2015-02-01: Celtic 2-0 TheRangers, League Cup

Match Pictures | Matches: 2014 – 2015 | 2014-15 Pictures

Trivia

• League Cup Semi-final
• First ever match against this new club.
• The pitch was an absolute joke, cutting up into clumps. Only the second game to have been played at Hampden since the Commonwealth Games (other was day before). As per Broony’s interview: “How was this pitch to play on?” Broony – “Shocking!”
• Celtic dominated the whole match. Sevco had just the one shot at goals and that wasn’t even on target.
• Broony was immense and non-stop, one of his greatest performances for Celtic. Showed signs of humour too, pointing to the scoreboard and making faces to wind up the opposition.
• Sevco head coach is Kenny McDowall. Ally McCoist and McDowall quit as the manager roles in recent weeks.
• Wetherspoons pubs banned the game being shown at its pub in Glasgow to be on safe side.
• Glasgow police apparently training staff to recognise the sectarian tunes, but won’t then disclose what these are!
• Lots of ridiculous stories stoking up the tension in run up, including scurrilous stories of offensive songs being sung by the support.
• Some recent headlines/stories leading upto the game: Gers are Same Club (Kenny Dalglish); Lubo: Deal in Commons Now; Game Needs Big Two Together (Walter Smith); The Heat’s On Hoops (Mark Hateley); A Defeat to Gers Should Not Mean Deila Is Given The Sack (Kenny Dalglish); Rae Blast for Celt’s Cheap Jibe (Alex Rae); Gers Can Be Bradford (who beat top dogs Man City in the FA Cup recently), Anything less the 3-0 win by Celtic is a win for TheRangers etc etc etc
• Group of Celtic fans paid for an advert in the Sunday Herald newspaper to put forward the facts that TheRangers are a newco and NOT a continuation.
• Former Rangers Players:
  Konterman said: “If Celtic lose on Sunday it’s a disgrace for them. They would be slaughtered for half a year by all the fans. It would last until they win the league and get going in the Champions League qualifiers again. Celtic are stronger than Rangers because they play in a higher league and have more money. They have to win – they have to. If they don’t have to it will be shame on them.”
  Alex Rae: ”Some Celtic fans were provoking Rangers rivals with controversial ad.” LOL
• TheRangers fans may be fans a of a new club but they trotted out the old bigoted tunes of old like the Billy Boys.
• Just 37 arrests at the ground, but loads of headaches elsewhere in the rest of the West of Scotland. Notably, with so few dispute points in the match (as Celtic dominated everything) little to hammer into each other about.
• Dundee Utd 2-1 Aberdeen in the other semi-final, final will be in March.
• Ronnie did his usual fist pumping Ronny Roar stuff at full-time
• Jokes aplenty in this one-sided match:
  • Craig Gordon, ” I would urge all Celtic fans go and see the film Taken 3 it’s good I watched it on my iPhone during the game”
  • “Bad news about Craig Gordon post-match I’m afraid. Apparently taken to hospital with hypothermia.”
• Andy Murray made it to the Australian Grand Slam Tennis Open final which was played in the morning. Worry was that his match would overrun and clash with this semi-final. It didn’t, and he lost in a valiant effort in four sets. If he’d won the Aussie Open it may have likely overshadowed this match.
• Transfer Windows closes on 2nd Feb:
  • Beram Kayal gone to Brighton.
  • Celtic possible target Maloney decides to go to the US (Chicago Fire). Would have been his third Celtic stint.
  • Berget not to be retained on loan, no one complains. He’s gone.
  • Commons signs on to remain at Celtic. Ex Celtic manager Lennon was after him for Bolton.
  • Dirk Boerrigter back in training apparently after 2.5 months. Nobody seems to have noticed!
  • Celtic reject £3m Olympiakos offer for Ambrose acc to papers.
  • Commons said to have signed on to stay on at Celtic (acc to twitter, not yet publicly official). Support very thankful.

Review

(caltonbhoy1967 of KDS forum)
Text from hun after the game informing me “Your lot are shampooe if you can only beat us 2-0”

Admittedly the :carrot: never was the sharpest tool in the box but he has never heard of irony obviously. :lolhuns:

We never got out of second gear and disappointingly for me let them off the hook in a terrible second half but the object of the exercise was to win and that was what we did.

