CELTIC are in a really strong position to win the Premiership title after sharing the points with Rangers at Parkhead on Sunday.
Jota had fired the home side into the lead before Fashion Sakala netted a second half equaliser in the final derby of the campaign.
The Light Blues striker smashed a low effort off Joe Hart’s post as the away side pushed for the winner on derby day.
However, things turned sour at the end of the game as fans lobbed missiles at one another.
Both clubs released statements of their own and eight arrests were made by cops.
FINAL THREE
Rangers and Celtic both have three league games to play before the Premiership season comes an end.
Here are the remaining fixtures in full:
Rangers: Dundee United, Ross County, Hearts.
Celtic: Hears, Dundee United, Motherwell.
Backwards Billy
Tony Cascarino believes Billy Gilmour has gone BACKWARDS in his spell at Norwich.
The Chelsea kid hasn’t featured much in the league’s bottom side but remains a key part of Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
He told talkSPORT: “The lad Gilmour that came to Norwich, didn’t do particularly well at the club, and the fans turned on him at the start of the season.”He’s a terrific young footballer but, somehow, he’s not grown.
“We talk all the time about young lads going elsewhere and improving – the lad Williams as well from Man United – but they’ve gone backwards this year.
“Two players have gone there from big clubs have gone backwards at Norwich.”
In Fashion
Fashion Sakala added to his Rangers goal tally at Parkhead yesterday.
Can he be the man Van Bronckhorst trusts in midweek?
Here’s his numbers in the league this term.
EYES ON GERMANY
Rangers will be keeping a keen eye on the Bundesliga tonight with Europa League rivals RB Leipzig in action.
They face a trip to Borussia Monchengladbach in a key fixture for their automatic Champions League hopes.
Freiburg occupy 4th spot and the final spot at Europe’s top table through the league placings with Leverkusen one place ahead having played a game less.
FC Cologne and Union Berlin are also firmly in the hunt going into the last couple of games.
But tonight is a massive game for Leipzig – just days ahead of a crucial semi-final showdown at Ibrox.
MORE FROM ANGE
“It’s very humbling, and I’m proud.
“It’s not just representative of my work but all the staff.
“It’s been a big challenge for us and I think people have recognised that. It’s great when it is voted by your peers because they understand what you’re going through.
“It’s not what drives or motivates me [proving people wrong]. I’m not too harsh on people that said the jury was out on me. I understand that.
“There was no great recognition of what I have done, and when you come from the other side of the world that’s always understandable.
“People have recognised the challenge I had, especially in a year that many thought would be a transition season.
“Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we tick off the big one.”
FIRST CLASS
Ange Postecoglou has heaped praise on John Kennedy and his Celtic coaching staff
The Aussie boss arrived at Parkhead last summer on his own – in a decision he revealed was made by himself.
He last night landed the PFA Manager of the Year award with the Hoops on the verge of landing the Premiership title alongside their Premier Sports Cup success.
He told Sky Sports: “It was my call not to bring anyone in – and just to assess the staff I had.
“The key to that was then getting them to believe in me. They’ve been outstanding.
“Led by John Kennedy who has been at the club a long time. He understands what success looks like but all the staff have been great.
“For us to be in the position we are has taken a massive collective effort.”
Firm legends
Ally McCoist shared a picture with Celtic hero Danny McGrain before yesterday’s Old Firm clash.
The pair posed outside Celtic Park prior to the 1-1 draw.
Fans from both sides took to social media to laud the ‘legendary’ pair.
McGrain was at Celtic for 17 years and is widely regarded as one of the best right backs in British football history.
MORE FROM BOSNICH
“I have been in dressing rooms before where because of nerves people might be physically sick.
“Everyone takes it different. Dwight Yorke was one of the most laid-back people before games. I was told just to embrace it.
“It’s down to the manager to create, as best as he can, the environment, then it’s up to the players.
“The biggest thing for Ange is to keep a lid on things.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity, yes. You have to be prepared for every scenario.”
HE IS THE BOS
Mark Bosnich has hailed Ange Postecoglou as a winner with a capital W.
The Celtic boss is on the verge of securing his first Premiership title after Sunday’s draw with Rangers.
The gap remains at six points with three games to go following the 1-1 draw at Parkhead.
He told AK Media: “It would be a superb achievement. He’s illuminating a pathway for young Australian coaches.
“I got to know Ange really well sitting next to him for nearly four years when we worked at Fox Sports together.
“Knowing the style of football he plays, his approach to football, it will be a fantastic achievement.
“When he first came there and there were so many doubters, I think that inspired him more. It’s understandable, especially people from Europe.
“He’ll definitely be on the front foot; he’s a winner with a capital W.
“The thing that really endeared him to Australian football fans was the style of football he played. The style of football he plays allows fans to be very, very proud of their team. That’s wherever he has gone.”
