After an intense Ibrox show in which John Beaton took on additional pressure to maintain rep, Keith is barely able to catch his breath.
It’s difficult to understand the commotion. After all, the wise money was always on a draw.
But nobody could have predicted how Rangers and Celtic managed to get there at lunchtime yesterday, and it was completely fascinating for everyone who spent Sunday afternoon staring and ogling what was happening inside Ibrox. From the moment Daizen Maeda scored an incredible first goal with a tackle on James Tavernier just 21 seconds in, this derby resembled a car crash in many ways. 22 yards away.
It was impossible to look away from this game for the first 98 minutes as it thundered along in a blustery gale until Cyriel Dessers thrashed the final ball kick inches wide of Joe Hart’s left hand post. It was amazing from beginning to end. An absolutely captivating show. Even though it leaves more questions than answers regarding who will advance to win it from here, it may also serve as a pertinent reminder to a viewing audience in the UK of what a top-of-the-table showdown is supposed to look like.
After dropping two points on their home field to their fiercest rivals, Rangers’ players and manager enjoyed a lap of honor, which was a unique sight even after the game was over. Despite the fact that they will almost definitely need to win at Parkhead in order to maintain their lead, they still feel in control.
This was a draw for Celtic, but it felt more like a defeat. However, the outcome may also be what keeps their title defense viable and going strong at home.
With the mess they had made of their first-half performance, for the home team, it felt a bit like a title-defining mission. For as good as Celtic was for forty-five minutes—as good as the circumstances would allow—Rangers were completely disorganized in practically every aspect of their play.
Naturally, it began with an aberration on the part of Tavernier, who seems to lose his sense of equilibrium whenever Maeda confronts him across the halfway line. From a distance, the Rangers captain saw a long, hopeful probe drop out of the sky, but he did nothing at all until Maeda began motoring into his personal space, for reasons that are only known to himself.
Then, startled by this arrival’s fierceness, Tavernier let his legs get tangled just as Maeda rushed in to give her a boot. In hindsight, that ball, which ricocheted like a rocket beyond the incredulous Jack Butland from such a great distance, was only the starter for ten. The general state of insanity that ensued was completely relentless.
A word now for referee John Beaton, who under immense, unbearable pressure entered the middle of this wild derby day as its pantomime villain in waiting. The fact that he survived it without damage to his professional reputation is a testament to his ability to make critical decisions and to Nick Walsh’s advice from the relative safety of the VAR bunker.
They applied the textbook to each of the three important calls they had to make together. Connor Goldson was unfortunate to have his arm in the wrong place at the wrong time, so Walsh told the man in charge to head for the pitch side monitor first.
The ball slid across Goldson’s elbow at point blank range, and he was powerless to stop it. But regardless of how absurd they may seem, rules are rules, and after seeing the replays, Beaton was right to point to the location.
With just over 30 minutes remaining, Matt O’Riley picked up the ball and sandwedged it straight down the middle to give Celtic a 2-0 lead. For Butland, who was under close observation by England manager Gareth Southgate ahead of this summer’s European Championship, this would have been a nightmare come true. However, if not for their keeper, things might have turned out much worse for Rangers.
Just before Celtic’s penalty was given, Butland made a good save to stop a shot from Maeda. Then, he defied logic by deflecting O’Riley’s header into the net. Fabio Silva was frantically moving around in between all of this, as if he had no shame at all, trying to bait Beaton into doing something.
This is most likely the reason the referee gave the Rangers attacker a yellow card five minutes into the second half when, following an Alistair Johnston challenge, he fell for the fifteenth time inside Celtic’s box. Walsh had to watch the video closely to realize that Silva’s knee had indeed been struck by Johnston’s boot.
Beaton and Walsh also scored a perfect goal, even though the striker appeared to have kicked half of his leg into the Sandy Jardine stand when he went down.With his most impressive play of the day, Tavernier put an end to the rest by launching an unstoppable penalty high into Hart’s net.
Rangers unexpectedly found themselves back in a match that should have been beyond them considering how much better Celtic was in the first half. Brendan Rodgers also felt hot under the collar when he arrived at Ibrox, much like Beaton, but for very different reasons. However, for 45 minutes, Rangers were rattled and disoriented by his aggressive high press and tactical approach.
During the intermission, Philippe Clement was the one who had to step up to the plate. His message was obviously received, even though the Belgian later declined to elaborate. Just moments after Tavernier’s spot kick, Dessers bundled home from close range to give Rangers hope after a sweeping counterattack. The score was now tied at 2-2.
However, Walsh hit rewind and instructed Beaton to examine the tackle by Tom Lawrence on Tomoki Iwata again, which had allowed the Rangers to advance quickly and in large numbers. Beaton made the right decision to stop play and chalk off the goal even though it was a soft foul.
After mishandling his starting lineup, Clement was also making a lot of important decisions now. Abdallah Sima, who came on for Scott Wright at halftime, along with the additions of Rabbi Matondo, Todd Cantwell, and even the less well-known Kieran Dowell, gave Celtic’s defense cause for concern.
Even though it took Sima until the 86th minute to smash in the equalizer, he was a threat right away. Callum McGregor, the Celtic captain, had a nightmare when he gave the ball away during the build-up and then deflected it past his own keeper. McGregor was ordered to finish the game. However, he seemed to have assisted Celtic in discarding it at that precise moment.
Naturally, it was far from finished. Adam Idah, another substitute, ensured that with a minute remaining by sprinting up the other end to smash a shot past Butland and restore Celtic’s lead. The fact that it ended in a 3-3 draw because of Matondo’s game-winning goal in injury time only served to cap off an incredible derby.
It’s impossible to predict what mayhem may still occur with two more rounds possible before the biggest prizes of this session are decided.
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