm BST 27 min: Rangers win a free-kick just inside their own half for a foul on Josh Windass. Ryan Jack lofts the ball towards the penalty area, but Alfredo Morelos is caught offside. Sloppy play from the Colombian. 12.26pm BST 25 min: Kieran Tierney fouls Alfredo Morelos and Rangers win a free-kick down by the corner flag. Candeias sends the ball into the Celtic penalty area and Tavernier gets his head on the ball. Craig Gordon punches clear. 12.25pm BST 24 min: Rangers break from a Celtic corner, with Daniel Candeias on the ball. Attacking in numbers, their moves breaks down and Celtic clear their lines. 12.24pm BST 22 min: Leigh Griffiths pounces on a poor header from Lee Hodson and tries to curl the ball past Foderingham and in at the far post. The Rangers goalkeeper claims the ball and the danger is averted. 12.23pm BST 22 min: A quarter of the game gone and it’s been a good one so far. Celtic roared out of the traps and had Rangers on the ropes from the gun, but the home side have been playing better in the past 10 minutes. 12.20pm BST 20 min: Josh Windass is penalised for a shove on Mikael Lustig as he tries to collect a pass up the left wing from Lee Hodson. 12.19pm BST 19 min: Kieran Tierney comes inside and unleashes a right-footed shot from the edge of the Rangers penalty area. It’s a fairly feeble effort, which he pulls wide of the left upright. 12.18pm BST 17 min: Tavernier tries to release Daniel Candies down the right touchline, but the ball goes out for a Celtic throw-in deep inside their own half. 12.17pm BST 15 min: Having weathered the early Celtic storm, Rangers are starting to get something of a foothold in the game. They attack down the right flank, with James Tavernier on the ball driving forward. He attempts to pick out Morelos with a low cross, but it’s intercepted. 12.14pm BST 13 min: Morelos appeals for a penalty after a challenge from Jozo Simunovic. He doesn’t get one, but replays suggest he was unlucky. That should have been a spot-kick. 12.13pm BST 12 min: Rangers finally get forward with Josh Windass on the ball. Despite the presence of Alfredo Morelos and Carlos Pena in the Celtic box, he plays the ball backwards. 12.12pm BST 11 min: Celtic hump it long to Leigh Griffiths, who contests the dropping ball with Ross McCrorie. The ball goes out for a goal kick, despite the Celtic striker’s insistence it should have been a Celtic corner. 12.10pm BST 11 min: At the far post, Leigh Griffiths heads a glorious opportunity over the bar after getting on the end of a Kieran Tierney cross from the left. 12.09pm BST 9 min: Tom Rogic eschews a shooting opportunity to play the ball wide to Patrick Roberts instead. The Celtic winger squares the ball, but there’s nobody on hand to convert a ball that was crying out to be smashed goalwards. 12.08pm BST 8 min: Less than 10 minutes into the game and Rangers are already under extreme pressure. They’re struggling to get the ball out of their own half. 12.07pm BST 6 min: Good play from Celtic with Patrick Roberts picking out Tom Rogic with a neat pass inside the full back. Rogic tries to muscle his way towards the Celtic goal, but Ross McCrorie defends well. 12.06pm BST 5 min: Celtic win a free-kick outside the Rangers area, about 25 yards from goal. Leigh Griffiths gets his effort over the wall, but sends the ball whistling the wrong side of the upright. 12.05pm BST 3 min: Man down! Mikael Lustig tackles Josh Windass over by the touchline and the Rangers forward is sent flying into Pedro Caixinho’s technical area and takes his own gaffer out. Both men are all smiles as they pick themselves off the floor. 12.03pm BST 2 min: From that corner, Celtic win a corner. Leigh Griffiths swings the ball into the penalty area, where Foderingham plucks it from the sky. A lively start. 12.02pm BST 1 min: Chance! Tom Rogic drives forward and unleashes a shot from the edge of the Rangers penalty area. Wes Foderingham tips it over the bar for a corner. 12.01pm BST 1 min: Rangers get the ball rolling in a packed Ibrox. 11.58am BST Having lost five and drawn one of last season’s six Old Firm derbies, Rangers march out on to the Ibrox sward led by Graham Dorrans. Beside him, Scott Brown has his best game face on as he leads his troops out and lines up for the last of the pre-match formalities. 11.50am BST Talking about Old Firm derbies to Sky Sports, the Celtic manager says: “We’ve played a lot in the time I’ve been up here. They’re always really intense games with high expectations from both teams. I think it’s still early on in the season and these games, no matter where you are in the league, are always brilliant games . tough games.” 11.47am BST Related: Pedro Caixinha believes Rangers can upset the form book against Celtic 11.46am BST Bruno Alves is in Spain: It seems that the Portuguese defender has been given time off after limping out of Rangers’ midweek match against Partick Thistle with a calf injury and is currently in Spain. Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd has had a real go at him in a newspaper column today, saying he should be at Ibrox “he could still be doing a vital job as part of the squad”. Boyd says Alves’s absence sums up the lack of togetherness at the club, which seems a bit strong. 11.34am BST With Bruno Alves deemed unfit to play, Ross McCrorie will make his first ever start for Rangers today. The 19-year-old came off the bench to make his debut for the club in their Betfred Cup in over Partick Thistle during the week, but a Premiership start against Celtic is quite the baptism of fire for a young man playing his first senior match at Ibrox. 11.24am BST Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, McCrorie, Cardoso, Hodson, Jack, Dorrans, Windass, Candeias, Pena, Morelos.Subs: Alnwick, Herrera, Dalcio, Holt, Miller, Nemane, A Wilson. 11.13am BST Rangers captain Lee Wallace misses out with a groin injury, while central defender Danny Wilson will also be absent with a calf problem. Defenders Bruno Alves and Declan John were to be checked this morning, but may also miss out. Niko Kranjcar and Jordan Rossiter both remain out with knee problems. Having missed Celtic’s midweek match against Dundee with a swollen knee, Jozo Simunovic has been training since, while striker Moussa Dembele is also likely to be back in the Celtic squad after being rested. The striker played just under an hour against Ross County last week, scoring on his first appearance since July. 11.13am BST 12.29pm BST Rangers entertain Celtic in the first match between the two sides this season, with the hosts hoping to end a domestic unbeaten run that currently stretches to 56 matches for Celtic. They’ll have their work cut out – in six Old Firm games last season, Celtic won five while the other ended in a stalemate. In two of those five matches, Celtic put five past their city rivals. Kick off is at noon (BST), but stay tuned for team news and build-up. Continue readingreadfullarticle