You could actually sense when Commons scored that they knew they were fecked and resorted to the their WATP pish by trying to up the ante on the party tunes in the second half as they had feck all to be interested in on the park and they knew there was only ever going to be one winner there.

As the banner said – Different flies – Same shampooe.

Roon every last one of them.

(Liverpool bhoy of KDS)
As most have already said that was a stroll.

I had my doubts prior to the game re it being a kicking match as I thought that they were so disjointed they would struggle to get near us never mind boot us of the park. I didn’t realise that they were that disjointed tho, they were awful.

The lad Hutton in the middle looked petrified and Wallace has regressed so far it’s frightening. They are a shell of a football team…..they are dead they just haven’t realised it yet.

I thought in the first half we swarmed all over them, when we didn’t have the ball, which wasn’t that often, we had packs of players chasing them down forcing them into mistakes.

Physically we seemed head n shoulders above them, VVD ragdolling Law as he strode forward was a thing of beauty, showed that we seen them as an irrelevance just swatting them as we cruised to victory.

One thing I wasn’t sure of was how pumped we would be for it or if RD just seen it as another game…what made it for me was after Broony cleaned the Painter out on the fringes of the melee several teammates came over to him and high fived him or fist pump… They got just as much enjoyment out of it as the fans did.

Highlights for me…..the two centre halfs were flawless, Broony bossed the midfield, Bitton was a stand out glided through the game and Griffiths had a great shift up front, if he had been allowed to continue with the 1on1 and scored I’ve no doubt he would have got a hattrick today.

Job done

(TK57 of KDS forum)
Pitch is a feckin joke, and I will allow it as an excuse for Izzy who was poor.

The ref ? FFS! His failure to book Elbows for slamming Griffiths in the back of the head was incredible. Not playing advantage when Griffiths was through saved the huns a real doing. AND , how the feck is it a foul to the huns late on when Elbows drags Guidetti down and then trips Brown up???

Brown was tremendous, as was Biton and VVD.

Just so so easy. They are worse than I thought, utterly utterly pish.

Great bhoys, and feck you huns.

(Hoops all the way of KDS forum)
Delighted.

Game won easily. Classy display and played within ourselves.

The ref made several key errors. The Brown incident and likely penalty.

Commons and Brown were very good as were the defence.

Gordon had possibly his easiest game ever.

This club is starting to suit Ronnie and he is starting on a possibly long and rewarding career with us. I love his relationship with us.

The SFA should be embarrassed by that pitch which affected not only today’s game but yesterday’s As the contract is nearly up, it is perhaps time to look elsewhere for alternate venues.

Teams

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)
• Audio Report: Paradise Report

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Celtic Rangers
Possession
53% 47%
90mins

Shots
12 1

On target
4 0

Corners
3 1

Fouls
20 21

Articles

THE result was never in doubt on a terrible playing surface at the National Stadium as goals from Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons sealed the win.

Daily Record

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SNS Group / Craig FoyKris Commons (left) wheels away in celebration after doubling Celtic’s lead
CELTIC cruised through to the Scottish League Cup final with a 2-0 win over Rangers at Hampden on a day when the gulf between the old rivals was laid bare.

Leigh Griffiths headed the Premiership leaders into the lead from a Stefan Johansen cross in the 10th minute with Kris Commons driving in a second on the half-hour mark to effectively seal their place in the final against Dundee United on March 15.

It was a comfortable victory for Ronny Deila’s side in the first meeting between the teams in almost three years since the Ibrox club re-emerged in the bottom tier of Scottish football following administration and liquidation.

Rangers went into the game still embroiled in seemingly endless boardroom battles and with no in end in sight to their financial woes.

Daily Record / Tony NicolettiLeigh Griffiths goal 1 of match
Sitting second in the Championship with no guarantee of promotion, with caretaker boss Kenny McDowall having signalled his intent to leave at the end of the season and having recently sold their best young player, Lewis Macleod, Rangers were huge underdogs.

The Celtic camp, with a domestic treble on their minds and a Europa League last-32 clash against Inter Milan later this month, tried to play down talk from outside the camp of a huge winning margin but they could and perhaps should have inflicted more damage on a limited Light Blues side.

