Rangers cut the gap to rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership as Philippe Clement secured his first Old Firm win after seven attempts in an emphatic 3-0 win.

Midfielder Ianis Hagi produced a stunning drive from outside the box to break the deadlock to rock Brendan Rodgers' side.

Kyogo Furuhashi’s delightful finish was chalked off for offside early in the second half, but the hosts made the game safe thanks to defender Robin Propper converting in the 65th minute and substitute Danilo smashing home a third in the 81st minute.

The result sees the Light Blues now 11 points behind the Premiership leaders to keep their slim title hopes alive, with the mood lifted thanks to a raucous atmosphere at Ibrox.

Relive all the action from the Ibrox below:

Rangers v Celtic LIVE

• Rangers defeat Celtic in the Scottish Premiership

• 81’ GOAL! Danilo beats Schmeichel and increases the lead (RAN 3-0 CEL)

• 66’ GOAL! Propper drills home from a corner (RAN 2-0 CEL)

• 59’ POST! Cerny’s effort hits the post and bounces away (RAN 1-0 CEL)

• 53’ DISALLOWED! Kyogo finds the back of the net but is offside (RAN 1-0 CEL)

• 15’ CLOSE! Cerny cuts in from right and hits crossbar (RAN 1-0 CEL)

• 7’ GOAL! Hagi sends hosts into early lead (RAN 1-0 CEL)

Rangers forward Ianis Hagi:

17:34 , Mike Jones

“It feels good. You want to win derbies. Is it a step forward for us? Indeed. We know it is three points but we go again in three days.

“It was an all-round good game for us. You can start really well and finish bad, but we were consistent. Moving forward, we have to be consistent for 90 minutes.”

FT Rangers 3-0 Celtic

17:24 , Mike Jones

Celtic attempted just four shots in the game, their lowest total in a single match in the Scottish Premiership this season.

Neil Lennon reacts to Celtic defeat

17:19 , Mike Jones

The former Celtic manager told Sky Sports: “There was nothing about Celtic today. It was flat.

“Second best to everything. Conceded so much ground and 24 shots [against] in the game. It is hard to be critical of this team but today they were awful. They offered up nothing.”

FT Rangers 3-0 Celtic

17:10 , Mike Jones

Celtic’s lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership is still 11 points meaning it’s a massive ask for Rangers to get back into this race but anything is possible.

Philippe Clement’s side will take a lot of confidence out of today’s game.

FT Rangers 3-0 Celtic

17:06 , Mike Jones

Vaclav Cerny might be something of an oracle. Here he is speaking before today’s game:

Full-time! Rangers 3-0 Celtic

17:03 , Mike Jones

90+5 mins: There goes the full time whistle. Rangers have swept aside their old rivals at Ibrox and keep the title race alive, at least for a little while.

A perfect outing for Philippe Clement’s men.

Rangers 3-0 Celtic

16:58 , Mike Jones

90 mins: Five minutes of added time to play at Ibrox. Can Celtic score or will Rangers cruise to a deserved victory?

Rangers 3-0 Celtic

16:56 , Mike Jones

86 mins: Since 2013-14, the 24 shots Rangers have managed are the most Celtic have faced in a league game.

Rangers 3-0 Celtic

16:51 , Mike Jones

83 mins: The Rangers fans are in full voice now. They’ve enjoyed themselves this afternoon and their team has delighted them with a superb performance in the most pressure filled of matches.

Celtic have been blown away.

GOAL! Rangers 3-0 Celtic (Danilo, 81’)

16:49 , Mike Jones

What a decision!

Danilo has only been on the field for a matter of moments and already has his goal. Strong pressure from Jefte turns the ball over in the middle of the pitch.

He drives forward and gets to the box before having a shot blocked. The rebound comes to Danilo who takes a composed effort and beats Kasper Schmeichel.

Rangers 2-0 Celtic

16:47 , Mike Jones

80 mins: Into the last 10 minutes and Rangers have a comfortable lead in the Old Firm derby. Brendan Rodgers has made plenty of changes to try the game.

Rangers aren’t sitting on their lead though. Nedim Bajrami has been replaced with Brazilian striker Danilo for the closing stages as they look to increase the lead.

