As Rangers prepared to host Kilmarnock at Ibrox, all the talk was about Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic Park Old Firm party.
The Parkhead manager drew substantial criticism from Rangers supporters for comments about ‘having a bit of fun’ when the Ibrox side roll into town next weekend.
Rodgers had also ramped up what he described as ‘scoreboard pressure’ heading into Rangers’ Ibrox clash against Derek McInnes’ Europe bound Kilmarnock team.
It’s clear the Celtic manager was hoping for the chance to be crowned Scottish Premiership champions in front of his own fans next week after defeating Hearts 3-0 at Parkhead.
But as Rangers once again came from behind to defeat 10-man Kilmarnock 4-1 in a frenetic clash at Ibrox, Brendan Rodgers’ hopes for an early Celtic title party have been quashed.
Now all attentions will turn to whether or not the Rangers team can break Celtic hearts and re-direct the proverbial helicopter back towards Ibrox.
Rangers overcome early Kilmarnock setback
Rangers have struggled to find form ever since that 5-0 hammering of Hearts back at the end of February.
And fears that the team’s disastrous run of two Premiership wins in six games was set to extend against Kilmarnock weren’t helped by the Ibrox side’s usual disastrous start.
Despite two VAR handball penalty calls heralding a play-on from David Dickinson, including one which sent the referee to the monitor, Rangers’ early pressure failed to tell.
And it was Kilmarnock who took the lead when Matty Kennedy knocked a deep, looping cross at the back post back across goal and off James Tavernier into the Rangers net.
The Ibrox captain’s disastrous start to the match would also extend deeper into the first half when he missed a glorious opportunity to level from the penalty spot.
Kilmarnock defender Joe Wright was sent packing when his raised arm blocked Dujon Sterling’s goal bound effort but the Rangers skipper couldn’t convert from the spot.
As Rangers fans readied boos heading into half-time, there was a reprieve for this under pressure Ibrox team through under-fire Portuguese striker Fabio Silva.
The forward produce a neat, first time finish past Will Dennis, with the forward’s ‘all-talk’ hand celebration not exactly earning him any fans amongst Rangers supporters.
On to the second half where Rangers’ domination eventually began to tell on Kilmarnock.
Returning defender Ben Davies – playing his first Rangers game since December – came off the bench for Leon Balogun who sustained a slight back injury.
The ex-Liverpool defender has quite simply not done enough or played enough since a £4m move from Anfield in 2022 but popped up with a huge goal.
I don’t know what’s more miraculous, the fact Davies scrambled the ball over the line from John Lundstram’s long-range rebound, or the fact we actually scored from a corner.
With the nerves palpable around Ibrox stadium, Welsh attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence settled them with an absolute worldie which left Lewis Mayo, Will Dennis, and the entire Killie backline stranded.
John Souttar then popped up with a potentially crucial goal in the goal difference stakes to nod home after Lawrence had another powerful effort parried, completing the scoring at 4-1.
Can Philippe Clement crash Old Firm party?
Whilst Brendan Rodgers and Celtic won’t technically be crowned champions should they overcome Rangers next weekend, they will almost certainly be so in all but name.
But this result will give Rangers and their supporters some confidence that all is not completely lost.
The odds are still stacked against Rangers ahead of next week’s bluenose-less Old Firm visit to Parkhead, but so long as there is a will, there is almost certainly a way.
Whilst the Parkhead manager couldn’t help but begin gloating early, a Rangers victory at Celtic Park shortens the points gap to goals heading into the final two games of the season.
With Celtic still to visit Derek McInnes’ stubborn Kilmarnock side, one suspects that a Rangers victory might have Rodgers feeling his shirt a little tight around his neck heading into the run-in.
It’s all up to this Rangers team now who once again skirted around abject failure to record an impressive victory against Kilmarnock in the end.
There’s now a chance to go and be heroes next weekend and at the very least, Philippe Clement’s tired and injury-ravaged side deserve credit for taking it this far.
