Glasgow Rangers finally recorded their first Old Firm victory this season as Michael Beale tasted success with his first win in the fixture, six months after arriving to take over the Ibrox side.
Celtic had secured the Premiership title last week, but they were a shadow of their former selves, with the Gers dominating proceedings from the very first whistle, and although the three points are meaningless in terms of winning the title, the pride of securing a win over the champions will stand them in good stead.
Todd Cantwell opened the scoring before John Souttar scored his first goal for Rangers with a header from a corner just before the break.
While the tempo dropped slightly in the second half, the Light Blues still managed to score a third as Fashion Sakala rounded Hart and slotted the ball into the empty net to seal victory.
Nicolas Raskin ran the show from the heart of the midfield, winning eight of his 12 ground duels, succeeding with all of his dribble attempts and making six tackles, while his defensive solidity allowed others to flourish ahead of him – most notably Cantwell.
It was a wonderful team performance, yet the 25-year-old Cantwell was in imperious form throughout, and at the cost of just £1.5m, he has proven to be a bargain already.
How did Todd Cantwell perform vs Celtic?
Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie heaped praise upon the Englishman for his performance this afternoon, tweeting: “Todd Cantwell head and shoulders above everyone else.”
He also stated that the former Norwich City star was “superb all day” and his attacking qualities were on full display throughout.
He managed two shots on target, scoring once while making one key pass, and he was a constant menace to the Celtic defence during the game.
Cantwell took 43 touches and played 20 passes, yet it was his determination and performance off the ball that was a joy to watch, giving Rangers some bite across their frontline which has been sorely lacking this term, especially against Celtic.
He wasn’t shy in contributing defensively either, making three tackles, two interceptions and one clearance, while Beale stated in his post-match press conference: “Todd is highly motivated to be here. I couldn’t be happier with him.”
This suggests he is up for the challenge of knocking Celtic off the top spot in 2023/24, but whether this result will set the tone for the forthcoming year remains to be seen.
