PSYCHOLOGICAL barriers.

Definition: The internal belief by people that stops them from effectively completing a task.

Celtic not only smashed through a huge psychological barrier inside Paradise tonight they totally obliterated it.

A double from Japanese bhoy Reo Hatate and one from Liel Abada saw Ange Postecoglou's side blow Rangers away 3-0 in the second Glasow derby of the season to leapfrog over the Light Blues and move to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Trust the process and all that. In Ange They Trust.

Celtic showed their title credentials by being absolutely ruthless and relentless against Gio Van Bronckhorst's Rangers as they handed the Dutchman his first taste of defeat as manager.

In the wonderful amphitheatre that is Celtic Park, a vociferous and partisan crowd of 60,000 who were fortunate to be present on an unforgettable night in Glasgow's East End will remember this victory for years to come.

The Celtic faithful will proudly proclaim they were there on a night when Ange savoured his first derby triumph as the Celtic manager.

On a night that encapsulated fully why the Aussie had accepted the job in the first place.

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Reo Hatate destroys Rangers and writes his name in history

On an evening that he'd flown halfway across the world to experience.

On a night when above all else the end result finally gave Ange, Celtic and their supporters the belief that they could go on and win the Scottish Premiership title.

After all, it had been a long time coming.

787 days.

630 minutes.

Seven games.

To be precise.

You had to go back to Hampden Park in December 2019 for the last time Celtic celebrated the joy of being Rangers when Christopher Jullien emerged the unlikely hero in 2019 as the £7m French defender notched the winner in the Betfred Cup final.

The poor recent record against their city rivals was starting to live rent-free in the Celtic fans' heads.

A lot has changed on the Scottish football landscape since then.

Not least of all Celtic.

Rangers most certainly know that now.

At Ibrox back in August, Ange's men were still in a state of flux when they lost to a solitary Filip Helander counter in the league.

Celtic are an entirely different animal and proposition now under Ange.

All eyes were on the Aussie prior to kick-off to see if he would produce some rabbits out of his hat in terms of his team selection.

Would skipper Callum McGregor defy the odds and take his place in the midfield wearing a specialised protective mask?

READ MORE: Phantom of Parkhead Callum McGregor returns to help on-song Celtic consign ghosts of last season to the past

Would Japanese striker Daizen Maeda make the substitutes bench despite yesterday's international exertions with Japan?

There were no Jedi-mind tricks being deployed by the Aussie here.

He clearly meant business as the answer was affirmative in both cases.

Celtic also had five players marking their Glasgow derby debuts as Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Matt O'Riley, Jota, and Giorgos Giakoumakis all got their first taste of the big one.

Celtic Park positively rocked to its foundations as both sets of players came out to a wonderful pyrotechnic display amidst a cacophony of sound all wrapped up in a sea of green and white.

In four minutes the roof blew off the stadium as Celtic raced into the lead after incessant pressure.

Matt O'Riley's corner found its way to Reo Hatate and the Japanese midfielder took a touch and lashed the ball into the net via a slight deflection.

The challengers had struck first blood against the champions.

The statistics showed that the team scoring first had only lost four out of the last 93 derbies.

Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor kept his side in it with four separate saves from Jota and three from Giorgos Giakoumakis before the half-hour mark.

The match was being played at a frenetic pace.

On 42 minutes Hatate produced a top drawer finish when he bent a beauty beyond McGregor and it was 2-0.

READ MORE: Reo Hatate at the double as Celtic whirlwind blows Rangers off the top of the table

He then turned provider two minutes later when he crossed for Liel Abada who left Borna Barisic in his slipstream and ruthlessly pounced to steer home a third.

All of a sudden Celtic were in dreamland.

It was all about game management after that and in the second half, we waited to see if Celtic could add to their tally.

They didn't but the damage had all been done in a pulsating first 45 minutes.

This was the Celtic players "Carpe Diem" moment under Ange.

Celtic seized the day and then some as they ran Rangers ragged, The construction of Ange's "beautiful house" continues unabated.

It came with the added bonus that some psychological barriers had been smashed to smithereens in the process.

Ange's mantra all season has been that the view from the top of the summit in February is not what counts.

Rather it's being in the same lofty position come May when the league championship trophy is handed out.

Ange is not one for indulging in psychobabble.

Celtic sent out a clear message and statement of intent tonight.

Whatever way you choose to look at it this victory in February's Glasgow derby could well be the defining moment of the season.

In just eight short months, Ange has somehow turned Celtic from a team that can't into a cohesive unit that can beat Rangers.

How's that for a bit of incredible football managerial psychology?

Take a bow, Ange.

Since July, you've played an absolute blinder mate.