2026-09-20: Celtic 0-1 TheRangers, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2026 – 2027

Trivia

KO:12pm, Sunday, Sky Sports TV
Sevco now just two points behind Celtic in the league. First league defeat for Celtic this season.
Teams met in the league cup last Sunday with Celtic defeated 3-0. Celtic then humiliated in midweek 3-1 v Ferencvaros. So that’s three big defeats in a row.
Celtic have already lost four key matches this season (two v Sevco and two in Europe).
No Sorenson or van den berg in the squad. Hogh & Hassan on the bench, Johnstone dropped. Not good look for the summer transfer window deals which earlier on had been viewed positively.
MoN‘s comments pre and post match appear to hint that he is to soon end his time as Celtic manager.
Media and social media full of reports that he was to step down or even had stepped down, most click bait chasing or just jumping the gun.
Maeda attends the match to say farewell to Celtic support.
Roy Keane’s at the game, but made it abundantly clear on a recent podcast he would never attend a game with the ulterior motive of replacing a manager. His last management job was 15 years ago
Acc to journo Graham Spiers, Martin O’Neill was privately despairing as he later admitted the current squad is weaker compared to the end of last season.
Celtic announced Mark Keane & Raymond Buchanan as new non-executive directors as part of a boardroom refresh following recent departures of Peter Lawwell & Mark Allison.
Sandro Mazzola, who scored Inter’s opening goal in the 1967 European Cup final against Celtic, has passed away aged 83. RIP

Summary

BBC

Celtic ‘passive’ & ‘in trouble’ – pundits’ on derby defeat

Celtic sustained a third defeat in a row after Rangers left Glasgow’s east end with a 1-0 win in Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match.

For Martin O’Neill’s side, it followed last Sunday’s 3-0 League Cup loss away to Rangers and a midweek Europa League defeat at home to Ferencvaros.

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown was on punditry duty for BBC Scotland and shared his thoughts on the game.

“Rangers won more duels than Celtic,” he said. “They just looked that little bit more reactive than what Celtic did. They’ve not done enough over the game to go and deserve to win that. The pressure was very, very passive.

“They went in their ones and twos, didn’t go as a team. They got bullied throughout the pitch. That’s two games in a row – that’s not good enough.

“There’s a lot of pressure on how Martin O’Neill now deals with that three weeks in that international break and how he can come out the other side. He’s got to have an understanding of what his best team is, what his best shape is and go from there.

“He’s been through hard times, he’s been through good times but now his job is to get the best out of that Celtic squad.”

Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner was in attendance at Celtic Park.

And he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound: “Rangers should’ve put that game long out of sight and they thoroughly deserved their victory.

“That’s not the way that the fans have been used to Celtic playing over the last maybe 10 years so something’s far wrong. Is it down to the players? We don’t know but it’s up the management to fix it.

“They’ve got to fix it very, very quickly because they’re in trouble at the moment.”

“I’m not exempt from criticism. I’ve never felt I ever have been. Celtic will replace me when the moment is right.”
Martin O’Neill pre match to league loss v Sevco (Sep 2026)

“I will reflect and see. I will. I genuinely will reflect and see. It’s a matter of whether I can help the team, if that’s the case. That’s what the manager is supposed to be able to do. And yeah, I will have a look at that this week.E very single time that something crops up, things don’t go so well, age plays a part and, you know what, they may well be right.“I’m 110 in two years’ time, so yeah, it might be time to wrap it up.“I will reflect on the games and obviously speak to the board. You never know, they may want to speak to me.“I’ve got some time to do that. I’ll try and get a couple of days away and see how it goes. First of all, I got an opportunity to come back here last October, which I never thought would ever happen in my life. So I’m really grateful for that.And then I get the chance again in January to do it again the second time round. He described the title-clinching game against Hearts as “probably one of the great moments of my managerial time”.
Martin O’Neill post match reflecting on his position

