Celtic 1 Rangers 1
Three players were sent off in the final minute of a bruising Old Firm derby at Parkhead today where Scottish champions Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw by arch rivals Rangers.
Tempers boiled as Celtic tried to force home a winner in the closing stages, resulting in the dismissals of Celtic's John Hartson and Johan Mjallby while Fernando Ricksen saw red for Rangers.
Peter Lovenkrands gave Rangers an early lead before Alan Thompson levelled the scores just before half-time.
A draw denied Celtic the chance of making history. Martin O'Neill's men were looking to win every home game in the campaign for the first time in their 114-year existence.
The game got off to a frantic start with Rangers taking the lead in the second minute.
Robert Malcolm's long free-kick skimmed off the head of Tom Boyd and fell nicely for Lovenkrands whose right-foot shot took a deflection off Johan Mjallby before flying past Robert Douglas in the Celtic goal.
The visitors should have doubled their lead in the 15th minute.
Andrei Kanchelskis threaded the ball through to Lovenkrands inside the box, but with just Douglas to beat he screwed his effort just wide of the upright to let the champions off the hook.
Celtic started to lose their way and Rangers spurned another chance to increase their advantage in the 35th minute.
Kanchelskis burst down the right and picked out the unmarked Russell Latapy who clipped a right-foot effort just past the post.
But despite being outplayed for most of the first-half, Celtic equalised two minutes before the break.
Lubomir Moravcik headed Didier Agathe's cross across Rangers' penalty box for John Hartson and he squared the ball to Thompson who side-footed home from close range.
Celtic came close to restoring parity a minute after the interval.
Henrik Larsson's looked destined for the top corner, but Stefan Klos plucked the Swede's effort out of the air.
Celtic continued to press for the winner and Thompson was denied another goal in the 81st minute.
Klos dived low to palm away the former Aston Villa man's shot and Lorenzo Amoruso blocked the Celtic midfielder's follow-up.
The game erupted into ugly scenes with a minute left after Klos had saved Hartson's point-blank header.
In the resulting melee both sets of players clashed and Hartson, Mjallby and Ricksen were sent for early baths.
AFP