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Trivia
- Crucial win for Celtic in fight for league title.
Review
This was O'Neill's last game in charge against Rangers, and Celtic's victory was thought to almost ensure that Celtic would retain the SPL title. Alas it was not to be. Nonetheless, it was a cracking game. In the first half, Petrov scored from a powerful header and Bellamy curled home a second. Kyrgiagos was at fault for that, and the Rangers defender had a howler of a match,missing with a header from 5 yards out.
Both Celtic goals were absolute stunners.
Thompson pulled it one back for Rangers in the 88th minute.
Teams
Rangers:-
Waterreus, Ross (Buffel 45), Andrews (Malcolm 83), Kyrgiakos, Ball, Namouchi, Ricksen, Ferguson, Vignal (Thompson 76), Novo, Prso.
Subs Not Used:- McGregor, Alex Rae, Burke, McCormack.
Booked:- Vignal, Novo, Kyrgiakos. Goal: Thompson 88.
Celtic:-
Marshall, Agathe, Balde, Varga, McNamara, Petrov, Sutton, Lennon, Thompson, Bellamy (Beattie 48, Wallace 90), Hartson.
Subs Not Used:- Douglas, Henchoz, Lambert, Maloney, McGeady.
Goals:- Petrov 21, Bellamy 34.
Booked:- Petrov, Bellamy, Agathe, Hartson.
Att:- 49,593
Ref:- S Dougal.
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Articles
Rangers 1-2 Celtic
BBC
Superb goals from Stilian Petrov and Craig Bellamy gave Celtic a victory at Ibrox that virtually ensures the champions another Scottish title.
Petrov powered a header into the corner of the net from a Didier Agathe cross and Bellamy broke clear to curl the second goal home before the break.
A Marvin Andrews header struck the bar and Sotirios Kyrgiakos had an effort cleared off the line for Rangers.
Steven Thompson fired home late on, but Celtic held on to go five points clear.
Rangers manager Alex McLeish had gambled on recalling defender Andrews, who has refused to undergo an operation for a cruciate ligament injury.
Thomas Buffel was relegated to the bench after remarks suggesting he did not like the combatative nature of Scottish football and was replaced with Hamed Namouchi in midfield.
French wing-back Agathe returned to the Celtic side for the first time since January's Old Firm derby.
Rangers won 2-0 at Celtic Park that day, but signs that the story would be reversed came in the opening minute, when Ronald Waterreus had to save at the feet of Bellamy.
Nacho Novo blasted well over after racing clear to the edge of the Celtic penalty box.
He paid for that miss when Petrov opened the scoring after Agathe swung in a cross and the midfielder stole in front of Andrews to score.
The league is not won yet – a massive step has been taken but the team has to stay focused
From Iain
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The scorer was struck by an object thrown from the stand and booked for over-celebrating as the match threatened to turn ugly.
Kyrgiakos missed a great chance for an equaliser, diving to head straight at goalkeeper David Marshall from five yards.
The Greek defender's misery was quickly compounded when he allowed Bellamy, gathering a through ball from Alan Thompson, to turn inside him and fire the second goal home from the edge of the box.
Marshall was forced into a superb, finger-tip save when Dado Prso let fly from the edge of the Celtic box.
And Andrews' effort struck the face of the crossbar after Marshall failed to cut out a Ricksen corner kick.
Beattie, on early in the second half for the injured Bellamy, forced Waterreus into a point-blank save and ought to have done better than blast over after being put clear.
Novo came close at the other end, Marshall blocking one poked effort and then being rescued by Jackie McNamara on the goalline after being rounded by the Spanish striker.
Waterreus saved well from a Stan Varga shot on the turn, but it was Rangers piling on the pressure and Agathe hacked a Kygiakos header off the line.
Substitute Thompson gave McLeish's side some late hope, blasting home from four yards following a goalmouth scramble, but it was Celtic who secured a deserved victory.
Rangers: Waterreus, Ross (Buffel 45), Andrews (Malcolm 83), Kyrgiakos, Ball, Namouchi, Ricksen, Ferguson, Vignal (Thompson 76), Novo, Prso.
Subs Not Used: McGregor, Alex Rae, Burke, McCormack.
Booked: Vignal, Novo, Kyrgiakos.
Goal: Thompson 88.
Celtic: Marshall, Agathe, Balde, Varga, McNamara, Petrov, Sutton, Lennon, Thompson, Bellamy (Beattie 48), Hartson, Beattie (Wallace 90).
Subs Not Used: Douglas, Henchoz, Lambert, Maloney, McGeady.
Booked: Petrov, Bellamy, Agathe, Hartson.
Goals: Petrov 21, Bellamy 34.
