Glasgow Rangers rally in six-goal Old Firm thriller
Rangers scored three second-half goals as they came from behind to defeat ten-men Celtic 4-2 at Ibrox to move four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League.
|Last Updated: Sep 18, 2011, 09:23 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Glassgow: Rangers scored three second-half goals as they came from behind to defeat ten-men Celtic 4-2 at Ibrox to move four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League.
Steven Naismith opened the scoring at Ibrox in the 22nd minute with a superb shot before Gary Hooper fired Celtic level in the 34th minute.
Allan McGregor had gone into the game on the back of five consecutive clean sheets but the keeper was at fault when he allowed Moroccan Badr El Kaddouri`s soft effort from 25 yards to slip through his legs to hand the Hoops a half-time advantage.
Nikica Jelavic headed Rangers level seven minutes after the break before Lafferty, who had already had an effort chopped off for offside, fired Rangers ahead in the 67th minute.
Charlie Mulgrew saw red for his second bookable offence in the 75th minute before Naismith got his second in injury time as Rangers continued their unbeaten start to the campaign.
"I didn`t think there was an awful lot between the teams in the first-half. I`m not sure we deserved to go in 2-1 down but that`s what we were faced with," said Rangers manager Ally McCoist, who was delighted to win his first Old Firm match in charge.
"We asked the boys for a reaction in the second-half and boy did we get it."
Meanwhile, opposite number Neil Lennon was disappointed with his side`s second-half performance.
"We didn`t compete and it was almost as if the players had gone out in the second-half thinking the game was won," the Celtic boss said.
"When you play in these games you have to earn the right to play. We did that first-half but in the second-half we lost the physical battle."
Naismith gave Rangers the lead with his first Old Firm goal, lashing an unstoppable shot into the top left-hand corner with the outside of his right foot after latching on to a poor Kelvin Wilson clearance.
The Rangers defence had rarely looked under pressure before a cool finish from Hooper brought the visitors level on 34 minutes.
Scott Brown played Hooper in with a neat pass and the Englishman sent a low angled shot from ten yards into the bottom left-hand corner.
Rangers stopper McGregor had gone 558 minutes without conceding before Hooper`s goal but a blunder from the keeper handed Celtic a 41st-minute lead when he somehow allowed El Kaddoouri`s low drive from 25 yards to wriggle through his legs on the goal-line.
The home side almost found themselves level just 42 seconds after the restart when Steven Davis sent a volley from 20 yards crashing off the crossbar.
Lafferty then had the ball in the net after great link-up play involving Naismith and Jelavic but the Northern Irishman`s sidefooted effort was wrongly ruled out for offside.
But Rangers` determined start to the second-half paid off in the 54th minute when Jelavic equalised, heading a Davis corner down into the ground and up into the roof of the net.
The Ibrox side should have found themselves ahead two minutes later when Wylde picked out Lafferty in the box but the forward headed over from six yards, and Lafferty had an even better chance moments later when he latched onto El Kaddouri`s slack headed backpass only to poke his effort wide.
El Kaddouri immediately made way for Anthony Stokes before Glenn Loovens saw his header from Mulgrew`s corner smack off the base of the post. Lafferty finally got his goal in the 67th minute.
Jelavic`s header from Wylde`s cross was stopped but Lafferty reacted quickest and saw his initial shot blocked before making room to fire a low shot past Forster at the second attempt.
Mulgrew, who had been booked for a late challenge on Naismith in the first-half, was given his marching orders in the 75th minute for a second bookable offence when he scythed down Davis.
Naismith made sure of the points in injury time when he got on the end of Davis` cross to tap home from close range.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.