Robin Propper sees Rangers gap to Celtic closing as Ibrox defender reckons Hampden defeat was a LOTTERY

When Rangers and Celtic met at Parkhead back in September the visitors lost by a lot. At Hampden on Sunday, Robin Propper insists the Ibrox side only lost in a lottery.

And he reckons the character that his team mates showed to fight back twice and take Celtic to penalties can be just the ticket to bigger and better things. Rangers may have lost the final and their grip on the League Cup to their fiercest rivals but, while they're well off the pace in the league, Propper says the evidence from the national stadium proved there's not much of a gap between the two when they're on their game.

Philippe Clement is still searching for his first Old Firm victory after six attempts but former FC Twente stopper Propper is adamant they are getting closer.

Three and a half months have passed since Celtic rinsed the Light Blues 3-0 at Parkhead on their way to building up their current 11 point gap between the sides at the top of the Premiership table. But for 120 minutes on the neutral ground of Hampden yesterday they matched Celtic’s energy levels, cancelled out the Hoops’ previous midfield dominance and produced their own threats going forward to net three times.

And it gives Propper huge confidence as the clock ticks down to the next clash of the Glasgow titans at Ibrox on January 2. He said: “Of course it was disappointing. On the other hand, it was a really nice game to play. We had moments to lead, to win that game. So, yeah, it felt, of course, in the end, really disappointing. But I think as well, we had some character today. We stayed positive as a team. We tried our best.

“In the end, you want to win. But I think if you see the whole game, we can be proud of ourselves. It’s one game. And you want to win this game because