Rangers Women moved top of the SWPL with a dominant 5-2 victory over Celtic at Broadwood Stadium, inflicting the Hoops' first defeat of the season and completing a derby hat-trick. Leanne Crichton's side preserved their perfect domestic record in emphatic fashion, coming from behind to dismantle their city rivals in a second half marked by catastrophic Celtic errors.
Celtic took an early lead when Maria McAneny headed home Poppy Lawson's cross, but Rangers responded swiftly. Jodi McLeary volleyed Rangers level after being picked out by Laura Berry in acres of space at the back post, before McLeary struck again minutes later after Kelly Clark lost possession under pressure from Calliste Brookshire.
Second-half collapse
Celtic restored parity after the restart when Chloe Arthur poked home from close range, and Katie Wilkinson clipped the bar as Rangers pushed for a leveller. The equaliser came from a moment of madness as Arthur conceded possession just outside the box, allowing Hannah Blake, barely on the pitch, to net.
Celtic's heads went down and Rangers went for it. Wilkinson netted a sumptuous free-kick, a speciality in this fixture, that had Crichton throwing her water bottle in celebration. Brookshire then added a fifth after slaloming through the Celtic box before ramming the ball high into the net.
Managers' reactions
Celtic boss Grant Scott described the result as "a punch on the nose." He said: "We can't get despondent about it. It is a new squad. We are trying to develop them but we have to study this back, take our medicine and our learnings but it is three points and there is a long season to go." Scott accepted liability for the tactical line-up which he felt he had got wrong, but insisted the season will not be defined on the back of one poor result.
Crichton said the victory felt like a statement. "It was really pleasing and the second-half felt like a whirlwind but we were ruthless," she said. "It is a strong win and it does send a message but nothing is won or lost at this time of the season. There are loads of games ahead of us but there is a belief in the squad."
Derby dominance
Rangers went into the match on the back of a gruelling meeting with Hammarby, last season's Europa Cup finalists, in Sweden on Wednesday, but looked the more purposeful, aggressive and menacing of the two sides. They can now point to a sequence of league wins stretching back to March 2024; Celtic have now beaten Rangers in all competitions only once in the last 13 meetings between the teams.
Crichton, who has been in the job 14 months, added: "We have done so much work and we are so much further ahead now than where we were this time a year ago. The challenge is to make sure that we stay there and sustain the kind of form that we have shown."
