When the Old Firm game became the Glasgow derby - the top 10 Celtic v Rangers matches of the decade

The ‘twenty tens’ also saw the two bitter city rivals go nearly three years without meeting each other at all and almost four-and-a-half years without playing in a league game – something that didn’t even happen during the two world wars.

Yet, whatever you call the fixture between the two main clubs in Scotland’s largest city these days and regardless of their lengthy separation, nobody can deny it has managed to retain all of its lustre.

Celtic and Rangers have clashed on 33 occasions since 2009 - with the former triumphing in no fewer than 20 of them, the latter prevailing in eight and five finishing in draws – and some of the duels have been extraordinary.

Here, ahead of the last match between the two before we enter 2020, we look back at the 10 most memorable Old Firm games/Glasgow derby matches of the last 10 years.

1

Date: February 28, 2010.

Competition: Premier League.

Venue: Ibrox.

Attendance: 50,320.

Result: Rangers 1, Celtic 0

Scorer: Rangers - Edu (90+3).

Rangers: McGregor, Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Davis, McCulloch (Edu, 26), Thomson, Lafferty (Novo, 70), Miller, Boyd.

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Thompson, Rogne (O’Dea, 31), Braafheid, Kamara, N’Guemo, Brown, McGeady (Samaras, 61), Keane, Fortune (Ki, 68).

Referee: Dougie McDonald.

Rangers got the decade off to a good start with a hard-fought victory over Celtic in the second Old Firm match of 2010 which effectively wrapped up their second consecutive league win.

A Maurice Edu goal, bundled in from a few yards out, in the third minute of added-on time at the end of the game sent Walter Smith’s side, who had a game in hand, 10 points clear of Tony Mowbray’s team.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men with the second-half red carding of Scott Brown by referee Dougie McDonald after a tussle with Kyle Lafferty. It looked as if they were going to hold on for a draw. Then Edu struck at the death.

2

Date: March 2, 2011.

Competition: Scottish Cup.

Venue: Celtic Park.

Attendance: 57,847.

Result: Celtic 1, Rangers 0

Scorer: Celtic - Wilson (48).

Celtic: Zaluska, Izaguirre, Majstorovic, Wilson, Mulgrew, Brown, Sung-Yeung, Kayal, Samaras, Commons, Hooper.

Rangers: McGregor, Weir, Papac (Wylde, 51), Foster, Bougherra, Edu, Davis, Whittaker, Bartley, Fleck (Hutton, 46), Diouf.

Referee: Calum Murray.

This bad-tempered fifth round replay was, with Rangers players Steven Whittaker being sent off in the first-half, and Madjid Bougherra getting red carded in the last minute, an explosive affair that was marred by ill-discipline, touchline altercations and tunnel bust-ups.

But events after the final whistle were even worse. Rangers forward El Hadji-Diouf received his marching orders for dissent. Then Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers assistant Ally McCoist squared up to each other on the touchline.

The scenes were condemned by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan the next day and even First Minister Alex Salmond described them as “shameful”. A government summit was arranged which spawned the Offensive Behaviour and Threatening Communications at Football Act.

On the park, a second-half Mark Wilson goal was all that separated the two sides. The Parkhead club would go on to win the trophy.

3

Date: March 20, 2011.

Competition: League Cup.

Venue: Hampden.

Attendance: 51,181.

Result: Celtic, 1 Rangers 2 (after extra-time).

Scorers: Celtic - Joe Ledley (31). Rangers - Steven Davis (24), Nikica Jelevic (98).

Celtic: Forster, Izaguirre, Wilson, Mulgrew, Rogne (Loovens, 73), Brown (Ki Sung-Yeung, 65), Ledley, Kayal, Samaras, Commons (McCourt, 103), Hooper.

Rangers: Alexander, Weir, Papac, Whittaker, Bougherra (Hutton 82), Wylde, Edu, Davis, Lafferty (Weiss 90+3), Naismith, Jelavic (Diouf 117).

Referee: Craig Thomson.

The Glasgow rivals met no fewer than seven times in the 201/11 campaign with the League Cup final being the most closely contested.

Steven Davis gave the Ibrox club the lead in the first-half after netting from just outside the penalty area only for Joe Ledley to level with a header soon afterwards.

