Celtic didn’t have their usual dominance over Rangers in the Glasgow Derby last season.
Brendan Rodgers made a storming start to the Scottish Premiership season as Celtic went 18 games unbeaten where they dropped just four points.
That start meant that by January, the league was virtually over as Celtic raced to a 14-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
That lead further increased as the season went on which meant that when it came to the Glasgow Derby in January and March, the pressure was off Celtic to get a positive result against Rangers.
As it happened, Rangers won those two fixtures as Celtic looked lacklustre and speaking about those results, Ally McCoist admits what every Hoops supporter knew about the games at that time.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty ImagesWhat Ally McCoist finally admits about Rangers’ results against Celtic
Celtic eventually won the league by 15 points, effectively increasing their advantage to Rangers by one point despite losing the January and March derby.
And speaking about those results, McCoist said those games meant more to Rangers than Celtic as the Parkhead club ran away with the league title.
McCoist told Four Four Two, “I would rather see them improve domestically, because we’ve been miles off it there.
“There were good results against Celtic last term, but there’s an argument that there was more at stake for Rangers, because Celtic were looking like they were running away with it.
“It was almost a matter of pride for us. If Rangers can mount more of a title threat, with a repeat in Europe, I’ll be happy.”
McCoist reinforces the point Celtic fans have been saying for years. When the pressure is on and the result actually means something in terms of silverware, the Bhoys step up to the plate.
Celtic’s record against Rangers since 2000
Celtic have faced Rangers 109 times since 2000 as the Hoops absolutely dominate Scottish football.
In those games Celtic’s record is as follows:
Celtic’s biggest and best wins were the famous Demolition Derby in which Martin O’Neill’s side won 6-2 and the famous record 5-1 win under Brendan Rodgers at Ibrox in 2017.