Advocaat missing rub of the green

Martin O'Neill sounded genuine when he heaped praise on Rangers following Celtic's 2-0 victory but the words will have a hollow ring around Ibrox where, inevitably, questions are once more being asked about Dick Advocaat's future.

It's ironic his position is again under scrutiny, and being defended by his greatest rival, for this was perhaps his team's best performance of the season.

Managers, of course, are inevitably judged on results rather than performances and while the jury is out on the Dutchman the fans will study closely the seven-point gap between the Old Firm teams at the top of the table after less than a quarter of the season.

The case for the defence came from one unlikely corner in the shape of O'Neill and more obviously from countryman Arthur Numan.

The Celtic manager insisted: "With all their players coming back from injury Rangers are a top-class team. Their players are as good as you're likely to find anywhere in Europe and Dick Advocaat is a top-class manager who has proved that. We spoke after the game and because we're managers we know that one week he will be under pressure and the next it will be me."

Numan was altogether more direct and insisted: "It is ridiculous to ask about his position. We are tired of it. We played well yet everyone still asks." That contentious issue came perilously close to overshadowing an absorbing fixture, which is unfortunate for it was excellent entertainment.

Rangers found that while possession may be nine-tenths of the law it counts for very little in comparison to goals and at Ibrox they came from Stilian Petrov after 12 minutes and Alan Thompson with virtually the last kick of the game.

In between no quarter was asked and none given, Celtic's Henrik Larsson missed a penalty in an incident which saw Lorenzo Amoruso sent off and Fernando Ricksen and Paul Lambert booked. There were further yellow cards for Craig Moore for fouling Larsson and Chris Sutton and Bobo Balde for persistent fouling. Situation normal really.

Advocaat, meanwhile, maintained his players believed Amoruso - adjudged to have tripped Larsson in the box - shouldn't have gone and declared: "Lorenzo said he pushed him with his shoulder but was told by the referee he kicked him."

"Things just didn't go our way. We had a lot of possession but needed a bit of luck and didn't get it." It was very much Celtic's day and O'Neill said: "It was a great win but we had to dig deep and until Thompson's goal it was on a knife-edge. As for the challenge on Larsson, I wouldn't have been surprised had their player been shown a red card."

When all the rhetoric ends the record books will show Celtic completed a fourth successive Old Firm victory. Petrov's opener came courtesy of a desperate mistake by Klos who fumbled his long-range shot for the goal.

However, Rangers maintained some sort of grip on proceedings. Tore Andre Flo went close, Ricksen and Michael Mols were denied penalty claims and the Dutch striker sent a volley over the top before the interval arrived.

After the break, Bert Konterman and Mols went close and Numan tested Robert Douglas before the controversial penalty incident sparked an unseemly fracas ahead of Klos's save.

Against 10 men Celtic had to be content with a fine last-minute strike from Thompson, who wandered through a tiring defence before sliding an excellent effort wide of Klos.

RANGERS: Klos, Ricksen, Moore, Amoruso, Numan, Konterman, Reyna (Caniggia 67), de Boer,Ferguson (Hughes 88), Flo, Mols (McCann 75). Subs Not Used: Ross, Christiansen. Sent Off: Amoruso (64). Booked: Moore, Ricksen.

CELTIC: Douglas, Balde, Mjallby, Valgaeren, Thompson, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov (Moravcik 71), Agathe, Sutton, Larsson. Subs Not Used: Hartson, Kharine, Healy, Maloney. Booked: Lambert, Sutton, Balde. Goals: Petrov 14, Thompson 90. Att: 50,097.

Referee: K Clark (Scotland).