January 3, 2025

Hagi Shines as Rangers Dominate Celtic in One-Sided Old Firm Derby Victory

Celtic’s task now is to prove that this Old Firm result is far less important than Rangers would like it to be. A quick glance at the Scottish Premiership table shows that Celtic still hold an 11-point lead over their rivals, with a significant goal difference advantage of around 20 goals. This suggests Brendan Rodgers and his team can easily recover from this defeat. However, the scale of Celtic’s incompetence in this 3-0 loss was staggering – nothing in their play seemed to function as it should.

Rangers kicked off 2025 in spectacular fashion, taking full advantage of a disoriented and disjointed Celtic side. The afternoon left many questions unanswered for Celtic, with speculation about complacency creeping in, especially considering their commanding position at the top of the league.

To his credit, Brendan Rodgers didn’t try to sugarcoat his side’s performance after the match. At half-time, he candidly told his players that they couldn’t possibly be as poor in the second half as they had been in the first. If there was any improvement, it was only marginal. In his two spells at Celtic, spanning 21 derbies, this was by far the most lackluster performance a Rodgers team has delivered against Rangers. “It wouldn’t matter if we were 50 points clear,” Rodgers remarked. “Celtic Rangers is everything for our supporters, for people everywhere. But we never played with the edge and the personality that this team is known for. We were just very passive today, which is unlike us. We were punished for that.”

Rodgers had intended to start his record signing, Arne Engels, in midfield, but the Belgian was unwell on Thursday and had to settle for a spot on the bench. While this could be chalked up to bad luck, other aspects of Celtic’s performance seemed to be of Rodgers’ own making. It was odd, for instance, that he didn’t use the physicality of Adam Idah from the start, especially against a makeshift Rangers defense.

Celtic’s goalkeeper, Liam Kelly, wasn’t tested until stoppage time in the first half. Rodgers’ decision to leave out Auston Trusty, opting instead for Liam Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the defense, also raised eyebrows. Trusty, a £6m summer signing, was brought in with the expectation that he would perform on big stages like this one. It felt strange that it took 64 minutes for Rodgers to make any substitutions. As soon as he did, however, Rangers sealed the game when Robin Pröpper netted their second goal. Game over.

Even without the illness to Engels, Trusty and Idah, who haven’t played regularly despite their hefty price tags, seemed to be underutilized given their value and potential contribution to the team.

Rangers will rightfully resist any overemphasis on Celtic’s collapse, as this victory was a crucial moment for Philippe Clement. With an atmosphere of nervous anticipation surrounding Ibrox before kick-off, fans feared another disappointing result. Rangers had a left-back playing at right-back, which only added to the unease. But Clement’s team defied the odds and secured a dominant 3-0 win, achieving the kind of triumph that surely exceeded his wildest New Year dreams.

In front of his father, the legendary Gheorghe Hagi, Ianis Hagi set the tone early. His composed finish after a lay-off from Nico Raskin was more precise than powerful, and Kasper Schmeichel had no chance as the ball nestled into the net following a costly mistake by Celtic’s Liam Scales. Raskin, in particular, had an outstanding afternoon, providing the creative spark in midfield that Rangers needed.

Celtic were already on the ropes when a deflected shot by Vaclav Cerny struck the crossbar, and shortly after, Cameron Carter-Vickers made a goal-saving challenge on Mohamed Diomande. The visitors needed half-time to regroup, but any hope of a resurgence was quickly dashed. The struggle to maintain composure was evident, and watching this unfold made Brendan Rodgers’ desire to bring Kieran Tierney back into the fold at Celtic clear to see.

Meanwhile, Raskin was everywhere, snapping at the heels of Celtic’s midfield, while Nedim Bajrami made clever runs into space to help Rangers break forward. Cerny almost scored again when his strike bounced off Schmeichel’s far post, but Celtic failed to heed the warning signs. Rangers continued to dominate, with Raskin’s header from a Cerny corner being blocked before the much-criticized Robin Pröpper sealed the win with a well-placed goal. It was only two minutes after Rodgers called for Adam Idah to enter the game that Pröpper’s strike finished the match as a contest.

Celtic never showed any signs of making Rangers sweat for their victory. In fact, the scoreline was made even more emphatic when Danilo seized on a loose ball to add a third. By that stage, Rangers’ supporters were likely lamenting the absence of a Celtic following in the stadium. After all, there was no one there to revel in the dominant performance or to offer any kind of rivalry banter. It was a one-sided affair, and the atmosphere felt somewhat deflated without the usual presence of Celtic fans to fuel the tension and excitement.

“I knew in June that this was a really, really big challenge,” said Clement. “I do it because I love this club so much – the fans and everybody in the building. This is a massive club but we’re not yet where we want to be. I want to be part of that, to get this club back to the level it needs to be.”

Clement’s challenge now is to ensure that this victory doesn’t become just a brief flash of brilliance in an otherwise inconsistent season. He must avoid falling into the trap of taking one step forward only to slip two steps back, a pattern that has plagued Rangers in recent times. On the other hand, Rodgers is left with the daunting task of analyzing how Celtic’s unbeaten domestic run was shattered in such a comprehensive manner. His professional pride will drive him to ensure that such a performance is never repeated, as he seeks to restore his side’s dominance and tackle the problems that led to this heavy defeat.

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