“I genuinely will reflect and see. It’s a matter of whether I can help the team.”
Martin O’Neill says he will reflect on his role at Celtic and his ability to improve the team during the international break after another damaging defeat.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill tells BBC Sportsound: “We’re still two points clear in the league. We have an international break coming up now and it’s a time just to reflect on the start of the season, see where we are positioned and get on from there. “Every defeat, I believe, is damaging. It’s like anything else. “From today’s viewpoint, I thought that there wasn’t much between the teams. Rangers scored their goal, we had a couple of chances ourselves, strangely enough. “Kieran hits the bar just about 90 seconds before they score. Things like that there when the game is tight can change. “The football club has suffered defat in the past, I’ve done that and it’s a matter of fighting back and that’s what you’ve got to try and do. “Every defeat is really painful and it hurts every bit as much now as it did before. “I have to reflect on things myself, see what I can do better to help the team. That’s something that I’ll genuinely think about. “There are always big questions when you lose football matches. You have to accept responsibility, which I do. Remember, this is the team, this is my team. I am responsible for that. Introspection. “We’ve got work to do. [Three successive defeats is] an unusual occurrence for myself, it’s an unusual occurrence for Celtic Football Club and I am responsible for that.”

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill tells Sky Sports: “I don’t think there’s very much between the teams. We should have created more, as much as anything else. “We had one just after half time, the goalkeeper makes a good save, but we should have created more. “It might just be one of those days. Some of our build up play was really good, the final ball let us down. That’s probably about it. “It’s frustrating to lose a game of any description. An Old Firm game is tough to take. But they took their chance and we didn’t capitalise on whatever we tried to do. “Can’t complain whatsoever in terms of effort. It’s tough with European games, you’re trying to balance things. We can’t do anything about it, we want to try and play in Europe, but it’s a balancing act. “Nobody is pleased with what’s happened, it’s been a tough week. But history proves the football club fights back from these things. “When the players come back from international duty, we’ll have a rethink. I don’t think it’s a disaster. And the word they tell me is ‘reset’. It’s time for a bit of self-reflection.”

Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers tells Sky Sports: “Hard to put your finger on one thing. We played a bit too random. We need to get better at that, getting a script and sticking to it. “The last two games we’ve played have been big pressure games. As players, you rely on having something to fall back on. “We haven’t had the time to get that. As players, we can do better for sure. It’s something we can improve on. “There’s a lot of new players at the club. It’s about getting everyone on the same script. The group are together like we’ve always been. We need to find consistency. “I agree with the manager, I don’t think there was much in the game. Neither team were particularly good. There’s a lot we can improve on but I’m confident in the group we have.”

Chris Sutton Former Celtic striker on Sky Sports Knowing Martin [O’Neill] as I do, he’ll be greatly concerned. I don’t like to disagree with him but it wasn’t a close game. There was a massive gulf between the teams. I can’t remember a Celtic team getting such a doing at Celtic Park from a Rangers team. It looked like they were making it up as they went along. I feel sorry for Luke McCowan, he hasn’t started all season and he was thrown in. Rangers were better in every department. Celtic lacked legs and physicality in the middle of the park and they haven’t been able to cope in the big games. They were smashed, and that’s a concern.

‘Celtic passive’
Scott Brown Former Celtic captain on BBC Sportsound Rangers won more duels than Celtic. They just looked that little bit more reactive than what Celtic did. They’ve not done enough over the game to go and deserve to win that. The pressure was very, very passive. The went in their ones and twos, didn’t go as a team. They got bullied throughout the pitch. That’s two games in a row – that’s not good enough. There’s a lot of pressure on how Martin O’Neill now deals with that three weeks in that international break and how he can come out the other side. He’s got to have an understanding of what his best team is, what his best shape is and go from there. He’s been through hard times, he’s been through good times but now his job is to get the best out of that Celtic squad. You need to get a tune out of the lads, they need to start being in a good place and get the crowd behind them again.

Joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki:
Maybe I’m being cynical, but loooks like he already knew it was on the cards, and he was preparing himself for what appears to be the inevitable. There were text rumours being spread around in some small circles the night before quoting an ex Celt that this was the final match for MoN regardless of the result. Possibly the health scare at the start of the season has had a huge impact mentally.
Anyhow, it was a painful afternoon where both sides played very poorly yet Sevco manged to take advantage. Celtic actually scored early but it was offside, and thereafter there wasn’t enough from Celtic. Sevco also had a goal ruled out (handball) but had the better chances in the game. They was no tactical awareness and players looked completely unfit.
If this is his last match in charge at Celtic, then it’s not the best way to remember him after so many incredible experiences. Last season’s finale will never be forgotten. O’Neill will forever be a Celtic hero.

