Celtic vs Rangers finished 0-1, but the scoreline barely covered how much better Rangers were. They put eight shots on target from 15 attempts, while Celtic managed one from five. R. Naderi scored the winner in the 33rd minute, Rangers had another goal ruled out in the second half, and Martin O’Neill now heads into the international break after three straight defeats.

The numbers matched the eye test

This was not a derby Rangers survived. They controlled it.

Naderi settled the game in the 33rd minute after Viljami Sinisalo parried Kim Min-su’s effort into his path. The finish was simple, but the move summed up the afternoon. Rangers got bodies forward, forced a save, then reacted first.

They kept doing that. Derek McInnes told sportsmole.co.uk: "Really pleased, we had to deliver a big performance and we did exactly that. It's not easy coming here, the circumstances you're under and what you face."

That reading holds up. Rangers finished with eight shots on target and Celtic had only one. Sinisalo still made six saves, which tells its own story about how often Celtic were opened up. The home side never built enough pressure to make the game feel properly under threat for long spells.

Even the one moment O’Neill could point to came just before the goal. Kieran Tierney hit the bar around 90 seconds before Rangers went up the other end and scored. O’Neill, quoted by sportsmole.co.uk, said: "Kieran hits the bar just about 90 seconds before they score. Things like that there when the game is tight can change."

It is a fair detail, but it does not really rescue Celtic's overall display. Chris Sutton, quoted by sportsmole.co.uk, put it more bluntly: "I don't like to disagree with Martin, but it wasn't a close game."

Rangers nearly had the margin their performance deserved. Olwethu Makhanya thought he had made it 2-0 in the 75th minute, although the timing is reported as 74th or 75th in different places, only for VAR to rule it out for handball in the buildup. McInnes had reason to feel his side should have finished with more than one goal.

Celtic's week has turned ugly

A single derby defeat can happen. This one lands differently because it followed Celtic's 0-1 loss to Rangers in the League Cup last weekend and the 0-1 defeat to Ferencvaros on Thursday.

That leaves O’Neill trying to calm the situation while the pressure clearly rises. He told sportsmole.co.uk: "We're still two points clear in the league. We have an international break coming up now and it's a time just to reflect on the start of the season, see where we are positioned and get on from there."

The two-point lead is real, but the trend is poor. This was Celtic's first league loss of the season, yet it also means they have won only one of their last 11 matches against Rangers in normal time across all competitions. In a fixture that shapes mood as much as standings, that record is a serious problem.

Neil Lennon, quoted by sportsmole.co.uk, said: "Rangers were far the superior team. They played all the football." That is hard to argue with when Celtic produced only five attempts all afternoon.

Selection and shape did not help O’Neill either. McInnes said Celtic "came in with a back five, filled the middle of the pitch" and that Rangers settled once their strikers began linking the play. From Celtic's side, there was little fluency and not much support for the back line. Auston Trusty and the rest of the defence spent too much of the game reacting.

McInnes has Rangers looking like the stronger side

This result also stretches Rangers' winning run to six in all competitions, with five clean sheets in that spell. So while the derby score was narrow, it fits a broader run of control rather than a one-off performance.

McInnes has also moved into rare company. He is only the second Rangers manager to win both of his first two Old Firm derbies, after Graeme Souness in 1986. That is a strong early marker, especially as these were not scrappy wins built on luck.

Naderi's display captured the wider balance of the game. He got the decisive goal and was the best-rated player on the pitch at 7.8. Celtic had more than 60,000 home fans behind them, but Rangers looked calmer, more direct and more dangerous for most of the afternoon.

O’Neill now has the international break to find a response before Celtic travel to Motherwell on October 10. Rangers go into that pause with a 0-1 derby win, a disallowed second goal, and an 8-1 shots-on-target edge that leaves very little room for argument.

FAQ

Why are people saying Rangers dominated Celtic even though it ended 1-0?

The scoreline stayed narrow, but Rangers controlled the game in the areas that usually decide a derby. They had eight shots on target from 15 attempts, while Celtic managed one on target from five. Ryan Naderi scored the winner in the 33rd minute, Rangers also had a second goal ruled out by VAR in the 75th minute, and even Celtic voices like Chris Sutton and Neil Lennon said it was not a close game.

How much pressure is Martin O’Neill under after the Old Firm defeat?

The pressure has clearly increased because this was Celtic’s third straight defeat. They had already lost 3-0 to Rangers in the League Cup and 3-1 to Ferencvaros before this 1-0 league loss. O’Neill said the international break gives Celtic time to reflect, but the defeat also cut their lead to two points and extended a poor recent run against Rangers.

What did Ryan Naderi do in Celtic vs Rangers?

Naderi scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute after Viljami Sinisalo parried Kim Min-su’s effort. He also finished as the best-rated player on the pitch with a 7.8 rating. His goal was enough to settle a game in which Rangers created far more than Celtic.

Has Derek McInnes made history with Rangers in the Old Firm derby?

Yes. McInnes became only the second Rangers manager to win both of his first two Old Firm derbies, after Graeme Souness in 1986. It is a strong marker early in his spell, especially because this latest win was backed by a clear shot advantage and came during Rangers’ six-match winning run.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →