Celtic defeated 10-man Rangers to place one hand on the Scottish Premiership trophy with a 2 -1 win at Parkhead.

Brendan Rodgers' side moved six points clear of their title rivals with a clinical display in front of 60,000 supporters.

Matt O'Riley hammered home his 15th goal of the season from the edge of the box for the opener on his 100th Celtic career start after 35 minutes after great set-up work by Callum McGregor.

Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Daizen Maeda raced clear of James Tavernier and his low centre across the box was turned into his own net by John Lundstram.

Celtic's joy was short-lived as within seconds Rangers pulled one back as Cyriel Dessers headed home from close range to reduce the arrears.

However, Rangers midfielder Lundstram's day went from bad to worse when he saw red in first-half injury time after a shocker on Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston.

Referee Willie Collum initially brandished a yellow card but changed his mind on the advice of VAR assistant Steven McLean.

O'Riley then proceeded to miss penalty which he won after a lengthy VAR delay when Butland dived to his right to save his lackadaisical effort from 12 yards.

Despite Rangers having a real go in the closing stages it was Celtic who held on for a priceless win which all but sealed three in a row.

Mastro Matt O'Riley with a midfield masterclass 

Matt O'Riley is just magical to watch. The silky midfielder made a mockery of his PFA Scotland Player of the Year snub with another outstanding display in the middle of the park. He lashed home a magnificent opening goal after a superb move. He had gone close with two other efforts beforehand which whistled past Jack Butland's left-hand post. On the basis of this evidence alone then he is surely a cert to be on the plane bound for Germany and representing Kasper Hjulmand's Denmark at the 2024 UEFA European Championship finals this summer. He drifted around and found pockets of space all afternoon. He was a real serious threat and created a danger to the Rangers defence every time he picked up the ball. He is just technically and tactically astute and can pick a pass at will and can unleash shots on target too. Celtic's first goal was his 15th goal of a wonderful season thus far. He rolled an effort inches wide of the target just after the interval. He was looking to make it three out of three from the spot but he failed to convert after a solid Butland save. This is a player going places...fast. His levels are elite and he could have his pick of clubs from any of the top leagues in Europe at this rate. Here's hoping he fares better in the SFWA Player of the Year award. He deserves one of those gongs for a stellar campaign.

Dial M for McGregor

For those in any doubt, the Celtic skipper is back to somewhere near his best. He peppered Butland's goal with efforts alongside his midfield partner O'Riley. As McGregor said in his pre-match press conference to preview this game he wasn't missing out on such an important title run-in. He was another who was creative and a real driving force, simply phenomenal alongside O'Riley in the engine room. He picked up a yellow card for a second-half foul on Nicolas Raskin. Scotland's head coach Steve Clarke, like Rodgers, will be delighted with his contribution.

Daizen Maeda does for James Tavernier again

It would always be a boost for Celtic to have Maeda back fit for this encounter. The Japanese winger is tailor-made for such occasions and Tavernier got no joy whatsoever from the speed merchant. It was Maeda who skinned Tavernier and fired the cross over for Celtic's quickfire second which Lundstram turned into his own net. He chased, he harried, he never gave Tavernier a minute's peace. On such occasions, he is the consummate team player and sacrifices himself for his manager for the greater good. He thought he had netted a third but the assistant's flag rightly ruled his efforts out, not once, but twice. It was with this game in mind that he made his miraculous recovery and he remains a cult figure.

Celtic make heavy weather of it against 10-men...again!

What is it with Celtic and struggling to play against 10 men? Rodgers's side had the bulk of the possession in the second half yet failed to break the visitors down. O'Riley's poor spot-kick set the tone for a lacklustre second-half display from the champions.  The challengers came right back into proceedings as Celtic got sloppy in the latter stages. It is not the first time this has happened as Rangers got brave in the press and Celtic lacked their composure and control. They failed to kill off their opponents by missing glaring opportunities. That gave their rivals hope that they could possibly get something from the match. In truth, the champions should have been out of sight but they weren't and it made for a nervy ending to the game.