BORNA AGAIN
Borna Barisic has labelled Rangers’ game with RB Leipzig as their ‘biggest game of the season’.
The Light Blues trail the Bundesliga outfit 1-0 going into the Europa League semi-final second leg at Ibrox on Thursday night.
He said: “Listen, this is now our biggest game of the season on Thursday.
“We know what we need to do, we know how they play. We know how they played in Germany will be different at Ibrox.
“We cannot wait for that game to show energy, to show desire, to try to qualify for the final.
“We know the fans will help our performance for sure. They’ll be behind us like always.
“It’s on us now to perform on Thursday. I expect a very, very good atmosphere and we’ll see what happens. We’ll give everything to win the game.”
ALL HART
Joe Hart insists Celtic still have work to do in their bid to win the Premiership.
He said: “Look you’re never going to get me to sit here and say that but I think we’ve worked very hard to be in this position.
“We’ve come through a lot and we’re pleased with where we are and we’ve got a job to do. And that continues.
“This league is not set up for us to win it. There is opposition out there, there are other teams trying to do it.
“Rangers mathematically are still in this fight. They’re never going to lie down.
“This fixture wouldn’t allow them to lie down and that’s why it’s such a great fixture to be involved in.”
JOB NOT DONE
Jota insists Celtic’s bid to win the Premiership title is NOT done and they will be ready to go into battle with Hearts next week.
He told Celtic TV: The job’s not done. We keep on going. We rest and then next week we go again.
“It’s game after game. We know how important the next one is, so we keep on, we don’t give up, we get together the troops and we go into battle next week.”
He continued: “It’s always a tough game against Rangers so we tried our best. We wanted to win but, unfortunately, we didn’t.
“Our style of game always aims for goals and pressing and keeping after them, but unfortunately we didn’t score again after the first goal.
“We kept on trying and then we conceded a goal. But the main thing to think about all of this is that we didn’t give up.”
Big bad John
John Lundstram’s reputation on the park continues to grow.
Off it, Rangers fans’ will soar after his latest moment.
Gers supporters loved a clip circulating social media showing Lundstram staring down jeering Celtic supporters.
The incident came after the game when the 28-year-old was leaving Parkhead for the coach home.
Despite a barrage of boos and insults, Lundstram smiled, stared back and kept on walking.
SURPRISE AT THE DOOR
Ange Postecoglou has also revealed the time Rod Stewart rocked up at his door and gave him a hug.
The Celtic-daft rocker is a regular at Parkhead and showed his appreciation and love for the current Hoops gaffer.
He revealed the surprise visit as he opened up on the Celtic fans’ adaptation of ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! to include his name.
He added: “My wife was horrified.
“My kids actually think that is how the Christmas song goes.
“They have never heard George Michael’s version so it was horrifying for my wife hearing my two boys signing that song at Christmas time with my name in it. It is all a bit surreal.
“Before one of the recent games I had a knock on my door and Rod Stewart came in and gave me a hug. That goes to show you how well worlds change.”
DRINK TO THAT
Ange Postecoglou admits he isn’t looking too far ahead and is taking each game as it comes in Celtic’s bid to win the Premiership.
Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Rangers leaves the Hoops six points clear at the top with just three games left to play as they close in on the league crown.
Postecoglou says it will be a special moment when the time comes and he intends to crack open some of his Scottish whiskey selection in celebration.
Speaking on ABC TV’s Offsiders programme, he said: “It is the whole one game at a time sort of headset I have got on at the moment.
“I am not looking too far ahead.
“We still have a couple of steps to go. It will be special.
“I have already got a fairly decent collection of some fine Scottish whiskey.
“If it does happen then I will break open a couple of the special ones and have a couple of the quiet ones.”
More from Commons
Commons believes Celtic were there for the taking and were LUCKY to get a point.
He added: “Celtic were there for the taking.
“In the end, they were lucky to draw. Fashion Sakala could quite easily have had a hat-trick on a different day.
“Ryan Kent also missed a good chance, while Joe Hart produced a great save to deny Scott Arfield in the second half.
“Don’t get me wrong, Celtic missed a few chances of their own. But if we’re talking about how Postecoglou can improve this team, the defence looks to be an obvious starting point.
“There’s no doubt Carl Starfelt has improved over the course of the season from the player who first arrived in Glasgow last summer.
“He can look good at times and, in fairness, he dealt with a lot of danger really well yesterday. But he still makes me nervous.”
‘Glass jaw’
Celtic’s defence has been pinpointed as an area of concern for Ange Postecoglou by former star Kris Commons.
He branded the key part of the side as Celtic’s ‘glass jaw’ despite having the meanest defence in the Premiership this season.
He told the Daily Mail: “There have been some games this season where they have enjoyed well over 80 per cent of possession. It’s incredible to watch when they are in full flow.
