Glasgow Rangers enter 2025 having secured their first Old Firm victory since May 2023 in what was a dominant performance by Philippe Clement’s men at Ibrox.
Heading into the traditional festive clash between the two teams, Celtic were the overwhelming favourites to pile even more pressure on Clement as they looked to go 17 points ahead in the Premiership.
Rangers had other ideas. They stamped their authority early as Ianis Hagi netted a lovely finish and the Light Blues didn’t take their foot off the gas throughout the clash.
Second-half goals from Robin Propper and Danilo secured a stunning 3-0 win as a host of players shone during the game.
Rangers’ best performers vs Celtic
Truthfully, it is hard to pick just one standout player. Everyone battled for each other and showed plenty of fight against a team that has caused the club so much pain recently.
Nicolas Raskin was given the captain’s armband and was wonderful. The Belgian won 60% of his duels contested, made two key passes and looked solid in the heart of the midfield.
Hagi delivered arguably his finest performance since suffering his serious knee injury in January 2022.
In addition to grabbing the opener, the Romanian made four key passes, registered five shots, and delivered eight crosses.
On the opposite wing, Vaclav Cerny showed plenty of attacking intent, even hitting the woodwork twice during the game as he should have added to his goal tally.
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Rangers vs Celtic – Key Statistics |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Highest Ranked |
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Accurate passes |
Cameron Carter-Vickers (86) |
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Shots on target |
Ridvan Yilmaz (3) |
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Ground duels won |
Mohamed Diomande (7) |
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Tackles |
Nicolas Kuhn (4) |
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Key passes |
Vaclav Cerny (5) |
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Via Sofascore |
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A special mention must go to Mohamed Diomande, however, as the midfielder was the beating heart of the team, showcasing his class alongside Raskin in the heart of the midfield for the Gers.
Mohamed Diomande’s game in numbers vs Celtic
Diomande did everything but get on the scoresheet against the Parkhead side. Clement has deployed him as a number ten at times this season, but this afternoon, his job was to nullify the Celtic side and control the game.
Finishing the game with a 92% pass success rate while taking 54 touches indicates how impressive he was at this, never giving the Celtic players a moment’s peace to get into any sort of rhythm.
While he may not have contributed much in an attacking sense, Diomande offered plenty defensively. Indeed, the Ivorian won seven of his 11 ground duels contested, made three tackles and only lost possession five times throughout the 90 minutes.
Journalist Jonny McFarlane even hailed Diomande as “excellent” alongside Raskin and Hagi at half-time, and it was very much a mature performance by the young African.
Clement’s first Old Firm victory at his seventh attempt will surely give the Light Blues plenty of confidence heading into 2025. The result must act as a catalyst for the club to push on and try and catch their rivals at the top of the table.
Whatever happens, the 3-0 win today proved that Rangers can go toe to toe with Celtic.
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