Rangers produced a dominant display to beat Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox and book their place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals. Derek McInnes's side were ahead through a cool finish from skipper Dan Neil, had a Nico Raskin goal disallowed, and then pulled clear after the hour when £9.5 million striker Kevin Kelsy marked his Old Firm debut with a goal. Neil added a stunning third late on to put the tie to bed.
McInnes took a gamble in the quarter-final by fielding two strikers against Martin O'Neill's men, and it paid off handsomely. Rangers controlled the derby from the first minute, pressing Celtic relentlessly and never allowing them to settle. The win was the first Old Firm success of McInnes's Rangers reign and came ahead of the Premiership clash at Celtic Park next Sunday.
First blood to Rangers
Many have said this Old Firm double-header inside a week could define the campaign for both clubs, and Rangers have put down a considerable marker with this convincing cup win. For McInnes, it felt like a huge moment in his managerial tenure at Ibrox.
His side were on top from the start and didn't give Celtic a second to breathe. He outfoxed O'Neill tactically, and his players delivered a performance that earned them a deserved semi-final spot at Hampden. Despite winning four on the bounce coming into the derby, McInnes was under pressure to beat their Glasgow rivals on their own patch. He couldn't have asked for any more from his team, who scored three outstanding goals.
The victory gives Rangers a huge chance of silverware and killed any talk of a potential Celtic treble. Perhaps more importantly, the result should give them a significant psychological boost going into the league fixture at Parkhead next Sunday.
Tactical tussle
The tactical battle between the two managers was fascinating from the off. When McInnes opted for two strikers, the question was how Rangers would get a grip on midfield while being a man light. His answer was a man-for-man system all over the pitch, which included an unusual role for left-back James Penrice.
When his side didn't have the ball, Penrice was asked to move into the middle of the pitch and follow one of Celtic's trio there, usually Benjamin Nygren. McInnes gambled by leaving Hoops danger man Camilo Duran on the right flank but had enough confidence in Olwethu Makhanya to deal with him one-on-one. The ploy seemed to spook Celtic early on, and they didn't deal with it well enough. They were smothered all over the pitch and didn't win enough duels, allowing Rangers to get their noses in front and stay there.
Dan's the man
Neil hasn't had the easiest start to life at Rangers and has faced a lot of flak early in his Ibrox career. But he announced himself to the home support in his first Old Firm derby with a stunning double that will live long in the memory. He's experienced Tyne-Wear derbies with Newcastle in his time at Sunderland, but he'll never have sampled anything like this atmosphere before, and the Gers skipper, who took the armband in Lawrence Shankland's absence, thrived in this environment.
His first strike was a thing of beauty on 22 minutes. Ryan Naderi mugged Cameron Carter-Vickers before finding Kelsy, who teed up Neil on the edge of the box. The Englishman produced a brilliant, controlled finish past Sam Johnstone for 1-0. If that was good, he bettered it when he notched Rangers' third to kill the tie. His curling effort from 20 yards gave the Celtic keeper no chance as it nestled in the top corner.
Kel worth the money
When Rangers lost Youssef Chermiti to an ACL injury early in the campaign, it was vital they replaced him with a striker of similar ilk. On the last day of the transfer window, they unveiled Kelsy from MLS side Portland Timbers for a hefty £9.5 million fee. It was a considerable outlay for the Ibrox side, with the Venezuelan immediately under pressure to deliver.
But in his first Old Firm derby, Kelsy paid back a chunk of his price tag with a goal worth its weight in gold. He'd squandered one in the first half when he slashed a shot wide. But when Penrice's cross was flicked on by Naderi after an hour, this time Kelsy made no mistake with his finish. The ball fell perfectly for his favoured left foot at the back post, and he volleyed it home to send Ibrox into a state of ecstasy.
It capped the perfect start to his Rangers career as he endeared himself to the supporters straight away. And it should give Kelsy the confidence to score more and be a main man for McInnes in the absence of Chermiti.
Kasper Who?
While Rangers' two strikers turned up on derby day, Celtic fans were left asking where their big summer signing was at Ibrox. They splashed out a huge £11 million on Kasper Hogh from Bodo Glimt, and the big Dane was supposed to be their talisman. But having scored in just one of his Celtic games so far this season at Kilmarnock, he fired blanks again in Govan.
Plenty of Hoops fans were hoping Duran might start through the middle, but O'Neill understandably went with Hogh and shifted the Colombian out wide. The move didn't work as the number nine was anonymous during his time on the pitch. He was so isolated on his own up top as Celtic struggled to get support to him with Rangers going man-for-man. Hogh had one big chance early on but fell as he tried to go through on goal, and the opportunity was lost.
He was ineffective after the break too, even when Haissem Hassan added to Celtic's attacking threat. Eventually, O'Neill hooked the £11 million man as Rangers were rampant at the other end.