Match reaction: Celtic captain Scott Brown: We were the better team and we did our job

There was bedlam inside Hampden in the lead-up to kick off which, while dealing with rivalry, passion and tribalism, heaved with no little hatred.

Right-back Mikael Lustig, midfielder Johansen and forward Anthony Stokes came in for Adam Matthews, Liam Henderson and John Guidetti, who all started on the bench.

SEE SOME OF THE BEST IMAGES FROM THE MATCH IN OUR PICTURE GALLERY:

From the team that started in the Championship match against Hearts which was abandoned due to the weather two weeks ago, McDowall brought in midfielder Ian Black for forward Jon Daly, who had to settle for a place among the substitutes, with experienced striker Kenny Miller asked to lead the line again.

The Premiership leaders took control from the first whistle, their early lead almost inevitable.

A simple cross into the middle from Johansen saw Griffiths get between Darren McGregor and Richard Foster and head past the helpless Gers goalkeeper Steve Simonsen, the Hoops striker running towards the Rangers fans in celebration, for which he earned a booking from referee Craig Thomson.

The Ibrox side struggled to get out of their own half and they escaped when a Lustig cross found Griffiths inside the box, this time the former Wolves player could not get enough power on his header.

SNS Group / Rob CaseyRangers captain Lee McCulloch exits the Hampden pitch after losing 2-0 to Celtic.
The Parkhead side did not have to work hard for their chances. A mistake from Fraser Aird allowed Stokes an opportunity but his long-distance drive flew high over the bar.

And when midfielder Nicky Law dithered in the box under pressure from Celtic skipper Scott Brown, he ended up trying to lash the ball clear, succeeding only in setting up Commons who powered a drive from 20 yards high past Simonsen.

The Govan side were in disarray.

In the 39th minute Hoops stopper Virgil van Dijk missed a sitter by heading a Stokes corner over the bar from three yards out, before a great save from Simonsen defied Johansen.

McDowall replaced Aird with big Irish striker Daly for the start of the second-half but it was Simonsen who had to save from Commons’ drive within moments of the restart.

SNS Group / Craig WilliamsonThe Celtic players celebrate at full-time
A Griffiths’ free-kick skipped wide of the target before the game became increasingly tetchy.

Rangers had no threat going forward, reduced to battling for mere seconds of possession before chasing again.

Celtic appeared to ease up, allowing the Light Blues something of a foothold in the game but there was no goal threat.

Guidetti replaced Griffiths in the 68th minute, James Forrest came on for Stokes and Miller was replaced by Nicky Law.

However, by then the game was petering out – Matthews came on for Lustig with six minutes remaining – and when the final whistle sounded, Hoops keeper Craig Gordon had not made a save.

Celtic push past feeble Rangers in first Old Firm game for three years

Celtic ‘s griffiths
Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths celebrates with Anthony Stokes after scoring in the Scottish League Cup semi final win over Rangers at Hampden Park. Photograph: Robert Perry/EPA

Ewan Murray at Hampden Park
@mrewanmurray

Sunday 1 February 2015 15.44 GMT

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/01/celtic-rangers-scottish-league-cup-semi-final

This was to prove an Old Firm oddity. That is, an end-result which both teams – secretly of course – would probably have accepted before a ball was kicked.

This fixture was never about who would book a place in the League Cup final in mid-March. The resumption of hostilities between Celtic and Rangers after almost three years made the game notable, not only in Glasgow but on a global scale.

Thankfully, such interest surrounds the overall Old Firm spectacle rather than the basic level of football on show. And basic is being kind. This was a dire match which could only really be deemed satisfactory by Celtic on the isolated basis of victory. Bragging rights are not particularly valid when dealing with feeble opponents.

Rangers, dysfunctional off the field and horribly lacking in viable strategy on it, lag miles behind Celtic, as was apparent during a first period which Ronny Deila’s team completely dominated. After the interval, Celtic did little more than go through the motions themselves. If Deila was content with a 2-0 success, fair enough, but the Norwegian could have boosted his status in the eyes of the Celtic support by presiding over a team which went for Rangers’ throat. “It can’t be better,” said the Norwegian of his emotion. “We did a very good job. There was an unbelievable atmosphere and the players were unbelievably focused. They performed very well. I am proud of the boys.”

