Celtic have won their second derby of the Scottish Premiership season with a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Celtic Park.
Paulo Bernardo got the Bhoys on their way to three points with a thumping finish after 25 minutes before Kyogo Furuhashi scored a second-half stunner to seal the win.
It was a tense, nervy 90 minutes for everyone inside Celtic Park, especially towards the end when James Tavernier netted a goal for the away side.
However, Celtic earned their victory and after the match Brendan Rodgers was understandably delighted, singling out captain Callum McGregor as the team’s top performer.
Brendan Rodgers reflects on Celtic win over Rangers
The Bhoys boss said on Sky Sports: “It feels great. It’s obviously a very important win for us. December is a tough month with so many games. I thought the atmosphere in the game was fantastic and the players played well on the surface, which was difficult I have to say.
“We scored two very good goals. My only downside was when we were playing against ten men, we have to control the game much better than that and keep our positioning better. We make the subs to give energy and have that synchronisation but it went a little bit. We gave the ball away too many times, inviting pressure when we didn’t need to.
“Other than that I thought the mentality of the team was very strong. I’m absolutely delighted for everyone.
“Callum McGregor is on a different level. I’ve worked with him here the first time and see him here, we’re very, very lucky to have someone like him. He’s on a different level. Just his view of the game, his composure.
“He’s ended up having to play near enough two positions today at times. He’s in that controlling position because he can play and progress the game forward. Then he’s up there as an ‘eight’ because he knows the runs he can make and what he can do in that position. He’s an absolutely brilliant leader for this group and I’m very lucky to have him here.”
Rodgers has to be considered a derby specialist for Celtic. He’s managed 15 of these games against Rangers and, unbelievably, has won 12 of them including today. He’s drawn another two so he’s only actually ever lost one game to the Ibrox side in 15 attempts.
That’s an extraordinary record and Callum McGregor has been a big part of it, working under Rodgers. He’s an exceptional captain and today – in the first half especially – was a huge part of establishing Celtic in the game.
He deserves his praise and Rodgers deserves credit too after guiding the Bhoys to yet another derby victory.
Now we can move into 2024 with improvement and progress.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers explains the root of Cameron Carter-Vickers’ Celtic issues; return timeline.
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