Rangers 2-0 Celtic

16:45 , Mike Jones

77 mins: With Celtic throwing men forward to try and get back into the game Rangers have an opportunity to get on the counter.

The ball is given to Hamza Igamane who sprints forward. He has options to his right but runs straight into Carter-Vickers who recovers the ball for the visitors.

Rangers 2-0 Celtic

16:40 , Mike Jones

72 mins: Nedim Bajrami takes a shot from the edge of the box and sees the effort blocked by Carter-Vickers.

The ball comes out to Yilmaz who fancies himself again. This effort from range finishes in the hands of the goalkeeper without too much trouble.

Rangers are really pushing on here.

Rangers 2-0 Celtic

16:37 , Mike Jones

69 mins: Save!

Ridvan Yilmaz takes a shot from range and gets the effort to swerve and curl at Kasper Schmeichel to palms it behind for a corner. Rangers claim for a handball but they don’t receive the penalty they are after.

GOAL! Rangers 2-0 Celtic (Robin Propper, 66’)

16:34 , Mike Jones

Two! Rangers win a corner and Cerny is on set piece duties again. He swings the ball onto the head of Nico Raskin who whips it towards goal.

Adam Idah, a substitute just brought on, stops the effort on the line but turns it to the back post where Robin Propper arrives and drills it home.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:31 , Mike Jones

62 mins: Rangers win a free kick over on the left side of the pitch and Cerny whips it into the box. Liam Scales is on hand to clear the danger for Celtic but the hosts are starting to bit back after a slow start to the second half.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:27 , Mike Jones

59 mins: Oh my word!

Nico Raskin retrieves a loose ball after a fine tackle from Mohamed Diomande. He then sends Vaclav Cerny free on the right wing and the winger collects the ball and storms into the box.

He opens his body up and curls a left-footed effort towards the far post. The goalkeeper is beaten but the ball strikes the upright and bounces out!

Rangers should have had a second.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:23 , Mike Jones

57 mins: Rangers need to weather this storm and get on the ball. Celtic are knocking it around with purpose and verve and look like a totally different team to the one that turned up in the first half.

The crowd has been fantastic throughout and continues to be. Loud and cheerful from both sets of fans.

Ianis Hagi is fed the ball on the left. He carries it to the box and looks for a cross. The ball gets deflected towards goal and Schmeichel has to punch away the danger.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:20 , Mike Jones

53 mins: Disallowed!

Celtic think they’ve got the equaliser. A little dainty pass over the top comes to Kyogo who makes a run in behind. He touches the ball under control then sweeps it past Liam Kelly only for the offside flag to go up.

There’ll be a VAR check but it looks like the correct decision.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:19 , Mike Jones

51 mins: There’s an intensity to Celtic now. They must have had a telling off by the manager during the break and seem more like themselves at the start of this half.

Rangers knock the ball back to Liam Kelly who belts it over to the right wing hoping to spur Vaclav Cerny forward. The winger is offside though and Celtic win a free kick.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:16 , Mike Jones

48 mins: Kyogo makes a decent run into the box through the middle and the ball is played into him. He looks to get a shot off but Dujon Sterling is on hand to poke the ball away from the forward before he can shoot.

Already a promising sign for Celtic though.

Second half! Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:12 , Mike Jones

Celtic head back onto the pitch early after a less than stellar first half. Rangers are greeted by a huge roar when they jog back out onto the grass at Ibrox.

The home side get the ball rolling again and look to build on their lead.

HT Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:06 , Mike Jones

Ianis Hagi gives Rangers the lead at the half-time break.

HT Rangers 1-0 Celtic

16:00 , Mike Jones

Half-time! Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:54 , Mike Jones

45+6 mins: Save!

Celtic win a corner that gets glanced on to Reo Hatate. He pings a wonderful strike at goal and forces a nice save down low to the right from Liam Kelly.

Big chance for Celtic.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:53 , Mike Jones

45+5 mins: Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn takes a knock to the face and gets a cut on his noise. With blood coming out his needs a bit of treatment before a Celtic free kick can take place.

