BBC writer Tom English demolishes Rangers and their title ambitions after Celtic defeat
A “search party” is needed to find anyone who thinks Rangers can still win the title after the defeat by Celtic at Ibrox according to the BBC’s Tom English.
Gers went ahead inside three minutes as Aaron Ramsey converted after a full-throttle start from the home team, but Tom Rogic soon equalised before Cameron Carter-Vickers capitalised on a pair of John Lundstram errors to put the Hoops ahead just before the half for a 2-1 win.
The result puts the visitors six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, with better goal difference, after a day that also saw glass bottles thrown from the crowd at Joe Hart and a member of the Bhoys’ staff.
In his BBC Sport match report English wrote: “On a day of ugliness at Ibrox, it was more a case of infirm rather than Old Firm for the defeated champions. Rangers threw the kitchen sink at Celtic, ineffectively. Some people among the Rangers support threw missiles, scandalously.
“The police are investigating. While they’re at it, they might organise a search party for anybody who still believes that this title is going anywhere other than to the east of the city. The league isn’t over, but the band is playing and the lady’s about to sing.
“There wasn’t just defeat for Rangers, there was also the aroma of £30m of Champions League loot drifting away in the breeze to contend with. And disgrace, too.”
Harsh, but fair?
It is hard to draw any other conclusion but that the SPFL crown won under Steven Gerrard last year is headed back to Parkhead.
The Champions League qualification is still on the table if Giovanni van Bronckhorst can take his side all the way in the Europa League.
Performances have been far better in Europe, but it is no sure thing.
The start yesterday (3 April) showed the sort of play that has driven the Light Blues through the knockout stages, but once they were pegged back it disappeared.
The lack of cutting edge domestically has been a problem in flatter atmospheres where Gers were expected to win.
But there were none of those excuses for an Old Firm at Ibrox yet still they struggled to trouble the opposing goal in the second half.
The fall out from the broken glass in the goal mouth and another bottle hitting a Celtic staff member is still to land.
It all contributed to a day where the home side came away looking bad, and left questions to be answered on the pitch and off.
In other Rangers news, the player ratings don’t make for easy reading for a number of players, including some usually key men.