This seemed clear overstatement from a manager who might not fully understand his working environment. After such a quick start Celtic failed to really press home their advantage in terms of talent, fitness and attitude. In Deila’s defence, they did not really have to with Craig Gordon, the Celtic goalkeeper, not forced into a single save during the semi-final. For a supposedly competitive derby match, that is an quite incredible scenario.

The revitalised Leigh Griffiths claimed the opening goal, the striker meeting Stefan Johansen’s fine cross to head home at close range. The second belonged to Kris Commons, who latched on to a loose ball 22 yards out and shot high past Steve Simonsen.

The Rangers goalkeeper, who got a hand to the effort, might be disappointed. Commons later delivered positive news to the Celtic support with the admission that the bizarre impasse between himself and the club over a new contract is now close to being resolved.

The overall sense at 31 minutes was that a rout would ensue. It did not, owing partly to a ludicrous refereeing decision – Griffiths was clean through on goal when play was hauled back for an earlier foul – a smart Simonsen save from Johansen and a glaring miss from Virgil van Dijk.

Celtic’s approach was also open to debate. “We did what we had to do. We did our job,” said their captain, Scott Brown. The second half proved a non-event, with Simonsen not tested at all.

“That is for you to decide,” replied the Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowell when asked to quantify Celtic’s footballing superiority over his club. “I thought we competed well. We set up to keep things tight early in the game so losing a goal early-on put a spanner in the works. It unsettled a few people.”

There was mitigation for the standard of football on offer. The dreadful state of the Hampden playing surface. Deila was quick to acknowledge as much and rightly so. For a national stadium, it continually disappoints.

“We are a passing team and it was impossible to pass the ball on that pitch,” Deila said. “That is not how a semi-final should be. It is not good enough, in my opinion. If you are going to develop Scottish football you need pitches you can play football on.”

Deila had withdrawn the lively Griffiths, replacing him with the on-loan Manchester City forward John Guidetti. That represented an act of mercy towards Rangers; following a prolific scoring run, Guidetti has gone off the boil. The clamour for Celtic to make the Swede’s contract a permanent one has, understandably, died down.

The response of the Rangers support to what unfolded was loud defiance. They did not leave the ground, and nor was there audible criticism of their team. In many ways that is admirable but the occasional choice of verse was not.

The Billy Boys, Famine Song and No Pope of Rome were bellowed out by the blue-and-white masses in what proved a disappointing throwback to the times when Rangers attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. Those embattled and embittered fans do not care about that as, history tells us, the same is the case with Scotland’s policing and football authorities. Offensive songs are treated by officialdom as a footnote, with varying degrees of unacceptable conduct from both halves of the Old Firm followings reacted to by the immediate pointing of fingers towards the other side.

By full-time, Celtic’s supporters were treated to fist-pumping by Deila and a lap of honour. Even that seemed contrived – the culmination an occasion which merely endorsed the disparity between two teams while offering little insight as to how strong Celtic actually are. Thankfully for anybody who enjoys genuine sporting contests, Dundee United should provide a sterner test in the final.

Bhoys ease past Rangers

by Dave Maher , 01 February 2015
related news
http://www.setanta.com/ien/Articles/2015/02/01/Bhoys-ease-past-Rangers/gnid-169544/

Celtic defeated Old Firm rivals Rangers 2-0 to reach the final of the Scottish League Cup.

A Leigh Griffiths header and a powerful strike from Kris Commons were enough for Celtic to defeat their local foes and book a meeting with Dundee United in the final.

It was the clubs’ first meeting in three years, and a division separates the pair, but the atmosphere at Hampden Park was as tense and heated as has always been the case when the Glasgow giants come face to face.

The Rangers fans, though, were quietened significantly in the 10th minute, when Griffiths found space amongst the Championship side’s defenders to head Stefan Johansen’s cross past Steve Simonsen.

Anthony Stokes struck an effort over the crossbar before Scott Brown fed Commons, who doubled the Premiership leaders’ lead with a fine strike from 20 yards, despite Simonsen managing to get a touch to the ball.

Virgil van Dijk headed a fine opportunity over the crossbar from close range and Simonsen narrowly denied Johansen, as the Bhoys unsuccessfully searched for a third goal ahead of the interval.

