Rangers started 2025 with a bang by beating Old Firm rivals Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox on Thursday to potentially reopen the Scottish Premiership title race. Philippe Clement’s men are now 11 points behind Brendan Rodgers’ side, but it was the kind of performance that makes you wonder whether it could mark a turning point for the two Glasgow giants who meet again in mid-March.
Celtic were unbeaten in the SPL until this loss and the Bhoys were not only defeated but dismantled as Rangers showed more desire and purpose with less possession. Ianis Hagi got the party started early in the pair’s first meeting in 2025 with a strike from distance after being overtaken by Nicolas Raskin that barely lowered the Ibrox crowd’s decibel level.
It was 1-0 at half-time, but second-half Robin Propper and Danilo goals after an hour put the match past the Gers’ bitter rivals. US national team defender Cameron Carter-Vickers found himself on the wrong side of the scoreline, although fellow USMNT star and Celtic teammate Auston Trusty was an unused substitute.
Whether it can inspire a revival of the Rangers title race is too early to say, but it was a strong start to the new year for Clement’s side and a way to put pressure on Rodgers’ men in the coming months . The eleven-point gap is arguably too big at the moment, but another defeat for Celtic and suddenly the gap is no longer so insurmountable for their rivals.
Although both Celtic and Rangers are too experienced to assume that the title race is already a done deal, both will know that not too many points will be lost during the run-in. Ibrox could have created a turning point in momentum that Rangers will look to cash in on, but they will be looking at Thursday’s show and wondering where that kind of form was earlier in the year.
Four defeats and three draws – including a 3-0 defeat away to Celtic earlier this season – could have already made second place the best available scenario for the Gers. However, a similar victory will at least make up for an embarrassing Scottish League Cup final loss on penalties last month after a 3-3 draw in 120 minutes.
With a possible top eight finish in the UEFA Europa League, Clement’s team could perhaps concentrate even more on Europe at this stage. But you could also argue that Celtic will make it into the top 24 of the UEFA Champions League with two games to go and they could focus more on that in the first few weeks of 2025, leaving the door ajar.
If that indeed proves to be the case, Rangers may have sown the seed of doubt needed to rock Rodgers’ outfit at a critical moment and reopen the SPL title discussion. To capitalize on that result, Glasgow’s blue side will need to have a much stronger second half of the season and this result and performance suggests this could still be possible.