Just when Alex McLeish thought his Rangers team had hung on for a well deserved draw, Alan Thompson stepped in to break his heart as he has done so often in the past.
The Celtic midfield player waited for Alan Hutton's headed clearance before unleashing a swirling shot which went in off the underside of the bar.
It was always going to take a special moment to break the deadlock.
Rangers lined up with only Nacho Novo playing upfront, but it was the visitors who squandered a great chance in the opening minute.
Novo's pass found Dado Prso at the edge of the box but his first touch was poor, allowing Didier Agathe to slide in and clear the danger.
The Ibrox side gave away a series of early fouls and Bobo Balde headed a Thompson free-kick across the goal but there were no takers.
Prso beat Celtic keeper David Marshall to Hutton's cross but there was no direction or power in his header.
Henri Camara had a superb chance to put the home side ahead on the 24th minute. After Stilian Petrov's powerful surge from the halfway line, Camara turned before shooting wide, though Juninho was better placed.
Gregory Vignal then lost possession on the halfway line, but Petrov was unable to get any direction on his shot.
Shota Arveladze and Alex Rae had long-range efforts which went close before Arveladze's pass was intercepted by Juninho, but the Brazilian was eventually crowded out.
Juninho went even closer in the last minute of the half. The Brazilian's first shot was blocked, but from the rebound his chip scraped over the bar with Stefan Klos stranded off his line.
Rangers brought on Peter Lovenkrands early in the second half for the ineffective Arveladze, but after Novo's shot was blocked by Stanislav Varga he placed his shot well over when more composure was called for.
John Hartson for once found space in the box, but his shot from Thompson's corner was straight at Klos.
At the other end, Rangers went so close to making a breakthrough. Hutton's superb run ended with Lovenkrands slipping the ball to Prso, but his shot was brilliantly parried by Marshall.
Balde and Varga both wasted good chances with wayward headers before Agathe surged down the right flank. From the wing-back's cross, Hutton only partially cleared under pressure from Ross Wallace and Thompson fired in the tremendous volley which swerved past Klos.
In a desperate final few minutes, Rae was unlucky to see his chip go over Marshall but drift wide.
Novo then screwed his shot wide from six yards, but Celtic again took the spoils with their seventh successive victory over their greatest rivals.