Ange Postecoglou addresses Celtic midfield wilting as Rangers draw delays title party

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou addressed the apparent wilting of his midfield as he reflected on the topsy-turvy nature of the 1-1 derby home draw that was ultimately a decent outcome for his team.

A fact illustrated by the Australian just stopping short of acknowledging that the tied scoreline over title rivals Rangers had placed them in an unassailable position in the pursuit of the championship.

Celtic will now take a six point lead and 19 goal difference advantage over Rangers into their three remaining cinch Premiership encounters - with a win at home to Hearts in next Saturday’s lunchtime fixture all required to effectively clinch the championship.

Yet the position of Postecoglou’s men teetered in the closing stages against their Ibrox rivals. Unable to build on a first-half lead earned by a Jota strike through wastefulness in front of goal, Rangers - despite their Europa League exertions over Leipzig in midweek - grew in strength and potency with Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley withdrawn on the hour looking leggy to be replaced by Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic in changes that unsettled the home team.

The encounter then pivoted with Fashion Sakala claiming a 67th minute equaliser before Celtic’s goal lived dangerously with the Zambian hitting the post. Postecoglou did not deny Hatate and O’Riley had run low on energy - as proved the case in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat at Hampden - but offered mitigation, and downplayed potential issues with the endurance of his players.

“Matty is 21 years old and for Reo this is his first sort of journey outside his own country and it has new challenges,” said the Celtic manager. “I have said all along that there is a relentlessness when you play for this football club and you can’t