Rangers had presented almost no attacking threat in the first half, but they were a little more dangerous in the second. Still, the Gers ended the clash without managing an effort on target, with Lee Wallace’s lifted attempt over the top being the closest that they came.

At the other end, Darren McGregor prevented Commons from grabbing his second of the day, while Griffiths curled a free-kick wide.

As it was, Celtic ultimately cruised to a comfortable victory, with the majority of both sets of fans – Rangers’, certainly – left to hope that there will be more Old Firm rivalry to enjoy next term.

Celtic 2-0 Rangers: Hoops book final place

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/celtic-2-0-rangers-hoops-book-final-place-1-3676519

Updated on the 01 February
2015
15:49

Published 01/02/2015 15:25
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comments Have your say!

CELTIC cruised through to the Scottish League Cup final with a 2-0 win over Rangers at Hampden Park on a day when the gulf between the two traditional rivals was laid bare.

Scorers: Griffiths 10, Commons 31

Hoops striker Leigh Griffiths headed the Premiership leaders into the lead from a Stefan Johansen cross in the 10th minute with Kris Commons driving in a second on the half-hour mark to effectively seal their place against Dundee United on March 15.

It was a comfortable victory for Ronny Deila’s side in the first meeting between the teams in almost three years since the Ibrox club re-emerged in the bottom tier of Scottish football following administration and liquidation.

Rangers went into the game still embroiled in seemingly endless boardroom battles and with no in end in sight to their financial woes.

Sitting second in the Championship with no guarantee of promotion, with caretaker boss Kenny McDowall having signalled his intent to leave at the end of the season and having recently sold their best young player, Lewis Macleod, Rangers were huge underdogs.

The Celtic camp, with a domestic treble on their minds and a Europa League last-32 clash against Inter Milan later this month, tried to play down talk from outside the camp of a huge winning margin but they could and perhaps should have inflicted more damage on a limited Light Blues side.

• Celtic v Rangers: As it happened

Some Hoops fans had recently taken out a newspaper advert claiming that Rangers were a new club but there was no mistaking the traditional Old Firm rivalries before kick-off.

There was bedlam inside Hampden which, while dealing with rivalry, passion and tribalism, heaved with no little hatred.

Right-back Mikael Lustig, midfielder Johansen and forward Anthony Stokes came in for Adam Matthews, Liam Henderson and John Guidetti, who all started on the bench.

From the team that started in the Championship match against Hearts which was abandoned due to the weather two weeks ago, McDowall brought in midfielder Ian Black for forward Jon Daly, who had to settle for a place among the substitutes, with experienced striker Kenny Miller asked to lead the line again.

The Premiership leaders took control from the first whistle, their early lead almost inevitable.

A simple cross into the middle from Johansen saw Griffiths get between Darren McGregor and Richard Foster and head past the helpless Gers goalkeeper Steve Simonsen, the Hoops striker running towards the Rangers fans in celebration, for which he earned a booking from referee Craig Thomson.

The Ibrox side struggled to get out of their own half and they escaped when a Lustig cross found Griffiths inside the box, this time the former Wolves player could not get enough power on his header.

The Parkhead side did not have to work hard for their chances. A mistake from Fraser Aird allowed Stokes an opportunity but his long-distance drive flew high over the bar.

And when midfielder Nicky Law dithered in the box under pressure from Celtic skipper Scott Brown, he ended up trying to lash the ball clear, succeeding only in setting up Commons who powered a drive from 20 yards high past Simonsen.

The Govan side were in disarray.

In the 39th minute Hoops stopper Virgil van Dijk missed a sitter by heading a Stokes corner over the bar from three yards out, before a great save from Simonsen defied Johansen.

McDowall replaced Aird with big Irish striker Daly for the start of the second-half but it was Simonsen who had to save from Commons’ drive within moments of the restart.

A Griffiths’ free-kick skipped wide of the target before the game became increasingly tetchy.

Rangers had no threat going forward, reduced to battling for mere seconds of possession before chasing again.

Celtic appeared to ease up, allowing the Light Blues something of a foothold in the game but there was no goal threat.

Guidetti replaced Griffiths in the 68th minute, James Forrest came on for Stokes and Miller was replaced by Nicky Law.