Celtic’s Bernardo whips the ball in towards the near post but Rangers defend it easily enough.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:51 , Mike Jones

45+2 mins: Rangers head into the lead with a slim lead that could easily have been more. Celtic seemed a little more shellschoked and they’ll be want to reset in time for the second 45 minutes.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:49 , Mike Jones

45 mins: Paulo Bernardo swings in a free kick towards Liam Scales but Rangers win the head and nod it clear. Two minutes of added time to play at the end of the first half.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:46 , Mike Jones

42 mins: Celtic have seen plenty of the ball since Hagis scored the opener but they haven’t done a lot with it. Brendan Rodgers will be tearing his hair out and what’s going wrong.

The Celtic looked spooked as though they’re afraid of conceding again.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:43 , Mike Jones

39 mins: Incredible tackle!

Nedim Bajrami brings the ball forward and has three options ahead of him. Go left, go middle, go right.

He goes middle and slots a straight pass into the box for Mohamed Diomande but Cameron Carter-Vickers lunges across and pokes the ball away from the forward before he can shoot.

Last-ditch stuff from Carter-Vickers.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:40 , Mike Jones

36 mins: A terrible pass from Reo Hatate sends the ball square into the middle of the pitch and Ianis Hagis collects it for Rangers. He brings the ball to the edge of the box and scuffs a low shot wide of the target.

Paulo Bernardo arrives just as he takes the effort and Hagis makes a meal out of the tackle. He goes over looking for a penalty but nothing comes from it.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:37 , Mike Jones

33 mins: Now then. Alistair Johnston catches Ianis Hagi in the back of the head with his elbow as the two men jump for an aerial ball.

There’s a quick VAR check of the incident but Johnston faces no further punishment though Rangers have a free kick. He might have gotten away with one there.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:36 , Mike Jones

33 mins: Now then. Alistair Johnston catches Ianis Hagi in the back of the head with his elbow as the two men jump for an aerial ball. There’s a quick check of the incident but Johnston faces no further punishment though Rangers have a free kick.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:33 , Mike Jones

30 mins: Celtic’s defenders are getting bullied by the directness of Rangers’ attackers. Hamza Igamane drifts out to the left and sends in a cross. Celtic manage to move the ball away but Rangers recover possession and shift it out to Mohamed Diomande.

Diomande runs into the box then blazes an effort high and wide.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:30 , Mike Jones

27 mins: Chance!

Ianis Hagi receives the ball and spins towards goal before releasing a pass to Vaclav Cerny on the right. Cerny dips into the box before feeding the overlapping run from Ridvan Yilmaz.

Yilmaz strikes one first time but lifts the effort over the bar. More pressure from Rangers.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:29 , Mike Jones

24 mins: Celtic’s slow start is morphing into controlled possession in midfield and their defence. They’re trying to slow down Rangers’ play and set the tempo for the match.

It’s having limited success as Rangers’ press is so intense Celtic are being forced off the ball.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:26 , Mike Jones

21 mins: Callum McGregor receives the ball in the middle of the pitch and drives forward. He sends it out wide to Daizen Maeda who carries it to the edge of the box.

Greg Taylor peels off down the line and draws away a defender allowing Maeda to cut inside and lace a shot well wide of the target.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:24 , Mike Jones

18 mins: Celtic’s only attempt came 72 seconds into the match and they’ve been outplayed since then. Rangers are in the ascendancy and are creating the best chances.

Ridvan Yilmaz collects the ball high up the pitch, rolls it onto his left foot and hits a low effort at Kasper Schmeichel.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:19 , Mike Jones

15 mins: Close!

Rangers come close to a second goal after a sharp break. Nicolas Raskin releases Vaclav Cerny on the right wing and he bombs forward before cutting inside.

The Celtic defence keep their distance so Cerny unleashes a shot that takes a deflection and rattles the crossbar.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:15 , Mike Jones

12 mins: Rangers take the early lead through Hagi and Celtic now need a response. The hosts bring the ball down the left but Celtic’s press is strong and they recover possession.

Rangers are quick to get back into position and hold the next attack at bay.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

15:14 , Jack Rathborn

11 mins

Gheorghe Hagi in attendance to watch his son blast Rangers into the lead, a spine-tingling atmosphere now and the game is beautifully set up.

Can Celtic respond?

GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Celtic (Hagi, 9)

15:11 , Jack Rathborn

9 mins

Yilmaz sprinting towards the Celtic goal and Ibrox rises in expectation.

A better response now from Rangers... GOAL! HAGI!

Raskin picked the pocket and then the lovely backheel allows Hagi to gallop onto it and strike it low and hard into the bottom right corner, a stunner, 1-0!

Rangers 0-0 Celtic

15:07 , Jack Rathborn

3 mins

A brilliant cross from McGregor, it almost fell kindly inside the six-yard box to Kyogo, a big chance! Away for another corner... It was poor from Yilmaz and his fluffed clearance at the back post.

Rangers suffering already, still 0-0 and relief as it’s punted up towards the half-way line.

Rangers 0-0 Celtic

15:06 , Jack Rathborn

2 mins

We’re underway at Ibrox, a must-win for Rangers.

Celtic, whose players huddled in a circle seconds before kick-off, get on the ball early here and spark plenty of boos...

It’s frantic stuff from Rangers, Celtic piling on the pressure inside two minutes. Kyogo snatched at it with a few more swings at goal, corner...

Rangers v Celtic

15:03 , Jack Rathborn

Beautifully observed by the supporters, and we’re ready to go here. A final reminder of that team news...

Rangers XI: Kelly, Ridvan, Propper, Sterling, Jefte, Raskin, Diomande, Bajrami, Hagi, Cerny, Igamane

Subs: Munn, Cortes, Barron, Dessers, Matondo, Dowell, King, Fraser, Danilo

CelticXI: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, Hatate, Kuhn, Maeda, Kyogo

Subs: Sinisalo, Trusty, Palma, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Engels, Ralston

Rangers v Celtic

15:02 , Jack Rathborn

A minute’s silence upcoming for the Ibrox disaster in 1971, which led to 66 deaths...

Rangers v Celtic

15:00 , Jack Rathborn

The teams are out at Ibrox and ‘Simply The Best’ is blasting out of the tannoy speakers...

Here we go, this should be a fiery one, win or bust for the hosts.

Rangers v Celtic

14:58 , Jack Rathborn

Match facts

14:40 , Chris Wilson

Celtic have only lost their opening league game of a calendar year in one of the last 27 years (W20 D6), although that was away at Rangers in 2021 (1-0).

Daizen Maeda has scored three goals in his last five appearances against Rangers in all competitions, this after only netting once in his first 12 Old Firm derby appearances prior.

The moment Celtic won the League Cup

14:35 , Chris Wilson

Here’s a brief recap of the moment Celtic won the penalty shootout in the League Cup last month.

Match facts

14:30 , Chris Wilson

Rangers have only lost their first league game of a calendar year in one of the last 13 years (W10 D2), a 1-2 defeat to Kilmarnock in 2019.

Rangers’ James Tavernier and Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi both have six goals in league Old Firm derbies. Since the Scottish Premiership began in 2013, only Odsonne Édouard (seven) has netted more times in this fixture in the division.

Rangers boss Philippe Clement is yet to beat Celtic in six attempts in all competitions in charge of the club (D2 L4); the only manager to go as long or longer before winning an Old Firm derby (for either side) is William Wilton with the Gers from 1890 to 1893 (first eight).

Is Rangers v Celtic on TV?

14:25 , Chris Wilson

Kick-off is just 35 minutes away, so here’s a reminder of how you can watch today’s game.

When is Rangers v Celtic?

Rangers v Celtic is due to kick off at 3pm GMT on Thursday, 2 January at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 2pm.

If you do not have a Sky Sports subscription, you can buy a NOWTV day pass.

If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Match facts

14:20 , Chris Wilson

Rangers have enjoyed only one win in their last 14 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D4 L9), a 3-0 league victory in May 2023 under Michael Beale.

After losing all four of their away games against Rangers in all competitions in 2021, Celtic have since lost just one of five away Old Firm derbies (W2 D2).

Celtic have scored the opening goal in nine of the last 10 league Old Firm derbies, the only exception coming when Rangers did so in May 2023 (3-0 win). The side going 1-0 up lost none of those 10 fixtures (W7 D3), with the last to do so in the Scottish Premiership being Rangers in April 2022.

