Celtic manager Martin O’Neill and defender Cameron Carter-Vickers appear detached from reality following Rangers’ latest Glasgow derby triumph at Parkhead. Just seven days after Derek McInnes guided the Light Blues to a comprehensive 3-0 masterclass at Ibrox, the script played out in remarkably similar fashion in the east end of Glasgow on Sunday.

​While the final 1-0 scoreline suggested a tighter contest than the previous meeting, it heavily flattered the home side. Rangers dictated the tempo from the opening whistle, and Celtic could count themselves fortunate that Ryan Naderi was the only visitor to find the net. McInnes set up his side to press high, disrupt Celtic’s build-up play, and exploit space behind the defence. By full time, the three points clearly belonged to the visitors.

​Despite the evident gulf in performance, the post-match commentary coming out of the Parkhead dressing room suggested a completely different narrative. Instead of taking ownership of another disjointed outing, key figures chose to downplay the superiority of their cross-city rivals.

​Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, Carter-Vickers backed his manager’s assessment that little separated the sides. The American international claimed he agreed with O’Neill that there was not much in the match, adding that he felt neither team played particularly well. He noted that Celtic played too randomly, yet maintained the squad remains united.

​The underlying statistics thoroughly debunk that viewpoint. Celtic registered a dismal expected goals tally of just 0.06 in the first half compared to Rangers’ 0.74. Over ninety minutes, the visitors generated 15 total shots to Celtic’s five and crafted two big scoring opportunities. The score remained close only because goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo turned in an exceptional six-save performance to keep the hosts in contention. Pundits like Kris Boyd were quick to point out that the Light Blues bossed the fixture, leaving Celtic looking blunt and disorganised.

​For Rangers, the victory signals growing momentum under McInnes. The Scottish tactician has now orchestrated six consecutive wins across all competitions, justifying the faith placed in him by club leadership. His tactical clarity has transformed the Gers into a disciplined, resilient outfit that executes its game plan with ruthless efficiency.

​In contrast, Celtic now face an uncomfortable three-week international hiatus. O’Neill must confront major tactical deficiencies and find ways to revive an attack that produced almost nothing over two consecutive derbies. Continuing to insist that the margins were fine will do little to fix the underlying issues on the pitch.

​With upcoming fixtures against Kilmarnock, Dundee, and St Johnstone, McInnes has an ideal runway to equal or eclipse the eight-game winning run previously achieved by Danny Rohl. While Rangers head into the break riding a wave of confidence and tactical authority, Celtic are left with plenty of soul-searching to do before league action resumes.