Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota goals defeat Rangers as Celtic advance on title

Celtic took a massive step towards retaining their Premiership title as a thrilling 3-2 Old Firm game victory took them 12 points clear of second-placed Rangers.

Michael Beale got the strong start to the game he had wanted from his Rangers side and they were perhaps unlucky to see an Alfredo Morelos effort chalked off for an infringement, but they found themselves behind after 26 minutes through a close-range finish from the Japan striker Kyogo Furuhashi.

James Tavernier levelled just before the break with a stunning free-kick, met with total silence as no away fans were present, but Furuhashi took advantage of a Ben Davies mistake in the 62nd minute to grab his second.

Another calamitous error, this time by John Souttar, starting for only the second time this season, allowed the Portuguese winger Jota to score a simple third in the 73rd minute before Tavernier reduced the deficit with a header to ensure a tension-filled end to the match.

It was a first defeat in the league for Beale since he became manager and it will see the title remain in the east end of Glasgow, barring the most unlikely of collapses.

Beale suffered a major blow with the absence of Connor Goldson with a hip injury, his place taken by Souttar. The Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin returned to the Rangers midfield following a thigh injury while the Celtic duo Greg Taylor and Aaron Mooy were declared fit after knocks.

With no away fans in the stadium because of fan safety and security issues, there was a different type of atmosphere with 60,000 Celtic supporters backing their side.

Rangers pressed from the start with some success but Furuhashi had the ball in the net from an Alastair Johnston pass in the sixth minute – only to see an offside flag.In