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Trivia
- Strachan loses his first game v Rangers as Celtic Manager.
- Neil Lennon sent off after the final whistle.
Review
This was Strachan's first Old Firm game and it did not end well. Thompson was sent off – for his third time at Ibrox – and Neil Lennon was also dismissed at full time for arguing with Ref Stuart Dougal. The first 20 minutes were abysmal, though Celtic youngster Craig Beattie did have a chance at goal. Play was dirty with a lot of fouls, and one Nakamura free kick only just missed its target from 30 yards. Rangers and Celtic scored a penalty each, but ultimately the Celts struggled through being a man short from the 23rd minute onwards.
Teams
Rangers:-
Waterreus, Pierre-Fanfan (Malcolm 72), Andrews, Rodriguez, Ball, Alex Rae (Lovenkrands 45), Ferguson, Murray, Buffel, Novo, Prso.
Subs Not Used:- Klos, Thompson, McLean, Adam, McCormack.
Goals:- Prso 34, Buffel 51, Novo 88 pen.
Booked:- Rodriguez, Murray, Malcolm.
Celtic:-
Boruc, Telfer, Balde, McManus, Camara (Virgo 87), Petrov, Lennon, Thompson, Nakamura (Maloney 54), Beattie, Hartson (Zurawski 67).
Subs Not Used:- Marshall, Aliadiere, Wallace, Lawson.
Goal:- Maloney 86 pen.
Sent Off:- Thompson (23) Lennon (after the final whistle).
Booked:- Hartson, Lennon.
Att:- 49,699
Ref:- S Dougal.
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
- Match Report (BBC)
- Strachan defends sent off Lennon.
Pictures
Articles
Rangers 3-1 Celtic
BBC
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan's first taste of Old Firm action ended in misery as Rangers eased to victory and the visitors had two men sent off.
Alan Thompson saw red for a rash challenge before Dado Prso volleyed Rangers in front and Thomas Buffel added a neat goal after the interval.
Both sides were given late penalties, with Shaun Maloney scoring for Celtic and Nacho Novo on target for Rangers.
Neil Lennon was dismissed at the final whistle for arguing with the referee.
It was a comfortable victory for the champions, made all the easier by Thompson's folly – his third dismissal at Ibrox.
Celtic skipper Lennon angrily confronted Stuart Dougal after the match and he too was shown a red card.
The first 20 minutes were abysmal, with the ball pin-balling around the pitch at a frantic rate of knots and neither side capable of putting together a sequence of passes.
Celtic youngster Craig Beattie, preferred to Maciej Zurawski up front, had a glimpse of goal from close range but failed to connect with a wild swing as he was crowded out by Jose-Karl Pierre-Fanfan.
The game was littered with fouls and full-blooded challenges and Thompson's badly timed lunge at Novo saw the midfielder sent off after 23 minutes.
Novo then stole through the middle of the Celtic defence but goalkeeper Artur Boruc managed to push away the striker's unconvincing shot. The 10-man visitors then passed up a glorious opportunity to take the lead when Balde made a mess of a free header just six yards from goal.
The big defender was left unmarked from Stilian Petrov's corner but sent the ball crashing into the turf and it bounced high over the crossbar.
Celtic were looking the more organised despite their numerical disadvantage but soon found themselves a goal down.
Alan Thompson is shown the red card at Ibrox
Thompson was sent off early in the game
Marvin Andrews lumped a long ball into the penalty area and Prso met it on the volley to leave Boruc with no chance.
Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura narrowly missed the target with a swerving 30-yard free-kick and Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson dragged a shot wide as the first half drew to a close.
Five minutes after the restart Rangers were further ahead thanks to a fine goal from Buffel.
The Belgian broke away from two challenges and managed to steer a low shot under Boruc from 16 yards.
Lovenkrands mis-hit wide from a promising position as more gaps appeared in the Celtic defence.
The same player later missed with an angled shot and then had an effort blocked by a great Mo Camara tackle.
The visitors were handed a lifeline in the closing stages when Ian Murray upended Maloney and the Celtic player got up to tuck away the penalty.
But, a minute later, Rangers won a spot-kick when Prso was manhandled and Novo shot home.
Rangers: Waterreus, Pierre-Fanfan (Malcolm 72), Andrews, Rodriguez, Ball, Alex Rae (Lovenkrands 45), Ferguson, Murray, Buffel, Novo, Prso. Subs Not Used: Klos, Thompson, McLean, Adam, McCormack. Booked: Rodriguez, Murray, Malcolm. Goals: Prso 34, Buffel 51, Novo 88 pen. Celtic: Boruc, Telfer, Balde, McManus, Camara (Virgo 87), Petrov, Lennon, Thompson, Nakamura (Maloney 54), Beattie, Hartson (Zurawski 67). Subs Not Used: Marshall, Aliadiere, Wallace, Lawson.
Sent Off: Thompson (23). Booked: Hartson, Lennon. Goal: Maloney 86 pen.
Att: 49,699
Ref: S Dougal
Strachan defends sent off Lennon
Rangers 3-1 Celtic
BBC
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan claims dismissed skipper Neil Lennon had not "sworn directly" at referee Stuart Dougal after a stormy Old Firm clash.
"He (Lennon) told the ref he wasn't very enamoured with his performance but he never swore at him directly," said Strachan. "It was industrial language."
But Strachan had no complaints about Alan Thompson's first half red card in the 3-1 defeat at Ibrox.
"Thommo put the ref in a position where he had to think about it," he said.
Rangers went ahead through Dado Prso's 34th-minute volley and Thomas Buffel made it 2-0 six minutes after the break.
But when Shaun Maloney pulled a goal back from the penalty spot four minutes from time Strachan felt Celtic would salvage a point.
"When it went in I thought 'we'll get something out of the game' but they scored again within two minutes.
"I was really happy with the way we settled in at the start of the match and when we went down to 10 men in the first half we were OK. I thought there was nothing to be scared of."