Celtic luck makers spark Rangers clangers as Michael Beale second look tells truth of Parkhead ripsnorter

Errors aplenty and more mistakes than you could shake an angry fist at. Same old, same old, in other words.

When you break down all the forced fumbles, blown coverages and chaotic decision making that contributed to a rollicking game at Celtic Park, however, there were still some (very) rough patterns to be detected on both sides of the ball. This contest was about players trying to force the other fella to slip up. Applying pressure until the only choice available was a risky one. And then pouncing to punish the most glaring clangers.

As Michael Beale studied his post-game videos, his over-riding conclusion may well have been that there is no legislating for the sorts of howlers that saw both central defenders gift goals to the opposition.

But he’ll also understand that Celtic worked for their luck. And knew where to squeeze in order to create chances. Beale’s Rangers were the better side for much of the first half, with their pressing game working pretty well (see Photo 1), Malik Tillman regularly joining Alfredo Morelos to stop Celtic building up from the back.

As we see from Photo 2, however, there’s a danger in pressing Ange Postecoglou’s men. If they can break that first line, Callum McGregor gets on the ball in time and space; this counter actually ended with a shot on target from the home captain. Celtic, when they got into the opposition final third, used their tried-and-tested rotations with their most advanced midfielders to draw defenders away from the ball, with the running of Aaron Mooy (see Photo 3) creating space for Jota to cut in and shoot.

This forced Rangers to sit deep. And to commit the cardinal sin, for the opening goal, of simply not tracking one of those runners driving into the golden zone