Chris Sutton hammers John Souttar after key Celtic moment v Rangers
Rangers may not have anything left for which to play other than pride this season, but a sentiment like that simply does not register when it comes to the Old Firm.
In the final Glasgow derby of the campaign (4 May), Celtic turned up at Ibrox looking to dig another nail in on their contrasting seasons, while Rangers were seeking successive derby victories under Barry Ferguson.
Cyriel Dessers gave Gers the lead before the break, having already been denied when Nico Raskin was adjudged to have been offside when he headed home.
Adam Idah equalised in the second half for Celtic with a deflected strike, as Chris Sutton dug out Gers defender John Souttar – off whom the ball took the final touch.
Sutton calls out Souttar defending v Celtic
Former Celtic forward Sutton pulled no punches when he criticised Rangers ace Souttar for his part in the Idah goal, which was initially ruled out and then allowed after a VAR check.
The initial shout was that Daizen Maeda was offside down the left flank in the build-up, but the review deemed him to be level with the play.
Maeda evaded James Tavernier and punted forward a heavy touch before Souttar’s attempted clearance deflected back into danger off the Japanese international.
Idah then picked the ball up and fired a shot towards Liam Kelly’s goal on the turn, deflecting into the net off an unfortunate repositioned Souttar.
Sutton said live on Sky Sports co-commentary (4 May, 13:20): “Adam Idah just goes for power. It’s that run of Daizen Maeda, and my first impression was he’d gone slightly early. But you see with the cut of the lines he was played onside.
“Souttar should do better. [It’s a ] clever little touch from Idah and then the strike. Questions are whether Maeda is in Liam Kelly’s eye-line – I don’t think he is.
“It takes a deflection off Souttar. He’ll be really disappointed on the way he’s defended there on a couple of occasions and Celtic are level.”
Rangers have three to go as Ferguson makes case to 49ers
Rangers supporters, knowing their side have been isolated in second place in the Scottish Premiership for such an extended period, have been fixated on their side’s takeover push.
The American consortium propped up by 49ers Enterprises, set to imminently become the new regime at Ibrox, will ideally bring Rangers back to the competitive edge they have long shared with Celtic.
Ferguson has had a rollercoaster short-term stint in charge since replacing Philippe Clement back in February, which has included a win at Celtic Park and the overcoming of Jose Mourinho in Europe; it has also witnessed some disappointing home defeats in the league.
| Rangers – final fixtures | Date |
| Aberdeen (H) | 11 May |
| Dundee United (H) | 14 May |
| Hibernian (A) | 17 May |
Gretar Steinsson, a senior 49ers director, is said to have been speaking to potential candidates to occupy the dugout at Ibrox next season – but Ferguson has three more games to stake his own claim.
There are two more fixtures in Govan approaching, against Aberdeen and Dundee United, followed by the trip across to Edinburgh to face Hibernian for the league finale (17 May).