Social media:

Misc: Four massive games in the last three and a half weeks and Celtic have not only lost them all but the performances have been utterly abysmal.Still top of the league though, so don’t expect any fan opinions to change in some quarters despite back to back defeats to Sevco.

Rick Hendry Bluesky:As it stands we’ve reached crisis point, I will always love Martin and everything that he’s done for us but after what I witnessed today, we’ve reached the end game regarding his tenure as manager. Tactics and team selection alone were baffling, it was a desperate last roll of the dice. It’s heartbreaking that it’s come to this but we’ve failed to turn up in all of our biggest tests this season so far, we look so disjointed and tactically inept, there’s no hunger or desire and passion from the players either. The board are to blame here, they’ve hung a club legend out to dry. But ultimately it’s a results driven business and the buck stops with the manager and his coaching staff, and Celtic now have a duty of care to Martin to put him out of his misery before his health really deteriorates for the worst. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess.

Misc: Took some time to try and digest what I just witnessed from this utter shambles of a celtic squad (the drive home) Thing I can’t get past is the complete and utter lack of anything that looked like tactics or plan We are a club that is broken atm. From boardroom incompetence to recruitment, fan engagement, in the dugout and on the park. There isn’t a single facet of our club operating as it should be. This isn’t something that has reared its head out of the blue, it’s the chickens coming home to roost! Scales disagreed with MON midweek now CCV saying we have no plan, doesn’t sound a happy camp right now

Teams

Celtic

Manager: Martin O’Neill
Formation: 3 – 4 – 2 – 1
Starting lineup
01, V. Sinisalo
05, L. Scales, subbed for S. Mheuka at 89 mins
06, A. Trusty
20, C. Carter-Vickers
63, K. Tierney, subbed for Haissem Hassan at 71 mins
22, M. Baur
42, C. McGregor (c), Captain,73′, Yellow Card at 73 mins
51, C. Donovan
08, B. Nygren, subbed for J. Forrest at 63 mins
14, L. McCowan, subbed for K. Høgh at 46 mins
11, C. Durán, subbed for S. Tounekti at 71 mins

Subs:

49, J. Forrest
23, Haissem Hassan
26, S. Johnstone
29, S. Mheuka
47, D. Murray
21, A. Oxlade-Chamberlain
56, A. Ralston
17, S. Tounekti,74′, Yellow Card at 74 mins
09, K. Høgh

TheRangers

Manager: Derek McInnes
Formation: 04 – 4 – 1 – 1
Starting lineup
01, I. Pandur
29, J. Penrice, subbed for B. Godfrey at 76 mins
24, O. Makhanya
37, E. Fernandez,4′, Yellow Card at 4 mins
21, D. Sterling
23, D. Gassama, subbed for B. Bouanani at 72 mins
43, N. Raskin
06, D. Neil (c), Captain, subbed for T. Chukwuani at 88 mins
10, Kim Min-Su,57′, Yellow Card at 57 mins, subbed for F. Curtis at 71 mins
20, R. Naderi
19, K. Kelsy, subbed for C. Devlin at 89 mins

Subs:

26, B. Bouanani,88′, Yellow Card at 88 mins
42, T. Chukwuani
52, F. Curtis
14, C. Devlin
22, V. Dragojević
04, B. Godfrey
31, L. Kelly
02, R. McCrorie
28, B. Miovski

Goals:

R. Naderi (33′)

Assists:

Ref:
Att:

Articles

Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Match Pictures

Stats

Basic Stats
Overall possession
Celtic 55.1%
Rangers 44.9%
Shots
Celtic 5
Rangers 15

Shots on target
Celtic 1
Rangers 8

Total touches inside the opposition box
Celtic 20
Rangers 28
CEL
RAN
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 6
Rangers 1

