Old rivals inseparable

There is invariably a less than happy start to every new year for at least one member of the Old Firm, even when the traditional fixture is drawn. Celtic wore the grim looks last night because of a result that was more beneficial to Rangers.

The Ibrox side maintained a 10 point lead over their fiercest rivals, taking them into the winter shutdown as long odds-on favourites to win the championship. Nobody could dispute the justice of the score, which was started by Alan Stubbs of Celtic and made more likely by Gabriel Amato's 45th-minute equaliser. Stubbs's goal was all the more stunning for being so unexpected, Rangers having clearly looked the more dangerous. It was a terrific strike but the home players must have thought they were the victims of a wicked fate.

Jackie McNamara's free-kick from the left was knocked out to Lorenzo Amoruso, who headed it down to Stubbs. The defender, with a beautifully controlled right-foot drive from near the left edge of the penalty area, sent the ball away to the left of Stefan Klos.

But Stubbs, having virtually stolen the lead for Celtic, then erred with lax defending. Neil McCann took possession on the left of midfield and it was obvious to the entire crowd that he would cross towards Amato. Stubbs, marking the Argentinian striker, strangely walked away, leaving Amato to bullet the header into the roof of Jonathan Gould's net from 12 yards.

Celtic began defensively but could not stunt the obvious ambition of Rangers to dispel the memory of that 5-1 lashing in the last match at Celtic Park and it wasn't long before Rangers began to dominate.

As early as the fourth minute, the home side came as close as it gets to scoring when Giovanni van Bronckhorst's corner-kick from the left was headed powerfully past Gould by Amoruso. But Paul Lambert was on the line to block with his thigh.

Gould also had to produce a telling save by diving right to deflect a low shot from Rod Wallace at the end of a smooth, sweeping move.

There was no let up. Van Bronckhorst's left-foot shot skimmed the grass and Gould was once again forced to stretch to concede a corner. During this lengthy period of assertiveness by the home side, Celtic had only a couple of miscued efforts from Riseth and Henrik Larsson.

Celtic's problem throughout the first half was bringing Larsson and Lubomir Moravcik, their most dangerous players, into the play. Yet when Larsson had his first opportunity, some time before Rangers took the lead, the Swede untypically swept a cross from Moravcik wildly over the bar on the volley.

Celtic would lament that poor attempt more than they could have guessed when Wallace gave the home side the lead after 58 minutes, again as a result of appalling defending.

Amato showed some fancy footwork on the right to take himself towards the dead-ball line, but his attempted cross was blocked and the Celtic defence had every opportunity to clear. But Wallace arrived to hook the ball over the line from only three yards.

Celtic's equaliser in the 65th minute was as deserved as Rangers's had been earlier, as the visitors had been more adventurous and threatening. This time Moravcik's magnificent 25-yard drive thudded off the crossbar and, from the loose ball, Larsson looped a header over the line from eight yards.

Rangers: Klos, Porrini, Amoruso, Hendry, Ferguson, Kanchelskis (Albertz 61), Van Bronckhorst, Amato, Wallace, McCann (Johansson 72), Vidmar. Subs Not Used: Wilson, Miller, Brown. Booked: Ferguson, Porrini, Van Bronckhorst, Hendry. Goals: Amato 45, Wallace 58.

Celtic: Gould, Boyd, Mahe, McNamara, Stubbs, Larsson, O'Donnell, Lambert, Moravcik, Riseth, Mjallby. Subs Not Used: Brattbakk, Annoni, McBride, Burchill, Warner. Booked: Lambert, Mahe. Goals: Stubbs 39, Larsson 66. Att: 50,059.

Referee: J McCluskey (Stewarton).