Brendan Rodgers on what Celtic can have ‘no excuse’ for in Rangers loss, dissects all three goals

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Celtic toiled at home against Rangers this afternoon and were not at their usual standard.

The Hoops were the side in the ascendancy as the game wore on after dragging themselves back into the match at 2-2 having been two goals down in the first-half.

The defeat to the Light Blues cuts the Premiership lead down to 13 points but the gap at the top was not on Brendan Rodgers’ mind whatsoever at full-time.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	29	24	3	2	87	17	70	75
2	RangersRangers	29	18	5	6	59	26	33	59
3	HibernianHibernian	30	11	11	8	45	41	4	44
4	AberdeenAberdeen	30	12	7	11	38	46	-8	43

The Irishman was annoyed at how poorly his side performed on the day and Rodgers said Celtic missed Callum McGregor as the beating heart of their team in the middle of the pitch. But that was no excuse.

• READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers states what is ‘no doubt’ about Callum McGregor after Celtic lose to Rangers

Rodgers says Premiership lead is ‘no excuse’ for Celtic loss to Rangers

Celtic were simply not at the races for long enough at Parkhead this afternoon and Rodgers wasn’t having it on the whistle. And when asked if complacency might have crept in when it comes to Celtic’s intensity on the ball, the boss was honest.

“Does the gap have an effect on the intensity and your sharpness on the ball? It can’t do,” the manager expressed.

“It can’t do. There’s no excuse. If it’s one point gap or 16 or whatever it is, there’s no excuse. There’s no excuse. We didn’t defend well enough. We weren’t sharp enough. A good team can punish you.

“We had a much better second half. It looked like the flow of the game, we got the goal. It feels like a matter of time.

“But like I say, you shouldn’t then lose the game from that position.”

Brendan Rodgers dissects every Celtic goal conceded to Rangers individually

Rodgers was irked by the defensive aspect of his side’s showing in their loss at home and the gaffer dissected every goal Celtic conceded on the day.

“The corner we’re in a good position. And Nico Raskin, he’s done it a few times. He’s quick across the ground, gets the contact, but we’re goal side and we have to deal with that better.

“The second one, again, the ball goes back. And then we’ve got to open up the pitch quicker. We end up, it goes out for a throw-in for them. So we’re in control of that.

“And then, the third one, it was punted up the pitch, we missed the first header, slipped. And then, in fairness, the guy finishes it really well. But we can deal with those things much better.

“So, yeah, it’s just one of those days that you have sometimes.”