NafisaThere was already more than enough tension surrounding this Old Firm clash before the final whistle at Celtic Park.
Rangers arrived knowing they had inflicted one of the biggest blows of the season on their city rivals just seven days earlier, but another victory would take the rivalry to an entirely different level.
And that is exactly what happened.
Derek McInnes’ side held their nerve to secure another huge victory over Celtic, following up their emphatic 3-0 League Cup triumph at Ibrox with a 1-0 Scottish Premiership win at Celtic Park.
Two Old Firm meetings.
Two Rangers victories.
And this time, Rangers had managed to silence Celtic supporters on their own ground.
But the final whistle did not bring the drama to an end.
Far from it.
As the Rangers players and staff began celebrating another famous result, attention quickly turned towards McInnes and what he appeared to do in the direction of the Celtic technical area.
The Rangers boss had already been involved in a heated exchange earlier in the afternoon, meaning there was plenty of bad blood surrounding the dugouts before the match eventually reached its conclusion.
It started just minutes into the game when Rangers defender Manny Fernandez was booked after pulling down Camilo Duran as Celtic attempted to break forward.
McInnes was visibly furious with the decision and made his feelings known around the technical area.
The Rangers manager became involved in an exchange with members of the Celtic bench, with Celtic first-team coach Mark Fotheringham also drawn into the confrontation.
The situation eventually resulted in both McInnes and Fotheringham receiving yellow cards, adding another layer of tension to an already fiery encounter.
But McInnes would have the final say on the pitch.
Ryan Naderi’s first-half goal proved enough for Rangers to take all three points, despite Celtic pushing for a response after the break.
The result meant Rangers had now beaten Celtic twice in just eight days.
And given everything that had happened between the two clubs during that period, there was little chance this victory was going to pass quietly.
Celtic had suffered the humiliation of a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox in the League Cup the previous weekend before losing 3-1 to Ferencvaros in midweek.
Now another defeat to Rangers had left Martin O’Neill facing serious questions from supporters.
Indeed, O’Neill admitted after the game that he would take time to reflect on the situation, including whether he could still help the team turn things around.
That was the backdrop as the final whistle sounded.
McInnes had beaten Celtic again.
His Rangers players had completed another Old Firm double inside eight days.
And then came the moment that had Celtic supporters talking.
According to footage from the aftermath, McInnes turned towards the Celtic dugout and appeared to make a gesture directly connected to what had happened at Ibrox the previous week.
He raised three fingers.
The message appeared unmistakable.
McInnes was seemingly reminding those inside the Celtic technical area of the 3-0 scoreline from the previous Old Firm meeting before gesturing towards the scoreboard.
It was a particularly provocative moment given that Rangers had just beaten Celtic again — and it came after an afternoon in which McInnes had already clashed with the opposition technical area.
For Celtic fans, the timing could hardly have been worse.
The previous 3-0 defeat had been one of the most painful moments of their season, and now the Rangers boss appeared to be rubbing that result back in their faces immediately after another defeat.
What made it even more striking was that McInnes did not need the gesture to celebrate the latest victory.
His team had already done the talking.
Naderi’s goal had settled the match, Rangers had taken another three points from Celtic Park, and McInnes had secured another Old Firm victory.
Yet the apparent three-finger gesture gave the final moments an entirely different edge.
It was a reminder of just how quickly the balance of the rivalry had shifted over the previous eight days.
Rangers had beaten Celtic 3-0.
Then they had returned to Celtic Park and beaten them 1-0.
And as the celebrations began, McInnes appeared determined to make sure the first result was not forgotten either.
For Celtic supporters already furious at another defeat, that was always going to sting.
Nafisa
