Rangers remain adamant that they are a match for runaway leaders Celtic with captain James Tavernier insisting that their Parkhead display proved they can win the Scottish Cup semi final at Hampden later in the month.
And the skipper, whose double at Celtic Park couldn’t prevent a 3-2 defeat that sent Ange Postecoglou’s men 12 points clear was backed up by new boy Todd Cantwell, who claimed that Rangers shot themselves in the foot at the home of their rivals. The former Norwich City man made his first start against the Hoops, having come off the bench in the Viaplay Cup final defeat at Hampden in February and took to Instagram to claim that the future is bright under Michael Beale, despite Rangers defenders Ben Davies and John Souttar both making huge errors to gift Celtic their second and third goals.
Cantwell wrote: “We lost the game, they didn’t win it. The disappointment is real. We continue to stick together and build in the right direction. This is a project and a exciting one. Stick together as one.”
Tavernier reckons Rangers had Celtic rattled – and he’s convinced their fierce rivals can be toppled at the national stadium. The Ibrox skipper was left fuming at some big calls in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat in Glasgow’s East End which all but ended his side’s slim hopes of wrestling the title back to Govan.
Light Blues chiefs have penned a letter to the SFA demanding answers after Alfredo Morelos had a potential opener ruled out for a shove on Alistair Johnston and a penalty claim ignored in the second half. Gers also claimed the ball came off Jota’s arm in the lead up to Celtic’s second goal.
Tavernier was frustrated by the flashpoints but he insisted there were plenty of positives to take from his side’s performance at Parkhead. Rangers have failed to get the better of Celts in four clashes this season, with two defeats and a draw in the league and more disappointment in the Viaplay Cup Final.
The big two collide again in the Scottish Cup semis at Hampden at the end of the month and Tavernier is convinced the tables can be turned. He said: “It was disappointing to come away with nothing. We wanted to come away with three points.
“We’ve obviously got an important game against them in three weeks’ time, so if we take the positives out of this game and apply ourselves in the same way – with a bit more – then I’m really confident in the team.
“The game in three weeks time is obviously massive and we’ve got to make sure we get in the final. We have to move on. We have to finish the season as strong as possible.”
Rangers new boys Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell were chucked in from the start in the Parkhead cauldron and Tavernier believes the experience will be invaluable going to the National Stadium as Gers look to salvage some silverware from the season.
But the captain warned his men will need to cut out the colossal mistakes that cost the side on Saturday. Tavernier – who notched a double at Celtic Park to hit the 100 goals mark for Gers – said: “You’ll gain great experience playing in front of 60,000 with none of our fans here.
“I thought for John Souttar to come in at the last minute, he had a really good game. He did a great job for the team but it’s just obviously small margins.
“I felt obviously the two goals that we conceded in the second half were… it’s obviously a hard one to take. It happens, but it’s a hard one to take. But predominantly throughout the game, they coped with it really well.”
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