However, by then the game was petering out – Matthews came on for Lustig with six minutes remaining – and when the final whistle sounded, Hoops keeper Craig Gordon had not made a save.

Celtic v Rangers Old Firm game leads to 19 arrests

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/celtic-v-rangers-old-firm-game-leads-to-19-arrests-1-3676591
Published on the 01 February
2015
18:29
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FEWER than 20 people were arrested as thousands of fans attended the first Old Firm clash in almost three years.

Police said the vast majority of fans at the League Cup semi-final match between Rangers and Celtic were well-behaved.

A total of 19 arrests were made, with 10 of those for alleged sectarian breaches of the peace.

Tensions were high at Hampden Park in what was the first game between the clubs since Rangers’ liquidation in 2012.

Celtic eased to a 2-0 victory amid a large police presence at the stadium.

Officers were also deployed in Glasgow city centre and at major transport hubs before, during and after the match.

Event commander Chief Superintendent Andy Bates, said: “As usual the vast majority of the 50,000 fans were here to enjoy the game and support their respective team; they deserve credit for their excellent behaviour.

“However, again, it is the minority of fans who spoiled the occasion by for example setting off flares and singing sectarian songs.

“We dealt with any incidents swiftly and with minimum disruption.

“As at 5pm, 19 men have been arrested for a number of offences – mostly alleged minor public order offences but including 10 arrests for alleged sectarian BOPs (breaches of the peace).”

Eleven men will appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court, while five are the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal, and three have been issued with a fixed penalty notice.

The sell-out game had an international television audience in 54 countries.

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) said it had a potential audience of 129 million outside of the UK, with broadcasters in the US, Australia, Europe and Asia screening it.

Celtic will now meet Dundee United who beat Aberdeen 2-1 in the first semi-final at Hampden yesterday.

BBC

By Richard Wilson BBC Scotland at Hampden

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30971812
Celtic eased to victory over Rangers at Hampden to set up a League Cup final with Dundee United.

In the first match between the sides since April 2012, Leigh Griffiths nodded the Premiership leaders in front on 10 minutes, with Kris Commons adding a powerful strike from 20 yards.

Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Johansen went close in a one-sided first half.

Rangers were more determined in a dreary second half but failed to register a single shot on target.

Old habits die hard. It may have been almost three years since the teams last met, but the routines of the Old Firm immediately fell back into place: the noise, the colour, the taunting, even songs and offensive terms that ought to have been left in the past.

All that was missing was a true sense of tension. Celtic scored early, when Griffiths slipped between two Rangers defenders to meet Johansen’s cross with a solid header past Steve Simonsen from close range.

The striker’s play was artful and deft, and it delivered a resounding blow to Rangers.

Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowall’s game plan was clear enough: the defence sat deep and the five-man midfield dropped off as Celtic carries the ball forward.

Containment was their hope. Celtic were more adventurous, although they never lost a grip on their composure or self-assurance.

At one stage, Mikael Lustig’s hungry stride ate up the ground as he left Lee Wallace, normally so dynamic a figure, in his wake. It was a reflection, it seemed, on the greater intensity of Celtic’s play. Even when Rangers were dutiful, Celtic could still benefit.

Fraser Aird broke up one attack only to pass the ball short, leading to Anthony Stokes shooting over. Minutes later, Nicky Law slid to clear the ball from danger, but it rolled straight to Commons, who lashed his effort into the top corner.

“Always look on the bright side of life,” the Celtic fans sang. The opposition supporters were momentarily silenced, and might have been lost to wondering how many goals their side might concede.

There should have been a third, certainly, when Van Dijk clumsily headed a corner over from inside the six yard box. Then only Simonsen’s flailing leg prevented Johansen from slipping the ball past him.

Rangers, whose players were wearing black armbands in memory of long-time Ibrox steward Davie Byers, lacked any cutting edge; even set-pieces were poorly delivered. There was more energy and threat from them in the second half, with McDowall having replaced Aird with Jon Daly.

Even so, it took a sliding Darren McGregor challenge to block Commons from shooting from close range. Griffiths then curled a free-kick just wide.

For all that Rangers remained lively, Celtic were comfortable; goalkeeper Craig Gordon only has to watch a Lee Wallace chip drift over. It was, ultimately, the closest that the Ibrox side came.

