Former Celtic forward Moussa Dembele wasted no time in mocking Rangers following their 3-0 defeat in the Old Firm derby on Sunday, 1 September.
The Gers offered little resistance at Celtic Park as Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Callum McGregor found the back of the net, sealing a dominant victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Dembele, who scored seven goals and provided four assists in 10 appearances against Rangers during his time at Celtic, took to his X account after the match to twist the knife.
He wrote: “Why are we still playing them…?? Waste of time – But enjoying to see them crash again and again.”
Rangers now face an uphill battle to catch Celtic after this latest Old Firm setback. Following a summer overhaul that saw 10 players come in and 10 players depart, the gap in quality between the two Glasgow giants appears wider than ever.
Any hopes Rangers had of challenging Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title were dashed as the Hoops cruised to a comfortable victory.
James Tavernier’s performance at right-back was particularly poor, with Sky Sports criticising the captain’s display, suggesting he was fortunate to stay on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.
Philippe Clement now faces the daunting task of going back to the drawing board. The loss to Celtic is a major blow for a club desperately needing the financial boost of Champions League football to address their ongoing financial challenges.
Celtic, on the other hand, seem poised to march to yet another SPFL title this season. Rangers were outclassed at Celtic Park, and there’s a real danger that this could become a recurring theme in the Old Firm clashes ahead this year.
With the summer transfer window just closed, Rangers may already be looking to the winter window for reinforcements. The current squad does not appear capable of mounting a serious title challenge.
Clement knew the scale of the task when he took on the job at Ibrox, but Sunday’s humiliating defeat serves as a stark reminder of just how much work lies ahead for him and his team.