Aerial duels won
Celtic 26
Rangers 30

Fouls committed
Celtic 16
Rangers 19

Corners
Celtic 8
Rangers 4

In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Celtic 5
Rangers 15

Shots on target
Celtic 1
Rangers 8

Shots off target
Celtic 3
Rangers 4

Attempts out of box
Celtic 1
Rangers 5

Hit woodwork
Celtic 1
Rangers 1

Total offsides
Celtic 3
Rangers 2

Distribution
Total passes
Celtic 434
Rangers 359

Pass accuracy %
Celtic 74
Rangers 69.6

Backward passes
Celtic 50
Rangers 54

Forward passes
Celtic 172
Rangers 175

Total long balls
Celtic 70
Rangers 80

Successful final third passes
Celtic 62
Rangers 85

Total crosses
Celtic 29
Rangers 19

Defence
Total tackles
Celtic 28
Rangers 17

Won tackle %
Celtic 75
Rangers 82.4

Fouls committed
Celtic 16
Rangers 19

Total yellow cards
Celtic 2
Rangers 3

Total clearances
Celtic 32
Rangers 38

Clearances off the line
Celtic 1
Rangers 0

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Pre Match Facts
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Celtic are looking to win 14+ consecutive league matches for the first time since March 2017 under Brendan Rodgers (22), a run which ended via a 1-1 home draw with
Rangers.

Celtic have won each of their last 13 league games, their longest winning run coming into a league Old Firm derby since March 2017 (22 in a row). The Hoops have only won two of the six previous occasions they have faced
Rangers in the league while on a 13+ game league winning run (D1 L3).

Rangers have scored seven goals from 128 shots in the Scottish Premiership this season, a conversion rate of 5.5% – the lowest of any side in the division in 2026-27.

After
Rangers’ 3-0 win in the Scottish League Cup last time out, Derek McInnes could become only the second manager to win both of his first two Old Firm derbies against Celtic in charge of the club, after Graeme Souness in 1986.

Articles

BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/ck790rl4jpz0t#Report

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park

Rangers earned a second Old Firm derby win in a week to cut the gap to Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic to two points and deepen the gloom at their city rivals.

With no away supporters in the ground, striker Ryan Naderi silenced Celtic Park before the break with his first goal in this fixture to stretch Rangers’ winning run to six consecutive matches.

It also means Derek McInnes is the first Rangers manager to win his opening two derbies since Graeme Souness in 1986.

But his counterpart Martin O’Neill is left with questions to answer and solutions to find following a third damaging defeat in seven days.

Celtic had to chase this game for an hour after Naderi pounced from close range to covert once Kim Min-su’s powerful effort was parried out by Viljami Sinisalo.

But for the width of the Finn’s right-hand post, Rangers would have doubled their advantage almost immediately. Djeidi Gassama’s clever chip came off the upright, keeping the game on a knife-edge.

Rangers look like they know where they want to go – Celtic just look lost
Published
18 hours ago

‘It might be time to wrap it up’ – O’Neill ponders Celtic future after defeat
Published
17 hours ago

Watch: Scott Brown & Andy Halliday discuss Old Firm game on YouTube

Rangers flip narrative as McInnes makes mark
Published
18 hours ago

Prior to going behind, Kieran Tierney – playing in a more advanced midfield role – skimmed the top of Ivor Pandur’s bar and the Croat later superbly kept out Colby Donovan’s header which seemed destined to equalise.

In front of a hugely frustrated home support, Celtic didn’t seem to know how to break Rangers down and were relieved when a stunning shot into the top corner by Olwethu Makhanya was ruled out for hand-ball.

Celtic never really looked like extending their run of Premiership wins to seven and in the end went down rather meekly to their first league defeat since Dundee United beat them at Tannadice in March.

It’s also their third consecutive defeat, after the League Cup loss at Ibrox last Sunday was followed by a Europa League reverse against Ferencvaros on Thursday.

They still top the table but there’s likely to be some soul-searching in the three-week international break given the marked downturn in fortunes since their Champions League exit in Linz.

