Rangers Vs Celtic ends 2-2 as Hearts and Motherwell emerge winners
In a bruising rangers vs celtic at Ibrox that finished 2-2, Rangers led 2-0 at the break but Celtic rallied to score twice in the second half, leaving Hearts and Motherwell better placed after the weekend.
Rangers dominant early, Chermiti header opens scoring
Rangers were overwhelmingly in control in the first half at Ibrox and took a 2-0 lead by half-time thanks to a brace from Youssef Chermiti, the first of which began with a dispossession of Julian Araujo in the corner by Tuur Rommens and Chermiti and ended with Andreas Skov Olsen floating in a cross that Chermiti met with a spectacular header past Viljami Sinisalo.
Celtic fightback produces late drama
Celtic, described at the final whistle as sprightly while Rangers looked stunned, clawed their way back in the second half with goals from Kieran Tierney and Reo Hatate to make the score 2-2; the match featured pushing and shoving and pointing on the pitch in an aggro aftermath.
Young Mikey Moore stood out amid the tumble
Mikey Moore, 18, provided one of the day’s most memorable moments around the half-hour mark by juggling the ball near the halfway line until Julian Araujo wrestled it away — a small, vivid detail in a game that was otherwise dominated by Rangers early on and swung back in Celtic’s favour in the second 45.
Danny Rohl tells critics Rangers have the bottle
Manager Danny Rohl defended his players after the draw, saying he does not accept criticism of their mentality and insisting the squad will fight on. Rohl said: "I don’t accept this about mentality. Everyone who has played football knows there is a story in every game. There is momentum for one team and for the second team it’s important that we continue our performance for the whole 90 minutes. " He added that there are "nine games to go" and the contest for points will go to the final matchday.
Rohl pinpoints errors that allowed Celtic back in
Rohl outlined why Rangers lost their grip after such a dominant first half, saying they "lost the ball in areas that we shouldn’t" and "gave them some transition moments and allowed the game to become stretched" when they had wanted to keep it compact. He said the side tried to stabilise with a third midfielder but could not regain energy or momentum, and noted specific defensive positioning issues at a penalty situation that became a five-against-three scenario.
Local consequences: Hearts and Motherwell benefit
The stalemate was a better result for other clubs: "Hearts and Motherwell finish the weekend in a stronger position, " the match summary said, noting Derek McInnes at the top of the table and Jens Berthel Askou in fourth would have welcomed a draw. The outcome leaves Rangers in second place and six points behind Hearts.
