Celtic vs. Rangers result: Bhoys put four past Gers in one-sided Old Firm derby

Graham Ruthven

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Celtic vs. Rangers result: Bhoys put four past Gers in one-sided Old Firm derby image

Celtic dominated the first Old Firm derby of the season as they hammered Rangers 4-0 to open up a five-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Ange Postecoglou's team were on top from start to finish as Rangers failed to handle the intensity and speed of their fiercest rivals. The match was effectively over at halftime when Celtic already had a 3-0 advantage.

Liel Abada opened the scoring after just eight minutes, peeling away from his marker to finish inside the box, and Celtic doubled their advantage after the half-hour when Jota chipped over Jon McLaughlin.

Abada added his second, and Celtic's third, before the interval as the home side out-ran, out-fought and out-played a flustered Rangers team.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst made an attacking change at halftime, but this did little to stop Celtic who added a fourth after 78 minutes when David Turnbull finished underneath McLaughlin following an error by the Rangers goalkeeper.

Kyogo Furuhashi suffered a shoulder injury after just three minutes, making him a doubt for Celtic's Champions League opener against Real Madrid next week, but that was the only negative for the Hoops.

Celtic vs. Rangers final result

  1H 2H Final
Celtic 3 4 4
Rangers 0 0 0

Goals:

CEL - Liel Abada - 8th min.

CEL - Jota - 32nd min.

CEL - Liel Abada - 41st min.

CEL - David Turnbull - 78th min.

Celtic's attack on fire

Celtic have now won all of their first six Scottish Premiership fixtures this season and have scored 25 times in the process. They could have been knocked from their stride after the early loss of Kyogo to injury, but the Hoops were still in devastating form as they put four goals past their rivals.

Abada's movement makes him such a danger in the opposition penalty area with Jota a threat as a creator and a finisher. Celtic also had Giorgios Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda to bring off the bench to keep the intensity of their play high in the second half. This was a show of attacking strength.

McLaughlin has Old Firm nightmare

Rangers played poorly and deserved what they got. However, questions will be asked of McLaughlin after a shaky performance by the goalkeeper. Indeed, he might have done better with the first three goals, all of which were struck through the 34-year-old, and the fourth goal was fully pinned on him.

Celtic force defenders and goalkeepers into difficult decisions on the ball due to their high-pressing style, but McLaughlin still should have found a Rangers teammate with his pass out from the back. Rangers made the decision not to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window. They might regret that now.

Celtic ready for the Champions League

Celtic were so dominant in this match that Postecoglou could have been forgiven for casting one eye to next week's Champions League group stage opener against Real Madrid. On the basis of this performance, the Scottish champions are ready for the highest level of the European game.

Postecoglou will have to adopt a more conservative approach to earn results in the Champions League, but Celtic have the talent to make an impression on the competition. The Hoops will want to have Kyogo back and fit enough to feature against Real Madrid. His absence would be a blow.

MORE: Ange Postecoglou breaks Celtic record in mammoth win as he shows ruthless side

90+2 mins: FULL TIME: Celtic 4-0 Rangers. What a performance by Celtic. They were dominant from start to finish and the final scoreline reflects this. The most damning thing for Rangers is that it could have been more than just four, it was that one-sided.

90 mins: There will be two minutes of stoppage time played at the end of the match.

89 mins: BOOKED - Goldson and Giakoumakis. Goldson is shown a yellow card for a cynical foul on Maeda to stop a counter and Giakoumakis is booked for his reaction.

88 mins: Tipped away by Hart! Tavernier clips a freekick delivery into the box, Goldson gets on the end of it with a header, but Hart tips it round the post.

85 mins: Sakala elects to take on two or three Celtic defenders inside the box on his own, but he's crowded out in the end and that pretty much sums up how Rangers have played this match. No cohesion, no sign of a system. Celtic, on the other hand, have played like a team.

82 mins: There will be a real inquest after this result and performance by Rangers. They have been dreadfully poor. This will put Celtic five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

78 mins: GOAL! Celtic 4 (78' Turnbull) Rangers 0 - What a gift! McLaughlin passes the ball straight to Turnbull and the Celtic midfielder slots the finish underneath the Rangers goalkeeper who only has himself to blame for that one! A real shocker!

78 mins: Rangers subs - Lundstram and Kent OFF, Jack and Sakala ON

77 mins: Juranovic... over the bar! The space opened up for Juranovic 20 yards out from goal, but the Celtic right back scooped his finish over the target!

75 mins: Celtic play out from a difficult position in the middle of the pitch with Mooy spraying a pass out to the right. The ball comes in from the wing, but Sands makes the intervention. Giakoumakis is desperate to add his name to the score sheet!

72 mins: Celtic subs - O'Riley, Hatate and Abada OFF, Turnbull, Mooy and Maeda ON

71 mins: Morelos drags it wide! The pass is played over the top for the Rangers striker, the angle was tight for Morelos and he drags it well wide of the far post, much to the delight of the Celtic support. Morelos isn't a popular figure in the east end of Glasgow!

