Martin O’Neill did not dress it up after the final whistle at Ibrox. Celtic were miles off it in the first half and he said so. Two goals down and chasing shadows, they were outfought in midfield and too slow in possession.
Half-time brought changes in personnel and in tone. The midfield battle flipped. Celtic began to hold their positions better and the ball stuck in the final third. Rangers, who had been first to everything, started to retreat.
By the end, Celtic were camped in the Rangers half. The equaliser came from sustained pressure rather than a breakaway. That shift in territory told its own story.
O’Neill said: (Sky Sports), “Not even second best, we were fourth best.
“The second half really belonged to us and we were terrific.
“We deserved something out of the game, which we got. The chances that we carved out, we didn’t take. We could easily have won.
“You have to take control of the game. As I said to you, we were second best. There’s no point in prolonging that.
“We need to go, we need to try and win on Wednesday. And if we can do that, it’ll be great. That will not be easy for us.”
Celtic stopped hitting it long too early and started trusting the midfield to play through pressure. Rangers were pushed back and the wide areas began to open up.
The turnaround is quick. Fresh legs will matter if they want to play with the same drive they showed after the break.
Celtic showed they can grab hold of a derby once it settles into their rhythm. The problem is the first half. They cannot afford another start like that.
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delighted to get the draw after first half Keeper looking good for the future along with Murray who grew as the game went on …if we get away with winning the league this season we it will be an amazing achievement for MON