Rangers v Celtic: 109 Scottish titles between them

14:12 , Chris Wilson

These two sides have won the Scottish top-flight titles a remarkable 109 times, with Rangers having won 55 and Celtic trailing behind on 54.

Celtic have won the Premiership the last three seasons in a row, with Rangers last winning in 2020/21 under Steven Gerrard. Before that, Celtic had gone on a nine-year title-winning streak, winning every season between 2011/12 and 2019/20.

The last side to win the league that wasn’t one of these two sides was Aberdeen in 1984/85, when they were managed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Head-to-head

14:05 , Chris Wilson

These two sides have met 124 times in the past, with Celtic winning 58, Rangers winning 58, and 25 ending as draws.

Most recently, the two sides played out a 3-3 draw in the League Cup final in December, before Celtic won 5-4 on penalties.

In the reverse fixture in the league, Celtic won 3-0 at home in September thanks to goals from McGregor, Furuhashi and Maeda.

Philippe Clement under pressure as Rangers fall 14 points behind leaders Celtic

14:00 , Chris Wilson

A report from Rangers’ last match...

Philippe Clement insists he is too busy trying to fix ragged Rangers to think about his future at the Ibrox club.

The Gers boss was speaking after a 2-2 comeback draw against Motherwell at Fir Park saw the Light Blues fall 14 points behind Premiership leaders Celtic ahead of their meeting at Ibrox on January 2.

The Belgian was under pressure following the 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at St Mirren, where he described the first-half performance as unacceptable, but the first 45 minutes against Well were equally inept as goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Tawanda Maswanhise gave Stuart Kettlewell’s side a deserved interval lead.

Team news

13:40 , Chris Wilson

The line-ups should be released in the next five minutes, so here’s the early team news.

For Rangers, Thomas Lawrence is a doubt after sitting out the last few matches with a knock, while John Souttar and Neraysho Kasanwirjo are not expected back until later in the month.

Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny could make their returns to the forward line, with Nicolas Raskin likely to andhor midfield.

Celtic will be missing Odin Holm and James Forrest, but there are no new injury concerns after the win over St. Johnstone.

Rodgers will likely go with the same settled back five as he has used for much of the season, though captain Callum McGregor could return to the midfield in a deeper role.

In the forward line, the only ‘likely’ change would be Daizen Maeda coming in for Yang Hyun-Jun.

Predicted line-ups & prediction

13:30 , Chris Wilson

Rangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Sterling, Propper, Yilmaz; Raskin; Dowell, Diomande, Cortes; Dessers, Danilo.

Celtic XI: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Valle; Engels, Bernardo, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda.

Prediction:

All form tends to go out the window in these derbies, with the recent League Cup final between these two sides providing a 3-3 draw in normal time. With the league leaders 14 points ahead, it’s certainly hard to see them losing, though they may settle for a draw on the day.

Rangers 2-2 Celtic.

Is Rangers v Celtic on TV?

13:20 , Chris Wilson

When is Rangers v Celtic?

Rangers v Celtic is due to kick off at 3pm GMT on Thursday, 2 January at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 2pm.

If you do not have a Sky Sports subscription, you can buy a NOWTV day pass.

If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Rangers v Celtic LIVE

13:10 , Chris Wilson

Rangers host Celtic in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon, with the visitors looking to extend their 14-point lead at the top of the table.

Brendan Rodgers’ side have been dominant domestically so far this term, having accumulated 50 points before the New Year as well as winning the League Cup final against their old rivals earlier this month.

With much of the focus likely going into the club’s quest to qualify for the next round of the Champions League in January, a win today would go some way to potentially putting the title in their hands come May.

Rangers have struggled in recent weeks in the league, having drawn to Motherwell and lost to St Mirren in their last two matches, and Philippe Clement’s side already look like their title challenge could fail before 2025 even begins, though a win today could put them back into the fight.

Rangers v Celtic LIVE

12:55 , Jack Rathborn

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live overage of today’s Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic.

2025 begins with Celtic holding a 14-point lead over their rivals, with Rangers struggling domestically with some poor results this winter.

And we’ll have all the latest news and updates as Rangers look to claw back some ground in the Scottish title race.