70 mins: Celtic are having to do some defending here as Rangers try to find a way back into this match, but the home team still feel relatively comfortable. Rangers have been very toothless in the attacking third so far this afternoon.

68 mins: Barisic, not for the first time in this match, gets a good delivery into the box from the left side, but Morelos and Wright get in each other's way and the opportunity disappears for Rangers.

64 mins: Hatate picks up the ball in the centre circle, turns and drives towards goal. Rangers are slow to close him down, but the Celtic midfielder slices high and wide of the target when he might have tested McLaughlin.

62 mins: Celtic have dropped their intensity in this second half and so it wouldn't be surprising to see Postecoglou make some changes to his team. The Australian has a good number of options on the bench.

60 mins: Rangers subs - Colak and Tillman OFF, Morelos and Arfield ON. Van Bronckhorst makes two changes and Morelos is back on the pitch for Rangers for the first time after he was controversially left out of the squad for the match against PSV Eindhoven.

57 mins: Celtic sub - Starfelt OFF, Jenz ON. There's the change we were expecting and Jenz will play the final 30 minutes or so of this match.

55 mins: BOOKING - Starfelt. Starfelt has actually just received a booking for his tackle in an incident earlier in the play, but it now seems that the Celtic centre back will have to come off. He's picked up an injury.

54 mins: Starfelt is down and it looks like his match might be over. Celtic have sent Jenz to warm up and it seems likely that a change will be made.

51 mins: Colak has the opportunity to stretch the pitch on the break, but he gets no help from his Rangers teammates and Celtic crowd out the Croatian striker.

48 mins: Celtic played at an incredible level in the first 45 minutes. There was intensity and purpose to their play, but can they keep that up for the full 90 minutes? Rangers have to hope that there will be a window of opportunity for them in this second half.

46 mins: The second half is under way! Rangers have made a change - Wright is on for Kamara. That's an attacking change!

45+2 mins: HALF TIME: Celtic 2-0 Rangers. Celtic have been incredible in this first half. They have played the match at a much higher tempo than their rivals. Abada has two and Jota has one. This match might be over already!

45 mins: There will be two minutes of stoppage time played at the end of the first half.

43 mins: BOOKING - Carter-Vickers. The referee pulls back the play for a foul by Carter-Vickers on Kent and the American is shown a yellow card.

41 mins: GOAL! Celtic 3 (41' Jota) Rangers 0 - It's a third! Taylor has the time and space on the left side to get a ball into the middle, it finds Abada at the back post and the Celtic winger scores through the legs of McLaughlin! The Hoops are flying in this first half!

40 mins: JOTA... saved! That was a huge opportunity for Celtic to score a third after they win the ball back in the middle of the pitch, but McLaughlin makes an important save with his legs to prevent the Portuguese winger from finding the back of the net!

39 mins: Giakoumakis pulls a ball into the danger area for someone at the back post to attack, but Jota can't convert it and Rangers get away with one. Celtic have played this first half at a very high pace!

37 mins: Colak heads over! The Rangers striker gets up high to attack a cross into the six yard box, but he couldn't get over it and Colak guides his effort over the target! He has had two decent opportunities to score now.

35 mins: Once again, Rangers were made to pay for switching off at the back with the second goal. They were slow to react to the freekick from Celtic and Jota took the opportunity he was presented with.

32 mins: GOAL! Celtic 2 (32' Jota) Rangers 0 - What a finish! O'Riley plays a quick freekick in behind for Jota, the angle is tight for the Portuguese winger, but he still manages to chip a neat finish over McLaughlin and into the back of the net! Lovely stuff!

31 mins: Celtic had Rangers on the ropes for a period in this match, but the away team look more comfortable now. Celtic still have so much quality in the attack, though. Rangers need to be wary about leaving space in behind.

28 mins: Rangers come forward down the right side, the ball is played back to Lundstram, he had time to line up the shot, but it's wild from the midfielder and the ball flies a long way over the target. The tempo of the match has dropped slightly in the last five minutes.

25 mins: The match has been played at 100mph so far. Celtic have been the better team, but Rangers are starting to settle and might have found the back of the net with that Colak chance.

22 mins: Colak opportunity! Good play down the left side by Barisic, the full back whips an excellent ball into the middle and Colak rises highest, but he could only glance wide. That was similar to the chance Giakoumakis had for Celtic not so long ago!

19 mins: BOOKING - Barisic. There's the first yellow card of the match and it's shown to Barisic for pulling back Abada.

18 mins: Big chance! O'Riley plays a wonderful cross into the middle for Giakoumakis, but the Celtic striker gets underneath it and can only glance wide of the target when he probably should have found the back of the net. That was a let-off for Rangers!

15 mins: Now Rangers have an injury concern with Lundstram down on the ground and receiving some attention from the medical staff. The midfielder is so important to this Rangers team. He would be a big loss!

14 mins: Abada goes to ground inside the Rangers penalty area, but the referee says there wasn't enough contact from Kent. There was contact, though! Kent never really made a challenge, though.

