Celtic continued their Old Firm dominance with a commanding 3-0 victory over Rangers in the season’s first derby. The win extends Celtic’s lead to five points over their Glasgow rivals after just four matches.
Rangers had an early opportunity to take the lead when Rabbi Matondo found himself in a promising position, but he failed to capitalise, squandering a brilliant chance to break the deadlock.
Soon after, Kyogo Furuhashi thought he had given Celtic the lead, only to see his goal ruled out for offside.
The deadlock was eventually broken by Daizen Maeda, whose brilliant finish put Celtic ahead. Kyogo then doubled their advantage with a stunning 30-yard strike before half-time, leaving Rangers with a mountain to climb.
Celtic continued to dominate after the break, with Callum McGregor sealing the win with his third goal of the season, making it 3-0. The Hoops then introduced Deadline Day signings Arne Engels and Luke McCowan, giving the new arrivals a taste of Old Firm action.
The defeat leaves Philippe Clement still searching for his first victory over Brendan Rodgers’ side. The loss also sees Rangers drop to fourth in the table, with the international break offering a period of reflection as they sit five points adrift of their fierce rivals.
In the wake of the defeat, Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland insisted that the team’s belief remains intact, despite the sobering result at Parkhead.
“We’ve got a tricky period now where we don’t have a game for a couple of weeks. That’s going to be the difficult thing; we’re going to be thinking about it for a long time,” Butland admitted.
He added, “It’s not going to just disappear. There’s no danger of that. It’s going to be something that’s going to be fresh on people’s minds for a while.
“And it needs to be because that’s how important it is to us and to the club.
“So, yes, there are things to work on, things to get better at, be more efficient. But I think the belief is there and I hope that shows at least that we’re still fighting.”