Derek McInnes's Rangers defeated Celtic at Celtic Park, marking the first time a Rangers manager has won their first two games against Celtic since Graeme Souness in 1986. Despite securing only a single-goal win, McInnes maintained a composed demeanor post-match, emphasizing that it was just three points towards catching Celtic. In contrast, Martin O'Neill's Celtic team appeared weak and lacking in both physical strength and mental resilience, raising questions about O'Neill’s ability to turn the situation around.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
At the end, every fibre of Derek McInnes' being must have wanted to have one of those Steven Gerrard moments, a scream of delight and relief into a Celtic Park camera lens, a human reaction to a significant victory on hostile terrain.
asserted
fibre → publish → terrain
McInnes, though, showed little emotion.
asserted
McInnes → show → emotion
He shook hands with a now beleaguered Martin O'Neill and pretty much got out of there.
asserted
He → shake → O'Neill
Later, the first words he uttered on radio were about not going "overboard" after back-to-back wins against their city rivals.
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he → utter → rivals
"Just three points." he said.
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he → say → ?
That's true, of course, but it was also the first time a Rangers manager has won his first two games against Celtic since Graeme Souness in 1986.
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manager → win → 1986
Rangers were good, and clearly deserving of the win, but they didn't quite hit the levels of ruthlessness of a week ago at Ibrox.
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they → hit → Ibrox
They can be better and yet they won as comfortably as it's possible to win when the margin at the end is just a single goal.
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margin → win → end
Their superiority would have been better reflected had they won by two.
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they → reflect → two
O'Neill has problems mounting game-by-game
O'Neill said there was "not much between the sides" but nobody was really buying that, Celtic folk chief among them.
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folk → have → them
The Celtic manager has problems and they're mounting game-by-game.
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they → have → game
They have lost the elan they had in a few games in early season.
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they → lose → season
They were out-played, out-muscled and out-coached.
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They → play → ?
O'Neill has time to pause now, time to reassess.
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O'Neill → have → time
Time, perhaps, to question whether he's got the answers to the myriad ills of his team.
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he → question → team
He doesn't have robust players in midfield because his board has not delivered them.
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board → have → them
He doesn't have the kind of wingers the club had when Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada, the still unfit Jota and Nicolas Kuhn were knocking around.
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Maeda → have → wingers
In Yang Hyun-jun's absence - and week on week he appears to be spoken about as an absent world beater - James Forrest is the best winger they have.
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they → appear → beater
So says former captain Scott Brown, who knows Celtic players.
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who → say → players
Neither does O'Neill, at present, have good instincts.
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O'Neill → have → instincts
Starting Sebastian Tounekti at Ibrox last week was an odd call and he changed it at half-time.
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he → start → time
Going with Sam Johnstone in goal at Rangers back-fired.
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Going → go → Rangers
Giving Luke McCowan his first start of the season on Sunday was another curious decision that didn't work.
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that → give → Sunday
The midfielder was off the pace and never came out for the second half.
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midfielder → come → half
O'Neill's famed ability to problem-solve and inspire has deserted him, for now.
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ability → fame → him
When set against the newfound organisation and vigour of this Rangers set-up then Celtic look jaded.
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Celtic → set → up
Their supporters are being cast into a scenario that none of them want to be a part of - wondering aloud, or just quietly, if the icon still has it in him.
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icon → cast → him
He sounds like he does.
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he → sound → ?
If that is the case then he needs more from his assistants - or just better ones.
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he → need → assistants
From board level to coaching and playing, the whole operation looks humdrum and in need of a mighty shake.
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operation → look → shake
It's as if the 5-1 Champions League disintegration against LASK has removed not just confidence but heart and soul.
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disintegration → remove → confidence
There was little gumption at Ibrox in the 3-0 League Cup loss, there was only a brief early reaction against Ferencvaros in the Europa League before another beating, and now there's a third poor loss in a row and a fourth inside a month.
McInnes has really hit upon something
How quickly things turn.
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things → be → something
A few short weeks ago, as Rangers exited Europe to the sound of booing, McInnes didn't hold back when assessing the problems in his team.
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McInnes → exit → team
Not a possession team, not a pressing team, not a counter-attacking team, he said.
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he → press → ?
Callowness has become youthful excellence.
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Callowness → become → ?
For the second straight week the hardest-working and most effective attacking player was Ryan Naderi.
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player → work → week
Dan Neil and Nico Raskin, aged 24 and 25, were once again hugely influential in the middle of the park.
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Neil → age → park
Neil looked fairly ordinary not that long ago.
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Neil → look → ?
Now he's growing fast as Rangers captain.
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he → grow → captain
Celtic had six guys who were older than him in their team.
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who → have → team
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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