Rangers 0 Celtic 1
A stunning, if slightly deflected, strike from John Hartson 20 seconds into the second half gave Celtic victory in the opening Old Firm derby of the season and lifted them above Rangers to the top of the Scottish Premier League.
The Hoops were worth the three points they ended up taking from a tired-looking Rangers side that failed to create any decent chances.
Hartson always seems to be at the centre of something memorable on derby day, be it a goal or a penalty miss, and today he was responsible for smashing Rangers' 100 per cent start to the season.
The game was no classic however but Celtic, ever mindful of their rivals' weary bodies following a long haul back from Greece in midweek, will simply regard this as a job well done.
All the best opportunities belonged to the visitors, with Alan Thompson the first to force Stefan Klos into a save in the 10th minute.
Rangers' first half was summed up by a 45th-minute booking for Zura Khizanishvili, who hauled Petrov down to halt a swift counter-attack.
Craig Moore, who had only had a game and a half following six weeks out with a hamstring problem, did not return after the break, so Maurice Ross came on at right back and Khizanishvili went into the centre.
And within 20 seconds the new-look defence found itself breached by an extraordinary Hartson effort.
The Welshman had been involved in the build-up but when he received the ball from Larsson on the right hand side of the box few were expecting the resulting shot that beat Klos and went in off the crossbar despite the angle. A deflection off Khizanishvili had seemingly helped deceive the goalkeeper.
Rangers best chance of the second half came from Celtic's Stanislav Varga, who headed over his own goalkeeper in the final minute and on to the roof of the net.
It was Celtic's third successive Old Firm win and the second on the trot at Ibrox. It is also four seasons since Rangers have won the opening Old Firm derby and though the journey back from Greece is a valid explanation for their tepid performance it is not an excuse as, as every Celtic fan would be quick to point out, Celtic had won in April after making a similar return from Portugal.
PA