Rangers piled the pressure on Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy with a stunning 3-1 comeback win at Parkhead in Saturday’s Old Firm derby.
Celtic took the lead in the 20th minute as Hyun-jun Yang breezed past a statuesque Rangers defence and blasted past goalkeeper Jack Butland. It was a deserved reward for the hosts as they completely dominated the first half, limiting their fierce rivals to only sporadic moments of pressure.
The second half, however, was a completely different story. Rangers were level just five minutes after the break as Youssef Chermiti converted a Nicolas Raskin cross from close range. Chermiti then doubled his tally nine minutes later to give his side the lead, catching Anthony Ralston in possession and charging in on goal to beat Kasper Schmeichel one-on-one.
Celtic Park was then left in stunned silence as Rangers completed the job in the 71st minute, with Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore dispatching an accomplished finish beyond Schmiechel after the visitors had completely outbattled their hosts.
Wilfried Nancy on the brink
Nancy was already in deep trouble before this match, with former Celtic striker Chris Sutton saying before the match that he’d struggled to find a supporter who actually wanted him at the club.
Now, the Frenchman truly is on the brink.
Celtic have now lost six of their eight matches under Nancy, and while the League Cup final defeat to St. Mirren was painful, this one will be utter agony.
It’s the first time Celtic have failed to win this season when leading at home at half-time, while also allowing Rangers to go ahead of them on 173 all-time Old Firm wins.
Any hopes of Celtic overtaking Rangers’ 55 league titles for the first time since the 1920s now look in tatters for this season. Hearts are top, Rangers are in the ascendancy, and Celtic are sinking like a stone.
A big few days lie ahead of the powers that be at Parkhead after a derby in which they were totally outfought by their rivals.
Rangers resilience reignites title tilt
In years past, Rangers would have folded under the pressure applied to them by Celtic in the first half.
The Gers were outshot 11-4 in the opening 45 minutes, managing just 0.25 xG and seven touches in the opposition box, compared to 0.71 and 14, respectively, from Celtic.
But the response in the second half was truly remarkable, and a great sign of just how much they’re growing under Danny Rohl, whose direction of travel in a Glasgow dugout could not be more contrasting to Nancy’s.
From Chermiti’s finishing to Moore’s trickery, not to mention the sheer battling quality shown by the likes of Nicolas Raskin and Connor Barron, Rangers flipped the script in the second half.
Rangers are now five unbeaten in the league against Celtic and have won back-to-back league games at Parkhead for the first time since 2020. However, the manner of this result felt different to those that came before.
It was a statement from Rangers, who are well and truly back in this title race.
Scottish title race standings after Celtic 1-3 Rangers
Hearts remain in the driving seat, three points clear of the Old Firm duo with a game in hand.
But while they will have been thrilled to see Celtic lose again, they’ll be looking nervously over their shoulders at a Rangers side looking increasingly menacing.
All three sides still have to face each other, so there are plenty of twists and turns to come in this most memorable of Scottish title races.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
| 1 | Hearts | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | +21 | 41 |
| 2 | Celtic | 20 | 12 | 2 | 6 | +13 | 38 |
| 3 | Rangers | 20 | 10 | 8 | 2 | +13 | 38 |
Next fixtures:
- Hearts: Livingston (H) – 03/01/26
- Celtic: Dundee Utd (H) – 10/01/26
- Rangers: Aberdeen (H) – 06/01/26