Rangers started 2025 in the best possible fashion by thrashing arch-rivals Celtic and reducing the gap at the Scottish Premiership summit to 11 points.
Ianis Hagi gave the Light Blues the dream start, firing a low effort beyond Celtic's Kasper Schmeichel. Rangers held that advantage into the break after dominating most of the first 45 minutes.
Celtic upped the tempo after the interval yet it was Rangers who added to their lead through Robin Propper and substitute Danilo, earning Philippe Clement's men Glasgow bragging rights.
Here's how the players rated at a deafening Ibrox...
Liam Kelly: A first Old Firm derby for the ex-Motherwell goalkeeper in only his second competitive Rangers appearance. Produced a top save to deny Reo Hatate equalising right on the half-time whistle, which was actually Celtic's first effort on target. Dealt with everything that came his way. 8
Dujon Sterling: Showed his versatility by filling in at centre-back again. Didn't do much wrong considering he is playing out of position. Even though Celtic were nowhere near their attacking best, his interceptions were courageous and commendable. 7
Robin Propper: Fired home a deserved second goal from a corner to write his name on the lips of every Rangers supporters. Actually did extremely well to nullify the threat of Celtic talisman Kyogo Furuhashi in the first half. Could this be the match that helps kick start his Rangers career? 8
Ridvan Yilmaz: Expected a tough afternoon defensively up against Daizen Maeda but that was far from the case. The Turkish internationalist didn't give the usually influential Celtic winger a sniff. Full of endeavour going forward too, and got himself in some decent positions. Probably could've even got on the scoresheet if he'd shown more belief. 8
Jefte: Shown a yellow for a wild swing of the arm towards Nicolas Kuhn just before half-time. Went on a marauding run down the left which led to his delivery being sliced to the feet of Danilo by Cameron Carter-Vickers, who calmly sent all four stands into dreamland. Overall, you could say that the 21-year-old did a superb job of ensuring Kuhn's presence was limited. 8
Nicolas Raskin: Given the honour of captaining Rangers in James Tavernier's absence. His composure and never give up attitude in the midfield was important as his side dominated proceedings throughout. Booked for a grab on Callum McGregor and will miss the upcoming game against Dundee as a result of accumulating six yellows this season. 8
Vaclav Cerny: A constant threat every time he received the ball. Hit the crossbar early on and despite fading in and out of the game, he would've thought that he was putting Rangers two ahead on the hour park when he slid the ball past Kasper Schmeichel only to watch the ball bounce off the inside of the post and back into play. Made the Celtic keeper work minutes later which led to the set piece which Propper scored from. 8
Nedim Bajrami: Couldn't find the net with two efforts within the first five minutes after finding himself unmarked. Seems to enjoy starring in the No.10 role, picking up neat pockets of space. While, he also did a grand job of marking Callum McGregor out of the game which resulted in the Celtic defender's playing some awkward balls outside instead. 8
Ianis Hagi: The Romanian playmaker had been an outcast under Clement but his opening goal in this one showed exactly why he was brought back into the fold last October and should be a mainstay in the Rangers side. A magnificent strike. Dragged another similar shot wide around the half hour mark and was simply unplayable at times. 9
Hamza Igamane: Seems to be improving with every appearance. Didn't get a lot of service yet worked tirelessly to press the Celtic defence and regularly dropped back and helped the Rangers midfield. 7
Substitutes
Danilo: Only on the park for a matter of seconds before putting his name on the scoresheet. Such a composed finish and exactly what Rangers' performance deserved. What an impact. 7
Connor Barron: Introduced in second half stoppage time to run the clock down. 2
Robbie Fraser: On too late to make an impact. 2
Cyriel Dessers: Won his only duel during his short time on the field. 3
Oscar Cortes: Didn't touch the ball as subbed on with a minute remaining. 2
