Celtic came back from two goals down to snatch a point in the first Glasgow Derby of the season at Broadwood on Thursday night.
A stunning volley from Kirsty Howat and a penalty from Katie Wilkinson to claim her 17th goal of the season gave Rangers a two-goal lead, but Celtic managed to claw back a draw through second-half substitutes Saoirse Noonan and Célya Barclais.
Jo Potter's side remain at the summit of the SWPL table, but tonight's result means Celtic have reduced the gap to just two points with Glasgow City sandwiched between the two.
With the title race remaining wide open, here are the main talking points from Broadwood...
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Celtic come back to haunt Rangers again
Few moments in football must be more agonising than having the league title snatched away on goal difference in the final minutes of the season, not to mention to your city rivals. Jo Potter’s side have started this campaign with the bit between their teeth, hurt and determined to seek revenge on Celtic. Before tonight, they had scored an incredible 51 goals in seven league games. That ruthless sentiment was evident from the off in this first derby of the season - Potter will have wanted her side to start quickly and show Celtic they mean business, and that’s exactly what they did. It took Rangers just five minutes to open the scoring through Kirsty Howat, and they almost doubled their lead five minutes later had Tessel Middag’s header not been disallowed for offside. Despite a sizzling start, the Gers seemed to fizzle out as the first half went on, with Celtic refusing to back down. When Wilkinson doubled Rangers' lead around the hour mark, the home side will have thought the game was all but won. But Elena Sadiku's side kept fighting until the last whistle and they will feel they could have taken all three points.
Clinical Wilko and Howat’s stunning volley
In an otherwise drab first half that offered very little in terms of derby drama, Kirsty Howat’s goal was a joy to watch. When her previous club Celtic failed to clear their lines from a corner, the 27-year-old fired in a beautiful volley from inside the box, striking the ball sweetly with her right foot to claim her fifth goal of the season. And who can stop Katie Wilkinson? The 29-year-old cooly dispatched her penalty to take her tally for the season up to an astounding 17 goals.
Celtic’s second-half subs complete the comeback
While it was Rangers who started on the front foot, credit must be given to Celtic for limiting Jo Potter’s side to just a single-goal lead at half time. They continued to grow in confidence as the game went on, with Daugherty making a superb save to deny Katie Wilkinson in the first half. When Rangers doubled their lead through Wilko’s penalty, Celtic refused to let the game get away from them and substitute Saoirse Noonan clawed one back almost immediately from the penalty spot with her first touch of the game. It was another of Elena Sadiku’s super subs who snatched a late equaliser, with Célya Barclais thumping her effort into the bottom corner. The momentum was well and truly back with the Hoops in the dying minutes, but they just couldn’t find a winner.
A cagey night in Cumbernauld
Given Rangers’ explosive start to the season and Celtic riding high off the back of their historic Champions League qualification, it was a derby that promised goals. But in a similar vein to the cagey draws of last season, the sides seemed to cancel each other out for much of the second half, with pressure slowly mounting on Rangers as they tried to hold onto their precarious 1-0 lead. The second 45 was certainly a more feisty affair with several yellow-card-worthy challenges flying in as the sun set over Cumbernauld, with the crowd becoming more restless as the tie grew tighter. The late penalty madness spiced up the latter stages of the game in what was a frantic conclusion to the derby.
A tasty title race on the cards
Rangers had the opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and Celtic in the title race and could have extended their lead at the top of the table to five points with a win. Tonight's stalemate keeps the title race very much alive and could have huge implications further on in the season. The psychological advantage may well be with Celtic now, who despite slipping up in a draw against Hibs in an otherwise perfect start to the season, demonstrated the mentality of champions tonight. They came into the game riding the crest of a wave after their historic Champions League group stage qualification, and a late comeback against the most ruthless attacking team in the country is exactly the sort of spirit they will need to show when they mix it with Europe's elite, starting with FC Twente on Tuesday.
