Rangers have suffered a third successive Premiership defeat after Celtic came from behind to keep their title hopes alive at Parkhead.
Mikey Moore put Danny Rohl's side ahead inside the opening minutes. But Yang Hyun-Jun pulled Celtic level midway through the first period.
Daizen Maeda netted twice in quick succession to give Martin O'Neill's side the victory. Celtic sit a point behind Hearts heading into the final week of the season and Rangers are now seven adrift of their Old Firm rivals.
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Rangers set for third spot
The door that was seemingly slammed shut at Tynecastle creaked open ever so slightly on Saturday evening. Hearts increased their advantage over Rangers to eight points with a draw at Fir Park but the opportunity was there for Rohl’s side to cut into the deficit. Only the most optimistic of supporters would have believed it was the first domino falling into place in terms of a dramatic bid for the Premiership title.
It wasn’t, of course. It was never going to be. Not with this group, not with these players. The third place finish that will be confirmed next Saturday is no more than they deserve for their efforts over the course of the campaign.
The title was there to be won. In the end, Rangers lost it, they blew it. This was 90 minutes that summed up a season, one where the fleeting positives were enveloped by the overwhelming negatives, where hope faded and became anger and apathy.
The final whistle at Falkirk cannot come quickly enough now. A campaign that was supposed to be the dawn of a new era will be remembered as one of the worst Rangers have endured. And that is saying something given what this fan base have been put through over the years.
Pressure mounts on Rohl
Two statistics pre-match perhaps summed up this rollercoaster of a campaign. Rohl had a piece of unique Old Firm history within his grasps as he sought to become only the second Rangers manager to win his first two away derbies after Walter Smith in season 1991/92.
He also had an unwanted record to try and avoid. It is a quarter of a century since Dick Advocaat’s side lost three consecutive league games to Hibernian, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock. This was not the place Rohl wanted to visit on the back of the losses to Motherwell and Hearts that had piled the pressure on his shoulders. That weight is even heavier now.
It was perhaps inevitable which record Rohl would have his name written alongside. This was a damaging, damning afternoon for the German. It could even be one that there is no coming back from.
Momentum and goodwill are so, so hard to build at Ibrox. They are so, so easy to lose. Being on the wrong end of the performances and the results in three must-win matches when a title was there to be secured has finished Rohl in the eyes of some supporters.
Those eyes are now on Andrew Cavenagh. Does the chairman back his manager to recover, regroup and go again? Or does he make a change and hand the chequebook to someone else in the summer? The consequences of that decision, either way, cannot be underestimated.
Positive start means nothing at the end
The first involvements from Moore and Youssef Chermiti were a sign of intent. Moore was direct with his run and accurate with his pass after just four minutes. The strike from Chermiti was narrowly wide of the far post. Better was to come.
The opener was made by Chermiti. He had the beating of Auston Trusty on the ground and in the air. His first half did not end with a goal, but it did bring an assist and it was his endeavour that allowed Moore to finish from close range after a strike came back off Liam Scales.
Late in the opening period, Nasser Djiga headed over from a James Tavernier free-kick. If the defender had his time again, he would surely have left it for Chermiti as he waited ready to convert.
Rangers had moments where they looked so susceptible but others when they were dangerous. Moore – on the end of a lunge from Alistair Johnston that was only deemed a yellow - and Chermiti were the main positives.
Behind them, the absence of a midfielder to control the ball and the game was telling. The slide from 1-1 to 3-1 was inevitable. Three goals were lost to Motherwell, two were lost to Hearts and Celtic could have scored more here.
The introduction of Thelo Aasgaard was never going to turn the tide. Dujon Sterling and Djeidi Gassama were added at the same time and Bojan Miovski followed in place of Tochi Chukwuani, whose form of late has become a real concern. Those details were mere footnotes.
Maeda magic wins it
The VAR check confirmed what was always likely. Benjamin Nygren was standing in an offside position ahead of Jack Butland but the officials ruled that the strike from Yang should stand. It was 1-1.
The build-up was Celtic’s best passage of play in the first half. Luke McCowan split Rangers open with a perfectly angled reverse pass. From the right, Arne Engels picked out Yang and Butland was beaten from 10 yards.
Celtic had chances before that. Maeda brushed off Manny Fernandez but put his effort wide of target, while Nygren couldn’t get his header towards goal after connecting with a Kieran Tierney cross. They were let-offs for Rangers but a share of the goals was fair at the break.
Step forward, Maeda. His first goal was an excellent finish in its own right. Tierney got the better of Tavernier – who’s Old Firm career ended minutes later – and picked out the Japanese as he got ahead of Fernandez and scored from close range.
His second was stunning. As Rangers stood and watched, Maeda produced an overhead kick that looped over Butland and into the top corner. That was that.
Antman the latest wide right no show
The decision over who to start on the right was almost a process of elimination for Rohl. With no outstanding candidate, Antman was as good a choice as any as he came back into the team.
Andreas Skov Olsen simply couldn’t get the nod after another ineffective showing in the defeat at Tynecastle. The man signed to win games such as this was consigned to a seat on the bench. Alongside him was Gassama, another who did not deserve a shot on form. Putting Aasgaard or Nedim Bajrami in there would have been a waste of a jersey.
Like Skov Olsen at the start of the week, the influence on the ball was limited. Like the Dane at Tynecastle, defensive awareness was lacking as he failed to deal with Yang as he scored from inside the area.
Antman was hooked before the hour mark as Gassama was introduced. The afternoon had – much like his season – completely passed him by. How Rangers address the issues in the wide areas over the summer will be defining. An old issue remains on the table and is one of so many that must be addressed in the summer.
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