Dujon Sterling ‘to be talked about forever’ at Rangers after what happened v Celtic
Dujon Sterling may not dominate headlines after Rangers earned a dramatic 3-2 win against Celtic at Parkhead on Sunday, but he was certainly one of the standout performers.
Rangers started the game on the front foot and reaped the rewards for it as they went ahead through Nicolas Raskin just four minutes after kick-off, while Mohamed Diomande doubled the lead later on in the first half.
However, any comfort Barry Ferguson’s side had was quashed early in the second half as Daizen Maeda halved Celtic’s deficit in the 49th minute.
With the visitors shellshocked by the goal, Celtic smelled blood and it did not take long for Reo Hatate to grab the equaliser.
Brendan Rodgers’ then turned their attention towards taking the lead for the first time in the game, only for Hamza Igamane to silence the Parkhead crowd with an 88th-minute winner.
Stephen Thomspon wowed by Sterling
The game was not short of talking points, but one standout moment was when Sterling somehow got back on the goal line to deny Maeda just before half-time.
Stephen Thompson was among those on BBC Radio Scotland’s live commentary who were blown away by the clearance, which he described as “absolutely phenomenal”.
The former Light Blues ace recalled how Tyrone Mings became a talking point for days after pulling off a similar clearance in Aston Villa’s 3-1 UEFA Europa League win against Club Brugge on 4 March before adding that Rangers fans will talk about Sterling in that way “forever”.
“That is phenomenal! Absolutely phenomenal!”, Thompson said on BBC Radio Scotland (16 March, 1:13 pm).
“I think it was Tyrone Mings who did it the other week in the European game and we talked about it for a week solid.
“The Rangers fans are going to talk about this forever.
“That is amazing because it’s a tap-in. It’s a simple tap-in if he didn’t get that touch.”
Sterling numbers in Celtic v Rangers
While the result will not have any impact on the title race as Celtic still sit 13 points clear, Ferguson and Co can take pride in claiming all three points at Parkhead, and the same goes for Sterling and his performance.
The former Chelsea defender produced a fine display in his right centre-back position, registering nine defensive actions, including that goalline clearance, in total [FotMob].
| Minutes | Defensive Actions | Tackles Won | Ground Duels Won | Aerial Duels Won | Accurate Passes |
| 82 | 9 | 2/3 | 4/5 | 1/1 | 14/19 |
He won two of the three tackles he attempted and was not even dribbled past by a Celtic player once, although he was booked for a cynical foul in the first half.
Sterling also won four of his five ground duels, while winning his only such attempt in the air.
In the meantime, the 25-year-old was not as involved in possession, registering 33 touches and completing 14 of his only 19 passes.