Derby draw: Celtic loses further ground in title race

After two exhausting concert evenings, Sir Rod Stewart dragged himself out of bed early this Sunday to watch Celtic FC's derby match against arch-rivals Rangers, only to see this: From the kick-off, the Bhoys in green were completely overwhelmed by the hosts, barely able to mount any attacks of their own and falling behind 0-1 after only eight minutes thanks to a spectacular overhead kick by Youssef Chermiti. And that wasn't all. Rangers continued to press forward after their early lead, with Celtic barely getting a foothold in the game until half-time and, almost inevitably, conceding a second goal after 26 minutes – again scored by Chermiti. There was sheer horror on social media in various Celtic forums. The comments from Hoops fans on the performance of Martin O'Neill's men ranged from ‘absolutely terrifying’ to ‘just ridiculous’. And Sir Rod probably didn't enjoy his morning cup of tea either, given the performance of his beloved club at Ibrox Stadium.

But there was still the second half to come. And it seemed as if coach O'Neill had given his players a good talking-to, because after the break, Celtic were the only team playing. The Bhoys in green created chance after chance against an increasingly passive Rangers side. In the 56th minute, Kieran Tiernay pulled the visitors back to 1-2, heading in a silky cross from Sweden's Nygren.
Celtic pushed for the equaliser but initially wasted further chances. Substitute Luke McCowan missed a clear chance ten minutes before the end when he found himself one-on-one with Rangers goalkeeper Butland – the Hoops' best chance up to that point.
In stoppage time, the drama unfolded. After a handball by a Rangers defender and the intervention of VAR, referee John Beaton awarded a penalty to the visitors. Reo Hatate stepped up but failed to beat Butland. The goalkeeper was also able to save the Japanese player's follow-up shot before Hatate somehow managed to get the ball over the line – 2-2.
That was how it stayed, and overall, this draw helps no one – except leaders Hearts. They won their home game against Aberdeen 1-0 yesterday and are benefiting greatly from the points shared by the two Glasgow arch-rivals. After 29 games, Heart of Midlothian are six points ahead of Rangers and eight ahead of Celtic, who still have to play their postponed match at Aberdeen on Wednesday and could move into second place with a win.
However, with nine matchdays remaining in the championship, Hearts have the best chance of winning the title – it would be the Edinburgh team's fifth championship in the club's history and their first since 1960.