Despite being neck-and-neck at various points during the latest Scottish Premiership campaign, Celtic ultimately clinched a third consecutive league title by a margin of eight points.
In recent weeks, this was down to Rangers drawing 3-3 with Hearts last weekend, losing 2-1 against Celtic the week before, and dropping five points in two games against Dundee and Ross County last month.
At the same time, Brendan Rodgers' side enjoyed a relentless 11-game unbeaten streak, winning 10 games and drawing just one – the thrilling 3-3 draw at Ibrox in early April, where they played against their rivals in a stadium full of home supporters.
Eight points is a sizable gap, and while goal difference was likewise spoken about throughout the season, Celtic also wrapped up the final day 10 goals ahead of their rivals.
With 95 goals scored compared to Rangers' 87, there can be no complaints about the most prolific team either – with Celtic's goals-per-game numbers also outdoing Philippe Clement's side: 2.50 versus 2.29.
Moreover, with a total of 629 goals scored up and down the country during the entirety of the Scottish Premiership 2023/24 season (according to the SPFL Stats Centre), Rangers completed 821 shots at goal versus Celtic's 757 over the course – a figure which excludes blocked attempts.
To this end, the one stat that might upset Rangers fans when judged against their city rivals, then, is that when it comes to shots on target (of which there were a grand total of 1,973 made this season), Celtic recorded 288 shots. Rangers, on the other hand, recorded 287.
Statistics can only take us so far without overlooking the nuances of our fierce and fast-paced game in Scotland.
But given that the margins ultimately ended up wider than ever between the two sides after the final whistle on the final day, the fact that this one stat was so close might illustrate missed opportunities among Philippe Clement's squad.
That one off-target shot clearly didn't make the difference all-told, but it's an interesting one given the trajectory of the season - on this side of the new year especially - nevertheless.
