Former Rangers attacker Gordon Dalziel has admitted that Celtic made a real statement by beating a confident and upbeat Rangers side at Parkhead on Saturday.
Celtic ended Rangers’ 16-game unbeaten run under Philippe Clement at Parkhead when they beat their Glasgow rivals 2-1.
The win took Celtic eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings but Rangers still have two games in hand, meaning the title race remains alive.
Former Rangers man Dalziel feels what should please the Celtic and their fans is that Rangers really fancied their chances of getting a win at Parkhead given their form under new manager Clement.
He stressed that Rangers really believed that they could move into pole position, but Celtic have made a real statement by getting all three points against their local rivals.
Dalziel said on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard: “I think Rangers fancied this today.
“The new manager bounce, very hard to score against, went there with a lot of confidence, Celtic were coming under a bit of criticism, [Cameron] Carter-Vickers was missing today and I know that Rangers had players missing as well.
“I thought the Celtic fans were probably worried about the fixture today but they have made a statement.
“That’s why Celtic fans are so pleased because Rangers and their fans really fancied this.
“They looked at the gap, they looked at the games in hand, they thought they could go to Celtic Park and win today and all of a sudden with two games in hand, they would be top of the league.
“Celtic have put a marker down here.”
Rangers will take on Kilmarnock at home on Tuesday while Celtic will travel to the Paisley to take on St. Mirren in a key Scottish Premiership game.
