Manager Alex McLeish suffered his first ‘Old Firm’ defeat at Celtic Park earlier today – Rangers going down to a John Hartson goal in a game where the brawn and muscle of Celtic overcame the skill and class of Rangers.
There was no Ronald De Boer or Arthur Numan in the Rangers’ team, although Peter Lovenkrands did return after injury, the Dane lining up wide on the right with Neil McCann on the left.
Chris Sutton wasted no time in nullifying the threat of Barry Ferguson in the tenth minute – hauling the Ibrox Captain down with a heavy tackle that would eliminate Ferguson for the next thirty minutes.
Incredibly Referee Mike McCurry awarded the foul, but took no action against Sutton.
Sixty seconds later Sutton was up to his old tricks, backing into Lorenzo Amoruso, and as usual getting away with it.
Hartson passed up a golden opportunity to open the scoring in thirteen minutes when he sliced wide an Alan Thompson corner that for some unaccountable reason was taken twice.
Referee Mike McCurry – obviously wary of giving any decision against Celtic for fear of having his windows broken again – yellow-carded Fernando Ricksen and Craig Moore in quick succession, yet allowed Sutton to carry on with his backing into defenders regardless.
Thus Rangers knew that they were up against not just Celtic but their cheating tactics as well.
The visitors’ first chance duly arrived in 27 minutes when Mikel Arteta’s drive from a Neil McCann lay-off flashed just wide of the target.
Another example of what Rangers were up against was illustrated on the half-hour when Stilian Petrov drove a 25-yard effort well wide. It was clearly a goal-kick to Rangers, yet Referee McCurry awarded a corner on the say-so of the Celtic players who appealed.
Three minutes later Neil McCann’s cross found Ricksen whose net-bound shot was blocked by Bobo Balde.
With the first-half drawing to a close Celtic applied some pressure, although the closest they came to a goal was Paul Lambert’s deflected 18-yard shot that flew over.
The half ended with a bad taste in the mouth when Thompson blatantly dived under a challenge from Craig Moore. The referee was unmoved, yet took no action against the Celtic player.
Seconds before the interval the cheat Sutton was at last yellow-carded (35 minutes too late) for a foul on Amoruso – and incredibly had to be dragged away from the referee as he continued to loudly berate the official. Without question Sutton’s dissent should have meant a second yellow card and subsequent red, but once again McCurry was too frightened of the safety of his home and family to take the appropriate action.
"Same old Celtic – always cheating" sang the Rangers’ fans, and it was hard to argue.
Celtic restarted on the offensive with Hartson again missing a clear goal-scoring opportunity five minutes in when he headed wide Thompson’s corner.
Lovenkrands had been mostly posted absent throughout the proceedings, yet might have done better in 56 minutes when clear in on goal from a Barry Ferguson pass only to see his shot held by Rab Douglas.
The defining moment of the match however – and perhaps of the season – arrived two minutes later when Mikel Arteta broke free with both Lovenkrands and McCann free on his left. The Spaniard dallied too long however, and when the move was broken up Celtic broke swiftly – the cheat Sutton finding Hartson with a header which his fellow Englishman blasted home.
Alex McLeish made two brave – if perhaps foolhardy – substitutions when he replaced Jerome Bonnissel and Mikel Arteta with Steven Thomson and Claudio Caniggia.
Lovenkrands switched from right to left with McCann dropping deeper.
There was yet again another "home security" decision in favour of Celtic in 77 minutes when Lovenkrands was upended by Momo Sylla – the Celtic substitute escaping scot-free.
Rangers were now doing all the pressing, and were almost caught on the break yet again in 80 minutes when Paul Lambert freed Sutton wide on the right and was inches away from the cheat’s low cross.
Douglas was being tested more and more in the closing stages – holding Arveladze’s twenty-yard drive from a McCann pass in 83 minutes.
There was a rare appearance for Bert Konterman sixty seconds later when he replaced Maurice Ross.
Rangers’ final opportunity to salvage something from the game arrived in 89 minutes when Amoruso’s 25-yard free-kick produced a superb diving save from Douglas.
CELTIC Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Agathe (Sylla 34), Lennon, Petrov (McNamara 84, Lambert, Thompson; Sutton, Hartson
UNUSED SUBS Broto, Maloney, Crainey
RANGERS Klos; Ross (Konterman 84), Moore, Amoruso, Bonnissel (Thompson 68); Ricksen, Ferguson, Arteta (Caniggia 74), McCann; Lovenkrands, Arveladze
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Malcolm
REFEREE Mike McCurry