So trying to get back to earth after possibly the title-winning triumph at Ibrox, here are our match ratings for an ‘interesting’ afternoon…

McGregor:

It was his best display since signing again. A magnificent performance, dominated his box, pulled out three or even four world class saved and showed why, even creeping towards 40, he’s the best keeper in Scotland and one of the UK’s finest still. 10

Tavernier:

Was playing a defensive role today, despite what Andy Walker would have you believe. How many good crosses did Laxalt manage? Not too many is the answer. In fact it’s zero. Tavernier did a fine defensive job of blocking the Uruguayan, and while it cost his attacking side for the majority, he was excellent. 8

Goldson:

Another one with a great game. Countless clearances, blocks and interceptions, he even got the better of Edouard more than once. Reliable. 8

Balogun:

A little shaky early on, but he got his rhythm and was pretty comfortable throughout after that. 8

Barisic:

Same tactic as Tavernier, he was withdrawn in a defensive role to nullify Frimpong. And it worked brilliantly – 2 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 5 clearances. If anyone ever thought the Croat was only about attacking, we hope they paid attention today. 9

Davis:

Didn’t control the game the way he’d like, and was pressed constantly by Soro and McGregor. Only managed 60 passes which compared with the likes of 150 he’s managed in recent games shows the role he had to play. Toiled in that sense but worked hard defensively. 7

Kamara:

Another one swamped by Celtic – their pressing really stopped him doing much at all, with even less passes than Davo, and like Davo was mostly chasing. But while forced into mostly defence, he did that side well. 7

Aribo:

He is, and continues to, struggle to hit any kind of rhythm. He’s been with us for over a year and a half and that is a LONG time to settle. His passing average, for his position, was diabolical, and he kept losing the ball. Kept losing out and being swiped. It was a difficult one for him and Celtic clearly knew how to nullify him. That said, he played a gigantic role in the goal, and was kind of the match winner. So again, you have to score based on what he gave in the bigger picture. 7

Roofe:

Extremely unfortunate to be hooked, the flanker worked tirelessly to try to create space but no one was running into it, so his work was completely wasted. A bittersweet Old Firm for him. 6

Kent:

This was a flat afternoon from Ryan Kent. He’s really off the boil right now, and the saddest part for where he is at present was when being done for pace by Ajer. That’s Kent’s big weapon, and he was absolutely done. It reminded us of when Candeias was similarly done by Tierney back in the day. He did manage one or two good dribbles, but there was just a real lack of any kind of movement from him. 6

Morelos:

His one BIG contribution was the one time he turned Bitton and got behind, forcing the Israeli to haul him down and get sent off – which, frankly swung the whole match. It was worth a goal in itself, so while everything else about Morelos’ day was abysmal (Ally McCoist was rightly losing the plot over this) his big moment really won the match for the home side. So we have to score based on that. 7

Subs:

Hagi:

There’s no doubt he added some flair and panache – he had confidence to try things and Rangers’ shape altered just a little to allow more forward momentum. Might even have scored. 7

Manager:

Steven Gerrard had a very interesting afternoon. The tactics were deliberate, and while it was horrible to watch, the manager decided we had a lot more to lose than Celtic did, and played a containment game. Unfortunately for him his forwards were having a terrible match and were unable to hold the ball up, while also getting no support from an overlapping midfield, nor overlapping FBs. It was a risky strategy, not helped by such poor passing throughout. But he gambled on McGregor bailing the side out if needed, which he did. We have to credit Stevie for sticking with a gameplan and playing the long game here. Even if Celtic appeared to be the better team the whole match. We thought Hagi was unlucky to be benched though. 8