Rangers reached the Scottish League Cup semi-finals with a commanding 3-0 Old Firm victory over Celtic at Ibrox, as Dan Neil scored twice and Kevin Kelsy added his first goal for the club.
Neil opened the scoring from outside the area after Rangers turned over possession in Celtic territory. Kelsy struck after the interval from James Penrice’s cross, before Neil completed the result with a composed curling finish from the edge of the box. It was Derek McInnes’ first derby win as Rangers manager and Celtic’s first domestic defeat of the campaign.
A result built on more than intensity
Derbies can often be reduced to emotion, tackles and a single decisive moment. This one was settled by Rangers being more coherent with and without the ball. Multiple reports described a match in which Celtic created very little of consequence, while Rangers repeatedly found routes around the visitors’ midfield and into the second phase of attacks.
McInnes’ selection of Kelsy alongside Ryan Naderi was an assertive call. It left Rangers with less conventional control in central midfield, but it gave them two forwards capable of contesting direct passes and occupying Celtic’s centre-backs. The opening goal illustrated the value of that approach: Naderi disrupted Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kelsy linked play quickly and Neil arrived in the space that followed.
That was not a one-off sequence. Rangers consistently made Celtic defend facing their own goal, particularly when Penrice advanced from left-back. The second goal came from another Penrice delivery, with Kelsy drifting away from the central congestion to finish at the far side. Rather than simply attacking in waves, Rangers identified a recurring problem in Celtic’s defensive spacing.
Neil and Kelsy provide timely breakthroughs
Neil had not previously scored for Rangers, according to the reports, but his two finishes made him the defining figure in a high-stakes occasion. Neither was a speculative effort. His first was struck cleanly after Kelsy’s lay-off; his second required him to control a loose clearance and bend the ball beyond Sam Johnstone.
The goals matter beyond the individual milestone. Rangers have needed midfielders who can convert territorial pressure into end product, especially when opponents protect the penalty area in numbers. Neil supplied that edge twice, while also representing a side that looked more assured than in its early-season performances.
Kelsy’s contribution was similarly significant. His early miss following Johnstone’s mis-hit clearance could have unsettled a new forward in a derby. Instead, he remained involved in the first goal and took his own chance clinically after the break. His partnership with Naderi was not based on elaborate combination play, but it gave Rangers a functional and physical focal point that Celtic struggled to contain.
Celtic’s issues were collective
Celtic did have isolated openings. Kasper Hogh slipped at an awkward moment after being released by Colby Donovan, and Camilo Duran sent an effort wide. Yet Ivor Pandur was rarely required to make a difficult intervention. That lack of sustained threat was the most concerning aspect of the visitors’ display.
Reports were united on Celtic’s error-prone start, with Johnstone fortunate that Kelsy failed to punish an early clearance straight to him. There were also loose passes in possession and uncertain moments defending crosses. But the wider issue was their inability to play through Rangers’ pressure with speed or precision.
Martin O’Neill changed the flank arrangement at half-time, withdrawing Sebastian Tounekti and introducing Haissem Hassan, whose direct running briefly offered a different outlet. The alteration did not change the match’s pattern, however. Rangers continued to win second balls, restrict space around their box and force Celtic into hurried decisions.
The visitors’ established players and summer arrivals alike found it difficult to impose themselves. That does not mean one defeat defines their season, but it does leave questions about how quickly the new combinations can become reliable when a contest becomes aggressive and disjointed.
The significance of a clean statement
The absence of away supporters, caused by the continuing ticket-allocation dispute, altered the visual and emotional makeup of Ibrox. A ground filled entirely by home fans may have lacked some of the usual derby exchange, but Rangers ensured the atmosphere became an advantage by taking control early and never surrendering it.
For McInnes, this was more than progression in a cup competition. Rangers’ recent record in this fixture has weighed heavily on successive managers, and his team delivered the kind of complete performance that supporters had been waiting to see: disciplined in defence, forceful in transition and clinical when opportunities arrived.
Celtic will view the margin as an unacceptable collapse rather than a normal setback. Rangers, meanwhile, have produced evidence that their new manager’s more direct, combative blueprint can withstand the biggest test in Scottish football. The semi-final place is the immediate reward; the confidence gained from such a one-sided derby may prove just as important.