Rangers, by contrast, are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, back in contention at the top of the table and looking forward to a League Cup semi-final next month.
Graphic
Celtic analysis: O’Neill fails to find right formula

After two bad defeats, O’Neill started with five defenders, pushing Tierney further forward into midfield with Luke McCowan on the other side in what looked like a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Benjamin Nygren supporting lone striker Camilo Duran.

After Auston Trusty’s early volley was deemed offside, it all went downhill for Celtic.

One down at half-time – and the width of a post from it being a two-goal deficit – the manager made yet more changes. Off came the largely-ineffective McCowan to be replaced by big-money summer signing Kasper Hogh.

When that change didn’t have the desired effect, O’Neill went back to the wingers who’d been dropped: Haissem Hassan and Sebastian Tounekti.

Nothing really came off for them either, with Celtic completely devoid of the fluency and energy which propelled them to the title last season and saw them win their first six games of the current campaign.

There has been a real drop-off in form, quality and confidence and O’Neill will have a lot of thinking to do to figure out how to get the side back on track.
Rangers analysis: McInnes’ men now on roll
Ryan Naderi graphic

It all went exactly according to plan for McInnes. He knew – with no away fans in the ground – that his side needed to avoid conceding early.

Once that box had been ticked, his side settled well, got their noses in front and came within an inch of doubling their lead and sending Celtic Park into meltdown.

No Rangers manager since Souness in1986 had won his first two derbies. It’s quite the feather in the cap, then, for McInnes, who not so long ago in Jablonec said he didn’t recognise his side as they crashed out of Europe.

He very much does now. Six wins in a row for the concession of just a solitary goal. A real head of steam building up domestically without the extra demands of continental competition.

If they can build on this, Rangers could take some stopping given the momentum they’re building up. Integrating new players is an altogether more comfortable experience when the side is winning.

A rocky start to the season is behind McInnes, who won’t get carried away but will be able to enjoy his international break far more than he might have anticipated.

Rangers’ recent good run in this fixture also continues. They’ve only lost one league derby in the last eight. If they can keep up that kind of run, they’ll feel very confident about the season ahead.
What they said
01:15
Figure caption,

O’Neill on back-to-back defeats by Rangers

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill: “We’re still two points clear. We have a break coming up and it’s a time to reflect, see where we are positioned and get on from there.

“I thought there wasn’t much between the teams. Rangers scored, we had a couple of chances ourselves.

“The club has suffered defeat in the past; I’ve had that and it’s a matter of fighting back and that’s what you’ve got to try and do. Every defeat is really painful and it hurts every bit as much now as it did before.

“I have to reflect on things myself, see what I can do better to help the team. That’s something that I’ll genuinely think about.

“There are always big questions when you lose matches. You have to accept responsibility, which I do. Remember, this is my team. I am responsible for that.”

Rangers manager Derek McInnes: “It’s such an important win for us. To follow it up on the back of last week was really important.

“In the context of the season, it’s just three points and it gets us three points closer to Celtic. We understood if we lost the game, that distance just starts to feel uncomfortable for us.

“It’s still very early on. There’s still 80-odd points to play for but I do think that winning here, particularly because we’ve got a young team, can only give them some much-needed confidence and belief on the back of last week.

“I like putting my name to this team at the minute and I think we’ve got a good thing going but we know how quickly that can change so we just try to keep those bad days to a minimum.”

‘It might be time to wrap it up’ – O’Neill ponders Celtic future after defeat

‘It might be time to wrap it up’ – O’Neill ponders Celtic future after defeat
Martin O’NeillImage source, SNS
ByKheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park

Published
20 September 2026

Watch: Celtic v Rangers highlights

20/9/26
Watch on iPlayer

He delivered a double few thought possible last season when the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup were salvaged from the potential wreckage of one of Celtic’s most tumultuous seasons.

He very nearly lifted the Uefa Cup in 2003 against a Jose Mourinho-inspired Porto who, the following season, won the Champions League.

His status as one of the club’s all-time great managers is surely secure.

Which is perhaps why, so soon after returning to the club as its unlikely saviour, manager Martin O’Neill wondered out loud whether now, at the age of 74, it’s finally time “to wrap it up”.

The Northern Irishman’s words came in the post-match news conference following a second defeat in a week against arch-rivals Rangers.