“But there’s still a nervousness and a fragility to their defence against teams with a bit more quality and bravery to engage them higher up the pitch.
“We’ve seen it all season. In conceding 15 times across six games in the group stage of the Europa League, Postecoglou’s side shipped more goals than any other team in the competition.
“Bodo/Glimt then ran riot in the Europa Conference League, beating Celtic 5-1 on aggregate over the two legs.
“There’s a glass jaw to this Celtic team and we saw it once again against Rangers yesterday. Plainly, Rangers will be kicking themselves that they didn’t leave Parkhead with three points.”
AWARDS SEASON
Liel Abada reacts after winning Celtic’s Young Player of the Year award.
He said: “I am really happy.
“This is really a grand moment for me.
“I really want to say thank you to the fans, coaches and players who voted for me. Thank you everyone for the support.”
“I am really happy to be here.”
‘WONDERFUL’
Michael Stewart labelled Fashion Sakala’s Rangers leveller against Celtic as ‘wonderful’.
The Light Blues hitman superbly brought the Ibrox men level at Parkhead with a low-drive beyond Joe Hart.
It earned a share of the spoils on derby day and earned the plaudits of pundit Michael Stewart in the Sportscene studio.
Describing the goal, he said: “That is the danger when it is only 1-0.
“Just when Celtic looked as if they were finding a little form in the second half
“Rangers inject the pace into the attack, it’s really good play, one-touch, overload the wide area.
“It’s a wonderful finish from Sakala, he gets around the outside of Kent, the overload is there, bang, first time right in the bottom corner from Sakala.
“It is passed Joe Hart before he can react and get down.”
Hart: ‘We dominated’
By Robert Grieve
Rangers fans will insist they deserved to win yesterday, but then Celtic also had chances in the first half after they had taken the lead.
Hoops stopper Joe Hart felt his side ‘dominated’ their Ibrox rivals.
He said: “I felt like we dominated but they are a hard team to put away.
“They are resilient, they are dangerous on the counter- attack and I think, with our aggressive style of play, if we are not two or three goals ahead people have always got a chance.
“But we stick by those foundations, stick by that way of playing football. It has won us more games than it has drawn us. It is what it is and we have another three big ones coming up.”
Unlucky says Boyd
By Colin Duncan
Kris Boyd reckons the result of the final Old Firm game didn’t matter for Gers, but he still believes they should have won it.
The Premiership’s record goalscorer insisted that Ryan Kent and Fashion Sakala should have converted golden chances.
He said: “Kent’s was an easier chance than the one Jota took to get his goal.
“He has got to score. Anthony Ralston’s body shape is the exact same as Borna Barisic. He has no clue Kent was there.
“It was a great second half for Rangers and they were the better team, but Sakala had a great opportunity to win it.
“His goal was a fantastic finish, but he was unlucky not to get a second. Rangers were very unfortunate not to win.”
Hart breaker
By Robert Grieve
IT was a moment in the match to give their supporters palpitations.
But Celtic’s Hart didn’t skip a beat.
Joe Hart made a crucial stop for Celtic Rangers star Scott Arfield must have thought the shot he had struck from Scott Wright’s cutback was destined for the net.
But there was no ordinary Joe between him and a goal. Joe Hart just isn’t sure how he managed to claw the ball away.
“Look, it is mayhem out there.
“I love playing football, love being in goal and sometimes you do things that you ideally don’t want to do, that you know you are better than.
“And sometimes you do things where your body and your instincts take over.
“I don’t know actually what happened, I just know it stayed out.”
Joe Hart
‘Gers kept momentum’
By Colin Duncan
Kris Boyd insisted avoiding defeat was all that mattered for Rangers ahead of their showdown with RB Leipzig on Thursday.
The ex-Gers hitman is convinced it was all about maintaining momentum with the league already out of their reach.
Boyd feels his old side would have been content to avoid any further injury set-backs.
He said: “Thursday is a massive game and the title was over anyway for Rangers. The most important thing was not getting beat. It was vital to leave with no injuries, and hopefully they will have Aaron Ramsey and Kemar Roofe back.
“That little blip after Christmas cost them the league — losing a two-goal lead to Motherwell then losing to Celtic.”
CALMAC LEADS THE WAY
Last but not least for The Hoops – Callum McGregor has been given the title of Player of the Year!
The captain has been a colossal figure in the heart of Ange Postecoglou’s side this season.
And he’s now been given individual recognition for his efforts too.
The 28-year-old picked up both the players and club POTY award, rounding off the night of awards for the Celts.
Award for Abada
Celtic have named Liel Abada as their Fans Young Player of the Year.
The tricky forward has 15 goals and nine assists to his name so far this season.
Hoops fans voted in the award and named the 20-year-old as their best performing youngster.
His season highlights include a dramatic 90th minute winner against Dundee United in January, and a strike against Rangers the month following.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