Att: 49,593
Ref: S Dougal
O'Neill insists title is not won
BBC
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill
Rangers 1-2 Celtic
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill insisted that the Scottish title race is not over despite a well-deserved victory at the home of challengers Rangers.
"I am delighted to have won here," he said. "But I wouldn't say it is over – there's still 12 points to play for.
"We had to be very, very strong, we had to be good and I think we deserved to win. I would have been disappointed if we had not taken all three points.
"But Rangers put pressure on us and it was a long three minutes at the end."
Brilliant Bellamy takes Celtic to brink
Dominic Fifield at Ibrox
The Guardian, Monday 25 April 2005 22.34 BST
The massed ranks of green and white in the Broomloan Road stand were still bouncing in celebration long after the final whistle here, their raucous taunts chasing crestfallen Rangers supporters out of the ground. There will be no escaping reality today: Celtic, victorious in hostile surroundings, have effectively retained their title.
The psychological damage inflicted on their city rivals by this win, as much as the five-point advantage chiselled out as a result, has deflated this year's championship chase. Celtic were hugely dominant where they might have expected to toil, the scoreline flattering their hosts and drawing much of the poison from the occasion. By the end, the home side's ferocity had degenerated into a whimper. There may still be four games to go but hope has been drained from the pursuit.
Martin O'Neill was reluctant to admit as much, though his post-match assessment was still delivered with the cautious optimism of a man about to claim his fourth title in five years in charge. "You can be within touching distance and that can be a long stretch but it's in our hands now and we can even afford to make a mistake," he offered. Three wins from their final quartet of games – all far from daunting – would suffice. "We deserved to win this game but, if you take your eye off it, you can get done."
Little suggests they will, especially if fears over the state of Craig Bellamy's hamstring are allayed by a scan today. The Welshman inspired this success, tormenting Rangers' ragged back-line before withdrawing early in the second period. The striker retains the lippy attitude but also the pace which recently terrorised the Premiership. Given that this fixture represents Celtic's sternest test of a domestic season, he will surely do nothing but revel consistently in the humdrum inadequacies of the Scottish Premierleague.
The loanee from Newcastle was a class apart here, his explosive display capped with a wonderfully taken goal beyond the half-hour. Collecting Alan Thompson's pass, he sprinted down the left with the ponderous Sotorios Kyrgiakos shadowing him. The Greek might have shepherded the striker to the touchline but instead watched helplessly as Bellamy cut inside and curled a shot deliciously from the edge of the area beyond Ronald Waterreus.
That was his ninth goal since moving from Tyneside in January, the frustrating memories of Old Firm defeat on his debut exorcised in the whipped finish. "Bellamy's contribution was massive, absolutely massive," said O'Neill. "I didn't really know Craig when he first became available but, while there'd be a bit of baggage, I felt that, if he settled down, he could be a big player for us. He's been absolutely sensational.
"There wouldn't be a Celtic supporter who wouldn't want me to sign him up. We'd be absolutely delighted. The board have said they'll do everything possible to make sure it happens but it will be down to the player."
His bridges well and truly burnt with Newcastle, unwise text messages to Alan Shearer or not, the lure of Celtic Park will be all the more enticing for Bellamy as the title beckons.
Bellamy's goal doubled the visitors' lead, leaving home supporters apoplectic with their own chances visibly ebbing away. Stilian Petrov, connecting sweetly with Didier Agathe's cross, had put them ahead while Rangers spluttered in the opening exchanges. The plastic cup flung at the Bulgarian as he celebrated – provocatively – in front of the Copland Road stand will surely warrant a Scottish Football Association inquiry but it reflected the frustration welling up on three sides of the ground.
Rangers were disjointed, their midfield woefully ineffective with Barry Ferguson's influence negligible and Fernando Ricksen eclipsed at his side. Where Celtic benefited from Bellamy's pace and John Hartson's rugged presence when they launched the ball long, the hosts could only reply with Dado Prso's endeavour and the confidence-shot Novo Nacho. The Spaniard has now gone six league games without a goal.
Without his bite Rangers were gummy. Marvin Andrews headed against the bar at the end of the first half and Agathe belted a Kyrgiakos header from the goalline but it was only when Steven Thompson muscled into the furious finale that they found reward. The Scotland striker thrashed in from close-range with three minutes to play but his consolation was no consolation at all.
"They were a wee bit cuter than us, a bit more streetwise," said Alex McLeish in defeat. The ignominy might have been greater had Chris Sutton or Craig Beattie, twice, not fluffed close-range chances to give the score-line a more realistic feel. "We've not given up the ghost but this makes it really difficult for us now."
Grim acceptance of the inevitable set in early. Before the game some home supporters had unfurled a banner claiming "Martin O'Neill has lost the plot". By the end of it the visiting manager had surely won the title.
