Rangers 1 Celtic 0:EVEN A Rangers victory could not prevent Walter Smith from taking a clearly pre-conceived swipe at someone at his Old Firm rivals.
At the end of a week in which Celtic made their grievances about refereeing decisions public through an unnamed source, controversy was inevitable yesterday. It duly arrived when the referee, Dougie McDonald, sent off the visitors’ captain, Scott Brown, in the second half, a decision Celtic will cite as almost as crucial to their defeat as Maurice Edu’s stoppage-time winner. The club is to appeal against the red card.
Smith, who could be seen leaping around in a manner hardly befitting his 62 years, knew the value of Edu’s intervention all right. The Rangers manager’s post-match attentions turned towards Celtic, though, and the timing of their alleged leak. “It was a totally unfair circumstance that the referee for this game was placed in this week,” Smith said. “It would be nice if somebody who is criticising referees came out of the closet and did it, rather than do so in an anonymous manner.”
The cruellest blow yet to Tony Mowbray in his short time as the Celtic manager, and there have been a fair few, should also prove the decisive one. Edu’s goal means Mowbray requires a minor miracle to wrestle the title from Rangers. Smith’s team are 10 points ahead of their rivals and have a game in hand. “The league is there for Rangers to lose but strange things have happened and will happen in football,” said Mowbray.
Mowbray will be left to contemplate his future if Rangers’ lead extends much further. Celtic passed the ball with authority for spells, but failed to create meaningful chances.
Amid such a circumstance, their expensive loanee Robbie Keane was a peripheral figure. Keane’s arrival, for all it was heralded, has failed to prompt an upturn in Mowbray’s fortunes.
After a frenetic first half matters slowed down marginally after the break, without either team enforcing superiority. Keane and Marc-Antoine Fortune had chances to break the deadlock for Celtic while Kenny Miller’s strike was well saved by Artur Boruc.
Rangers were blunt but, once again, found a match winner. Edu pounced at close range after Boruc blocked a Kris Boyd shot. Cue bedlam, and the latest sense that Mowbray and Celtic are never destined to be a perfect match.
Guardian Service
RANGERS:McGregor, Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Davis, McCulloch (Edu 26), Thomson, Lafferty (Novo 70), Miller, Boyd. Subs not used:Alexander, Beasley, Fleck, Little, Wilson. Booked: Bougherra, Miller.
CELTIC:Boruc, Hinkel, Thompson, Rogne (O'Dea 31), Braafheid, Kamara, N'Guemo, Brown, McGeady (Samaras 61), Keane, Fortune (Ki 68). Subs not used:Zaluska, Wilson, Rasmussen, Zhi. Booked: Fortune, N'Guemo.
Referee:D McDonald (Scotland).
