Celtic continued their dominance in the Old Firm derby with a commanding win over Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, further cementing their position at the top of the league.
Entering the match as strong favourites and playing on home turf, the champions managed to withstand an early spell of pressure from Rangers before taking control of the game.
Daizen Maeda opened the scoring with a close-range finish after being expertly picked out by Alistair Johnston’s cross. The goal came from a throw-in, where Rangers’ defence was once again caught napping, allowing Celtic to capitalise easily.
This was a moment that highlighted the growing gap between the two sides, with Celtic showing a level of sharpness and organisation that their rivals lacked.
Before Maeda’s goal, Kyogo Furuhashi had already seen a goal disallowed for offside against Nicolas Kuhn. However, the Japanese striker quickly made amends by adding to his impressive derby goal tally.
His precise finish from the edge of the box left Rangers’ defence flat-footed and further demonstrated his importance to Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Rangers, fortunate not to be further behind by half-time, emerged for the second half with renewed urgency. But their efforts were in vain, as Cyriel Dessers squandered a golden opportunity to bring his team back into the contest, shooting tamely at Kasper Schmeichel when a more clinical finish was desperately needed.
The second half saw chances for both teams in a less intense phase of the game. Kyogo surprisingly hit the side-netting when through on goal, while Rangers’ Ross McCausland and John Souttar both missed chances to reduce the deficit.
However, any hopes of a Rangers comeback were dashed when Callum McGregor sealed the win with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box, putting the match beyond doubt and extending Celtic’s lead over their rivals to five points with only four league games played.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Rangers manager Philippe Clement has faced calls to drop captain James Tavernier in future matches against Celtic. Tavernier, now 32, has often struggled in these high-pressure fixtures, particularly when faced with the relentless energy of Daizen Maeda.
The Japanese winger’s constant running and goal threat have repeatedly exposed Tavernier’s defensive frailties, and Sunday’s game was no exception, with Tavernier once again allowing Maeda too much space.
Gers legend Kris Boyd was vocal in his criticism of the current team, particularly highlighting Tavernier’s sluggish response when trying to recover after losing possession.
Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson echoed these sentiments on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene, arguing that Tavernier’s repeated poor performances in the derby mean it might be time for Clement to make a tough decision.
“I honestly think, when you see him in this fixture time and time again, it falls on the manager to make a big decision. He struggles in this fixture and that proved again today.
“Time and time again, the ball over the top between him and [John] Souttar – it yields the same results. So it’s down to the manager to take him out of the side and maybe you get a different result.”