The true significance of Celtic's point against Rangers

On the face of it one could understand if there was some disappointment surrounding the recent draw with Rangers at Ibrox.

Given Celtic's domestic form going into the fixture, four wins out of four since the World Cup break and having scored eight goals across the previous two games, there was a feeling of confidence among Hoops supporters prior to kick-off.

The fact the Scottish champions thrashed the Light Blues 4-0 in the first meeting between the two sides earlier this season would have contributed to some of the Parkhead faithful expecting similar scenes this time round despite the venue.

However, that is not what happened. After a fast start, which saw Ange Postecoglou's side take the lead through Daizen Maeda, the performance dipped significantly and they found themselves 2-1 down early into the second half.

Firstly poor defensive work from Josip Juranovic allowed Fashion Sakala far too much time to play the ball to Ryan Kent and the Englishman finished well past Joe Hart.

Then a moment of madness from Carl Starfelt gave Rangers a penalty after he went to ground and took down Sakala in the box in the process. It was dispatched by James Tavernier and Celtic were now very up against it.

After Celtic were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty for a Connor Goldson handball, Kyogo Furuhashi saved the day for the Hoops when he found the back of the net with only a couple of minutes left on the clock.

It ended all square at Ibrox and Postecoglou's side were able to consolidate their nine-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Some fans may not have known how to feel after the fixture – and that is understandable.

It was a relatively poor performance compared to the Bhoys' recent high standards, as the visitors only recorded two shots on target and a total xG of 0.58, according to Wyscout.

For large spells of the game the Scottish champions were second best and, at times, were outplayed by a team they were miles ahead of in the previous meeting.

However, the fact they walked away with a point must be seen as a positive and the true embodiment of the 'we never stop' mentality Postecgolou has instilled since joining the club was on show with the late goal. That is something supporters should take heart in.

It cannot be understated how important this solitary point could prove to be come the end of the season – for a variety of reasons.

First, the draw prevents Michael Beale and his team from building momentum at a vital stage in the season.

Celtic saw that themselves last term when they won the second derby of the campaign in February in convincing fashion and it catapulted them onwards to win the league title. That underlined belief is now something Rangers will have to create through other means.

READ MORE: Celtic's inevitability is almost robotic - Tony Haggerty

Secondly, even though the Hoops were at their worst and the Light Blues arguably had one of their best halves of the season they were still unable to beat them in the end.

The Ibrox side have now only defeated the champions once in the last six derbies and that came in extra time in last season's Scottish Cup semi-final.

You have to go back to August 2021 – the season’s first derby at a time when Postecoglou was still sorting out his team and squad after arriving – for the last time Celtic lost to their rivals in the league.

It is undoubtedly a psychological advantage that the manager will want to make use of in the remaining games between the two sides this season

Overall, the 2-2 draw at Ibrox could well be one that will be looked back on not as a classic but as a key result that was crucial in delivering a second successive Scottish Premiership title to Parkhead.

This piece is an extract from today’s Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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