12 mins: Kent tries to force his way into a scoring position inside the box, but Carter-Vickers comes across and makes sure that the Rangers winger doesn't make any further progress. 

8 mins: GOAL! Celtic 1 (8' Abada) Rangers 0 - Celtic have struck early, but it's a controversial one! Rangers believe they should have had the throw-in, but Celtic take it quickly, O'Riley plays the ball into the middle and Abada has peeled away from his marker to finish!

7 mins: Celtic are renowned for their high pressing under Postecoglou, but it's actually Rangers who are applying the early pressure. They are making it difficult for the home team to find their flow on the ball. The match hasn't settled down yet.

5 mins: Celtic sub - Kyogo OFF, Giakoumakis ON. Indeed, Kyogo isn't able to continue and Giakoumakis comes on in his place. A solid replacement, but that's an early blow to the Hoops.

3 mins: Early concern for Celtic here as Kyogo is down and holding his shoulder. He clashed with Lundstram in the first minute and this isn't looking good for the Japanese forward. He might have to go off!

1 min: The match is under way! Celtic and Rangers are both in their familiar kits. 

5 mins to KO: The two teams are walking out on to the pitch in the east end of Glasgow. What a noise! What an atmosphere! This should be a good one. These two teams have scored 48 goals between them this season!

10 mins to KO: Not long until kick off at Celtic Park. A victory for the home team would put them in control of the title race at the top of the Scottish Premiership. A Rangers win would put them one point ahead of their rivals.

20 mins to KO: Celtic have an extremely dangerous attack and Kyogo will be the main dangerman. The Japanese striker has scored six goals in the Scottish Premiership this season. Rangers will have a job on their hands to keep him quiet today.

30 mins to KO: Morelos is back in the Rangers matchday squad after a recent disciplinary and fitness issue, but the Colombian striker only makes the bench. Instead, it's Colak who starts up front for the away side. The Croatian has scored four goals in his last four games!

40 mins to KO: This is a rivalry where temperatures run high. The Rangers support have been inside Celtic Park since 10.30am - two hours before kick off! They were given a police escort into the stadium.

50 mins to KO: Both teams have been scoring for fun in recent weeks. The only points either side has dropped was when Rangers drew away to Hibernian. These two rivals are strong at this particular moment. Rangers haven't won at Celtic Park for two years, though!

60 mins to KO: Rangers XI - McLaughlin (GK) - Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic - Kamara, Lundstram, Davis - Tillman, Kent, Colak.

Kamara starts in the centre of midfield for Rangers. Van Bronckhorst wants his team to control this match in the middle of the pitch.

65 mins to KO: Celtic XI - Hart (GK) - Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor - McGregor, O’Riley, Hatate - Jota, Abada, Kyogo.

Postecoglou has stuck with the same team that put nine goals past Dundee United last weekend. This is a team with a lot of attacking talent! They will look to take the game to Rangers.

75 mins to KO: Rangers have arrived at the home of their historic rivals. Van Bronckhorst's team are in good form having put four goals past Ross County last weekend. There's just two points between Celtic and Rangers at the top of the table.

90 mins to KO: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' LIVE coverage of the Scottish Premiership fixture between Celtic and Rangers. This is the first Old Firm derby of the season and there is plenty on the line for both teams. The outcome of this match could set the tone for the whole season.

Celtic vs. Rangers lineups

Postecoglou is still without Japan international Yosuke Ideguchi through injury and the Australian coach has kept changes to a minimum based on their winning streak in August.

Ten players have started their five games this season with Reo Hatate handed a starting spot after netting twice against Rangers last term.

Celtic lineup (4-3-3): Hart (GK) - Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor - McGregor, O’Riley, Hatate - Jota, Abada, Kyogo.

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has an unchanged injury picture ahead of the trip across Glasgow with Ianis Hagi and Filip Helander both sidelined.

Glen Kamara returns to the Rangers midfield, but there's still no place for Ryan Jack who continues to suffer through injuries.

Rangers lineup (4-2-3-1): McLaughlin (GK) - Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic - Kamara, Lundstram, Davis - Tillman, Kent, Colak.

MORE: Celtic Champions League group draw 2022/23: Potential teams, fixtures, schedule, history and odds to advance

How to watch Celtic vs. Rangers

  UK USA Canada Australia
TV channel Sky Sports Main Event/Football CBS Sports Network — beIN SPORTS 2
Streaming Sky GO/NOW TV Paramount+ Celtic TV beIN SPORTS CONNECT/Celtic TV

UK: The Old Firm derby can be watched on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, and streamed via Sky GO or NOW TV.

USA: You can watch on TV through CBS Sports Network or stream through Paramount+.

Canada: The match is not being broadcast in Canada, but Celtic TV subscribers based in the country will be able to watch the action.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on beIN SPORTS CONNECT, or watch on TV on beIN SPORTS 2. Celtic TV subscribers can also watch live.

Graham Ruthven