NafisaDerek McInnes had already played his part in one of the most heated moments of Sunday’s Old Firm clash.
But after the final whistle, the Rangers manager appeared to take things a step further.
Footage has emerged from the aftermath of Rangers’ 1-0 victory at Celtic Park showing McInnes turning towards the Celtic technical area and making a provocative gesture that is certain to infuriate the home support.
The Rangers boss had just watched his team secure another massive victory over their biggest rivals.
Ryan Naderi’s first-half strike was enough to settle the contest, giving Rangers their second victory over Celtic in the space of just eight days.
But while the players celebrated the result, McInnes appeared keen to savour the moment himself.
And it is what he did after the final whistle that has now become the focus.
WATCH: McInnes makes his feelings clear
As the final whistle confirmed Rangers’ victory, McInnes turned towards the home technical area.
The Rangers manager then performed the now-infamous “Clawed by the Bears” gesture in the direction of Martin O’Neill.
The footage has quickly added another layer to an already explosive afternoon at Celtic Park.
It was not simply another Rangers victory.
It was a second consecutive Old Firm win against a Celtic side that had suffered an increasingly damaging week.
And McInnes appeared to understand exactly what the moment meant.
Celtic had already been beaten 3-0 by Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox the previous weekend.
They then suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League.
Now, in front of their own supporters, they had been beaten by Rangers again.
The gesture therefore came at the end of a particularly painful afternoon for O’Neill and his players.
McInnes had already clashed with the Celtic dugout
The post-match footage becomes even more striking when viewed alongside what had happened earlier in the game.
Just four minutes after kick-off, Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez was booked after bringing down Celtic forward Camilo Duran.
McInnes was visibly unhappy with the situation and became involved in an animated exchange near the touchline.
Celtic first-team coach Mark Fotheringham became involved, with the confrontation escalating before Martin O’Neill intervened.
Both McInnes and Fotheringham were eventually shown yellow cards.
The incident immediately injected another level of hostility into an already fierce Old Firm contest.
And McInnes would eventually have the last laugh.
His Rangers side remained disciplined, Naderi’s goal stood as the difference and the visitors held on for another enormous victory.
O’Neill’s nightmare week gets even worse
The timing of McInnes’ apparent provocation could hardly have been worse for Martin O’Neill.
The Celtic manager is already facing serious questions about his position after three defeats in the space of eight days.
Following Sunday’s match, O’Neill openly admitted that supporters were entitled to question whether he could turn things around.
He also revealed that he would reflect on his future during the international break and speak with the Celtic board.
That means the defeat was not simply another three points dropped.
It has potentially opened a much bigger conversation about the future direction of Celtic.
O’Neill remains in charge and Celtic are still top of the Premiership, but their advantage over Rangers has been reduced to just two points.
And standing on the opposite side of the latest Old Firm victory was McInnes, celebrating a second consecutive triumph over Celtic.
Rangers have completely changed the mood of the rivalry
Eight days earlier, McInnes watched Rangers dismantle Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox.
This time, his team found a different way to win.
They scored once, defended their advantage and frustrated Celtic until the final whistle.
There was even further drama when Olwethu Makhanya appeared to double Rangers’ lead in the second half, only for VAR to rule out the effort for handball.
Celtic could not find the response they needed.
And when the whistle finally went, Rangers had another victory to celebrate.
For McInnes, the apparent “Clawed by the Bears” gesture provided a final flashpoint after an afternoon that had already contained a heated touchline confrontation.
For Celtic supporters, however, it represented something considerably more irritating.
Their biggest rivals had beaten them again.
They had done it at Celtic Park.
And their manager appeared to be rubbing salt into the wound immediately afterwards.
The footage is now likely to be dissected by both sets of supporters, particularly given everything that happened during a remarkable eight days between the two clubs.
Rangers have won both Old Firm meetings.
Celtic have lost three consecutive matches.
And O’Neill has admitted that he now needs to take time to consider what comes next.
McInnes, meanwhile, walked away from Parkhead with another victory — and footage of a gesture that has given Celtic fans yet another reason to be furious with the Rangers boss.
Nafisa