There was still time for a couple of inevitable flare-ups, with players from both sides becoming embroiled in spats. They amounted to little, though. This was an Old Firm game in all but significant competitive tension.

Full time

Full Time Match ends, Celtic 2, Rangers 0.
90:00 +3:47 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Celtic 2, Rangers 0.
90:00 +3:13 Booking

Booking Scott Brown (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
90:00 +2:41

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
90:00 +2:41

Ian Black (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00 +1:55

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +1:55

Foul by Richard Foster (Rangers).
90:00 +1:01

Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +1:01

Foul by Richard Foster (Rangers).
89:34

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
89:34

Foul by Jon Daly (Rangers).
88:47

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
88:47

Ian Black (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
88:13

Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
87:39

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
87:39

Foul by Kyle Hutton (Rangers).
86:07

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86:07

Foul by Ian Black (Rangers).
85:06

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
85:06

Foul by Jon Daly (Rangers).
84:50

Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
84:50

Lee McCulloch (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
83:26 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Adam Matthews replaces Mikael Lustig.
80:21 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Rangers. Nicky Clark replaces Kenny Miller.
77:49

Attempt missed. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right is too high.
76:19

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
76:19

Foul by Ian Black (Rangers).
75:37

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
75:37

Jon Daly (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
73:46 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. James Forrest replaces Anthony Stokes.
70:53

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
70:53

Foul by Lee Wallace (Rangers).
70:26

Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
70:26

Ian Black (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
70:01

Attempt missed. Lee Wallace (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
69:27

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
69:27

Steven Smith (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
67:56 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. John Guidetti replaces Leigh Griffiths.
66:34

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
66:34

Foul by Kyle Hutton (Rangers).
64:06 Booking

Booking Kyle Hutton (Rangers) is shown the yellow card.
62:01

Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left.
61:17

Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
61:17

Foul by Lee Wallace (Rangers).
60:46

Foul by Leigh Griffiths (Celtic).
60:46

Richard Foster (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
59:24

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
59:24

Steven Smith (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
55:56

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
55:56

Lee McCulloch (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
53:48

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ian Black.
52:41

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
52:41

Foul by Kyle Hutton (Rangers).
51:58

Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick.
51:16

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
51:16

Foul by Steven Smith (Rangers).
49:26

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
49:26

Foul by Richard Foster (Rangers).
47:18

Foul by Lee McCulloch (Rangers).
47:18

Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
46:22

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
45:47

Foul by Ian Black (Rangers).
45:47

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
45:00

Second Half begins Celtic 2, Rangers 0.
45:00 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Rangers. Jon Daly replaces Fraser Aird.
45:00 +0:06 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, Celtic 2, Rangers 0.
42:57

Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is just a bit too high.
41:40 Booking

Booking Mikael Lustig (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
41:32

Steven Smith (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
41:32

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
40:22

Foul by Kenny Miller (Rangers).
40:22

Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
40:02

Fraser Aird (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
40:02

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
39:34

Attempt saved. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal.
38:42

Attempt missed. Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) right footed shot from very close range is just a bit too high following a corner.
38:18

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Darren McGregor.
37:52

Foul by Lee Wallace (Rangers).
37:52

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
35:00

Foul by Ian Black (Rangers).
35:00

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
34:16

Lee Wallace (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
34:16

Foul by Kris Commons (Celtic).
33:39

Kenny Miller (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
33:39

Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Celtic).
30:20 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 2, Rangers 0. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Scott Brown.
29:13

Foul by Kenny Miller (Rangers).
29:13

Jason Denayer (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
28:36

Lee McCulloch (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
28:36

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
27:42

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Richard Foster.
26:34

Attempt missed. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
25:28

Ian Black (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
25:28

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
23:00

Kenny Miller (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22:58

Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Celtic).
19:26

Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Mikael Lustig.
17:41

Hand ball by Kris Commons (Celtic).
13:47

Ian Black (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
13:47

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
11:00 Booking

Booking Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
10:50

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is high and wide to the right.
9:13 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Rangers 0. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) header from very close range to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Kris Commons.
7:33

Kyle Hutton (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
7:33

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
6:49

Kenny Miller (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
6:49

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
3:29

Foul by Ian Black (Rangers).
3:29

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
0:17

Foul by Kenny Miller (Rangers).
0:17

Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00