There was no shortage of drama on the field as Celtic emerged victorious over Rangers in a thrilling match that saw three goals, including one own goal, and a red card.
The clash between these two fierce rivals was as intense as ever, with tempers flaring when John Lundstram was sent off for a reckless tackle on Alistair Johnston. VAR intervened and referee Willie Collum decided to upgrade the punishment to a red card. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Celtic held their composure and secured the win amidst late pressure from the ten men Rangers.
Beyond the action on the pitch, there was also plenty of intrigue off the field. While we shared some captivating images from the day, one incident that seemed to go unnoticed was a heated exchange between Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and Rangers coach Alex Rae on the sidelines.
Assistant managers John Kennedy and Philippe Clement stepped in to diffuse the situation, and eventually, Rodgers and Kennedy found humor in the encounter. Despite the tension during the match, all parties involved made amends and shook hands at full-time.
This confrontation was not the first between Rodgers and Rae, as they had exchanged words during the previous Old Firm encounter, a 3-3 draw at Ibrox. The rivalry extended to media spats leading up to the match, with Rodgers sparking controversy by mentioning his desire to “have fun” at the derby.
Rodgers had set the tone by stating, “Take nothing for granted, keep our composure, we have a lot of work to do in the week, get our plan ready. And then next Saturday we can have a bit of fun.”
Clement took offense at this, criticizing Rodgers for lacking respect towards his team. He retorted, “That is something I would never say about an opponent. But okay, we will see. It’s not really respectful towards my team. That is what I think. So I will never say things like that about an opponent.”
