Celtic - 1 Rangers - 0: Celtic piled more pressure on the Rangers manager Alex McLeish yesterday by beating their Glasgow rivals for a record seventh consecutive time to establish an early five-point lead over the Ibrox team.
The defeat came on the heels of Rangers' exit from the Champions League at the qualifying stage and McLeish must hope the latest setback does not presage a repeat of last season when Celtic ran away with the league.
His position is the subject of speculation but McLeish, who ridiculed suggestions Graeme Souness was poised to take his job, insisted: "It (defeat) was hard to take but I am more comfortable with this squad going to Celtic Park than I have been with others in the past and there's more to come from us when the new players are all settled."
He also refused to accept his team were already reduced to a race for the runner-up spot. "Of course we can catch them," he said. "We are positive in the dressing-room and it was a positive performance."
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill admitted: "It was very hard-fought indeed. I thought we played very well (in the) first half with plenty of possession and we looked as if we were reasonably comfortable, which you never are in Old Firm games. In the second half, after the initial skirmishes, I thought Rangers had a great 15- or 20-minute spell. They put us under great pressure and David Marshall made a great save for us.
"I thought that typified the whole game. It was very tight indeed. The players got tired and there were a few misplaced passes setting the opposition up.
"Didier Agathe sent a wonderful cross in and Thompson scored a wonderful goal. That was all that separated the sides in the end - just a chance taken by a very talented player."
The match marked the first appearance of Juninho for Celtic since his move from Middlesbrough and he made light of what might have been a baptism of fire. He filled the number seven shirt vacated by Henrik Larsson with distinction in a sparkling debut.
But it still needed a moment of inspiration from Thompson to settle the outcome - an unstoppable shot with five minutes left.
It was harsh on Rangers, who had made more of this Old Firm fixture than any of the previous six. They set out to frustrate Celtic. With Dado Prso deployed wide on the left to stop Didier Agathe's runs the match appeared to be heading toward stalemate. Then, for once Agathe got clear. Although his cross was headed out by Alan Hutton, there was Thompson to send a swerving, dipping drive past the despairing Stefan Klos.
Until then it had been an interesting rather than spectacular clash well handled by Hugh Dallas, who booked Rangers' Craig Moore and Alex Rae for fouls on Juninho and Thompson, respectively, and Celtic's Bobo Balde for handball.
Rangers might have taken the lead after only 40 seconds when Prso burst through on a Nacho Novo pass only to be halted by a fine Balde tackle. But the rest of the first half belonged to the home team. A Balde header was well saved by Klos, Henri Camara put an effort wide and Juninho drove over.
After the break Celtic were pushed back for a long spell and David Marshall saved well from Prso. But then Thompson struck out of the blue. In a frantic finale Alex Rae came close to equalising.
Rangers had six players making their Old Firm debuts and McLeish this week is set to bring in another newcomer, the Swiss international Hakan Yakin, who will give the side much-needed craft in midfield.
The two managers dismissed speculation linking Newcastle and Chelsea with the rival central defenders Balde and Jean-Alain Boumsong respectively.
CELTIC: Marshall; Agathe, Balde, Varga, McNamara, Juninho Paulista (Valgaeren 87), Lennon, Petrov, Thompson, Camara (Wallace 64), Hartson (Sylla 84). Subs Not Used: Douglas, Pearson, McGeady, Cuthbert. Booked: Balde. Goal: Thompson 85.
RANGERS: Klos; Hutton, Boumsong, Moore, Vignal, Ricksen, Mladenovic (Thompson 87), Alex Rae, Arveladze (Lovenkrands 53), Prso, Novo. Subs Not Used: Graeme Smith, Burke, McCormack, Andrews, Hughes. Booked: Moore, Alex Rae.
Referee: H Dallas (Scotland)
