SPL Celtic 3 Rangers 0:THERE IS endorsing pre-match favouritism and then there is what Celtic did to their greatest rivals here. Neil Lennon used no exaggeration at all when describing this victory as "emphatic".
Celtic’s manager watched the destiny of the Scottish Premier League title – and that of his own future – move firmly into his own hands.
“This was a real acid test for our players,” said Lennon. “They have answered all questions put to them. It was a wonderful performance; I couldn’t be happier.”
Celtic’s lead at the summit has now stretched to eight points, although Rangers have played two fewer games. But it is impossible to ignore the sense that Rangers’ dismal showing is endemic of a wider picture: a fraught off-field scene at Ibrox means Walter Smith is short of personnel, certainly compared with Lennon; and the team continues to rely on the 40-year-old and creaking David Weir in central defence, a problem brutally exposed by Celtic’s attacking verve. “We deserved no better than we got,” Smith said. “I don’t think we have played that well since the turn of the year. ”
That same charge cannot be levelled at Gary Hooper. The striker has now claimed 13 league goals since moving north from Scunthorpe United, with his double here essentially settling the game within 28 minutes. Kris Commons, who has adapted seamlessly to life at Celtic since his January move from Derby County, played Hooper in for the opener, but work was still required. A superb first touch allowed Hooper to skip beyond Weir, with the ball dispatched underneath Allan McGregor.
Weir appealed in vain for offside against Emilio Izaguirre – it was the veteran centre-half himself who played the full-back on – as a sweeping move resulted in a second for Celtic and Hooper. The low, powerful cross of Izaguirre, who was watched by the Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, was knocked home at the back post by the 23-year-old.
Rangers’ token spell of promise arrived at the start of the second half, without seriously threatening a goal. Commons, however, was to earn a reward for his buoyancy with a 19-yard shot that swerved sufficiently to deceive McGregor.
Lennon insists he is taking nothing for granted in the title race. Asked if he now felt he had one hand on the silverware, the Celtic boss said: “No. Other people might say it was a pivotal day.
“We are very pleased, we are more than pleased, because that was emphatic. There are still 12 or 13 games to go in the season. In 2005, we had six or seven games left and still lost the league so there is still a lot of football to be played. It’s going to get a bit more fraught and tense between now and the end of the season and I’m hoping we have the mentality to handle that.”
However, Lennon is thrilled the destination of the title is now in Celtic’s hands after moving out of reach of Rangers for now, regardless of the results of their games in hand.
He added: “It was a wonderful performance and the team did everything we asked of them. I couldn’t be happier with them.”
Smith admited the defeat was his worst Old Firm experience since his return to the Ibrox helm in January 2007. He said: “We are better than what we showed today but give credit to Celtic as well. They capitalised on our errors to get in front and overall deserved to win. We never really started the game at all. Our defending was poor and our possession was poor.
“All in all, it was as poor a performance as we have had against Celtic since I came back. It was a poor performance from our point of view and we are disappointed about that.”
Guardian Service
CELTIC: Forster, Wilson, Majstorovic, Mulgrew, Izaguirre, Brown, Kayal (Ki 60), Ledley, Commons (Forrest 82), Samaras, Hooper (Stokes 85). Subs not used: Zaluska, Juarez, McCourt, Rogne. Booked: Kayal.
RANGERS: McGregor, Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac, Davis, Diouf (Healy 68), Bartley, Edu, Naismith (Lafferty 46), Jelavic. Subs not used: Alexander, Fleck, Foster, Weiss, Hutton. Booked: Bartley, Diouf, Bougherra, Lafferty, Weir.
Referee: Iain Brines(Scotland).