The fact he also joked about being “110 years old in two years’ time” ought not to deflect from the fact O’Neill might now be seriously considering whether he’s still the right man to be in charge of Celtic.

Celtic suffer second derby defeat by Rangers in week

Watch: Scott Brown & Andy Halliday discuss Old Firm game on YouTube

Rangers look like they know where they want to go – Celtic just look lost
Published
17 hours ago

After such a damaging week, with a home European defeat to Ferencvaros in-between the two losses to Rangers, might O’Neill decide to protect his fine legacy at the club by walking away while the side is still top of the Premiership?

“I genuinely will reflect and see,” he said. “It’s a matter of whether I can help the team. The manager is supposed to be able to do that. I will look at that this week.

“I think every single time something crops up and things don’t go so well, age plays a part. And, do you know what, they might be right. I’ll be 110 in two years’ time so it might be time to wrap it up.

“I will reflect on the games and speak to the board. You never know, they may well want to speak to me. I’ll try to get a couple of days away and see how it goes. ”

Lending credence to the notion that O’Neill is about to embark on a period of proper soul-searching, he referenced last season’s dramatic last-day decider in which Celtic won the title in the last few minutes of the final league game.

“The game against Hearts was probably one of the great moments of my managerial time. And I’ve had some really good moments,” he added.

“While that was good and I was delighted to get that opportunity, all the time I was still thinking about whether you can still have the energy and the desire – the things that I say to the boys every Friday – so I’ll have a look at that and we’ll see.”
01:15
Figure caption,

O’Neill on back-to-back defeats to rivals Rangers
How has it gone so wrong so quickly?

It’s worth remembering that half an hour into the second leg of their Champions League play-off in August, Celtic were 4-0 up on aggregate against LASK in Linz and seemingly cruising to the league phase of European football’s elite competition.

The collapse within that game – and the humiliating exit from the competition – seems to have left an indelible scar on the players and management team alike.

The four Premiership wins that followed were largely unimpressive; three of them single-goal victories against Falkirk, St Mirren and St Johnstone. When the pressure was on against Rangers – twice – and Ferencvaros, Celtic simply folded.

Questions have been asked by a section of the club’s support about the quality, breadth and timing of the recent summer recruitment.

Former Scotland international James McFadden remains unconvinced. “They haven’t actually added to the squad in terms of numbers or real quality,” he said on Sky Sports. “They’ve just replaced what left.”

O’Neill has tried to find a way to accommodate big-money signings Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh into the side, without much success. He has tried a series of different midfielders to try to reinvigorate the heart of his team.

O’Neill even tried dropping his wingers entirely in Sunday’s league derby, fielding five defenders and pushing full-back Kieran Tierney further forward. All to no avail.
Celtic graphic

Chris Sutton, who played under O’Neill during the manager’s first spell at the club, was deeply unimpressed by what he saw.

“It wasn’t a close game,” he said on Sky Sports. “There was a massive gulf. I can’t remember a Celtic team getting such a doing from a Rangers team at Celtic Park.

“Rangers were a team and Celtic weren’t. They knew their next pass and Celtic didn’t. Rangers were better in every department. They were smashed and that’s the concern.

“They have big problems, some self-inflicted. They’ve lacked legs and physicality in the middle of the park. This has been a big issue all season. Callum McGregor’s another year older, can’t get about the pitch like he used to.

“Martin will have to come up with something. I loved him as a manager when I was at the club. He is getting on a bit but, as a guy, I still think he has the fight for it.”

That sentiment is shared by Sutton’s former team-mate, Neil Lennon, who knows O’Neill better than most and who also knows how heavily the mantle of Celtic manager can weigh.

“He’s hurting, he’s smarting about it,” Lennon said on Sky Sports. “He’d want to find the answers. The break’s come at a good time for him – recuperate, get some sun and re-think about the whole thing. He still feels he’s got the energy to do it.”

“When you get a week like this – not only defeats but the manner of the defeats – he knows himself more than anyone there’s going to be a lot of scrutiny, criticism and introspection.”
Martin O’NeillImage source, SNS
ByKheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park