Then came a remarkable moment when referee Craig Thomson awarded Rangers a penalty when Nikica Jelavic went down after a challenge by Thomas Rogne – only to reverse his decision seconds later and book the striker for diving.

The game went to extra-time and Croatian forward Jelavic clinched it after running onto a quickly-taken free-kick by substitute Vladimir Weiss, holding off the challenge of Charlie Mulgrew and prodding beyond Fraser Forster. His shot hit the keeper’s left post, spun across the goal and trickled over the line.

4

Date: March 25, 2012.

Competition: Premier League.

Venue: Ibrox.

Attendance: 50,191.

Result: Rangers 3, Celtic 2.

Scorers: Rangers - Aluko (11), Little (72), Wallace (77). Celtic - Brown (89, pen), Rogne (90).

Rangers: McGregor, Goian, Papac, Wallace (Kerkar, 78), Whittaker, Bocanegra, McCulloch, Edu, Davis, Aluko (Little, 72) McCabe (Lafferty, 60).

Celtic: Forster, Cha Du-Ri, Mulgrew, Rogne, Matthews, Brown, Ledley (Hooper, 90), Ki Sung-Yeung (Commons, 70), Wanyama, Samaras, Stokes (Izaguirre, 32).

Referee: Calum Murray.

Celtic had the chance to wrap up their first league win in four years in the first Old Firm match after Rangers had been placed into administration by their owner Craig Whyte at Ibrox.

But the “jelly and ice cream” party didn’t quite go according to plan. The Parkhead club had Ch Du Ri sent off in the first-half and Victor Wanyama in the second.

Manager Neil Lennon also got his marching orders at half-time for protesting to the referee and had to watch proceedings from the press room after being advised not to sit in the stand for safety reasons.

Goals from Sone Aluko, Andy Little and Lee Wallace saw Ally McCoist’s men win comfortably. Late strikes from Scott Brown and Thomas Rogne only served to make the scoreline more respectable for the visitors.

5

Date: Sunday, April 17, 2016.

Competition: Scottish Cup.

Venue: Hampden.

Attendance: 50,069.

Result: Rangers 2, Celtic 2 (Rangers win 5-4 on penalties after extra-time)

Scorers: Rangers - Miller, 16, McKay, 96. Celtic - Sviatchenko, 50, Rogic 106.

Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, Kiernan (Zelalem, 88) Wilson, Wallace, Ball, Shiels (Law, 66), Halliday, Holt, McKay, Miller (Clark, 90).

Celtic: Gordon, Lustig, Boyata (Sviatchenko, 25), Mulgrew, Tierney, Brown, Bitton, Roberts, Johansen (Rogic, 84), Mackay-Steven (McGregor, 71), Griffiths.

Referee: Craig Thomson.

The resurgence Rangers had enjoyed under their manager Mark Warburton continued as they defeated Celtic on penalties in a captivating Scottish Cup semi-final.

Goals by Kenny Miller and Barrie McKay were cancelled out by Erik Sviatchenko and Tom Rogic, but the Ibrox club edged it in a dramatic penalty shoot-out when Rogic missed the decisive kick.

It was only the second time ever that a match between the clubs had been decided in such a manner and the defeat led to Parkhead boss Ronny Deila standing down the following day.

6

Date: September 10, 2016

Competition: Premiership.

Venue: Celtic Park.

Attendance: 58,348.

Result: Celtic 5, Rangers 1

Scorers: Celtic – Dembele (33, 42 and 83), Sinclair (61) and Armstrong (90+2). Rangers – Garner (44).

Celtic: De Vries, Lustig, Sviatchenko, Touré, Tierney, Brown (McGregor, 74), Bitton, Forrest (Roberts, 64), Rogic (Armstrong, 54), Sinclair, Dembele.

Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, Kiernan (Forrester, 72) Senderos, Wallace, Barton, Miller (Waghorn, 63), Windass, Kranjcar (Halliday, 45), McKay, Garner.

Referee: Willie Collum.

Rangers’ epic Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic had, coupled with the arrival of high-profile signings Joey Barton, Nico Kranjcar and Philippe Senderos, given their supporters hope they could challenge for the Scottish title in their first season back in the top flight.

But Brendan Rodgers and his players had other ideas. They obliterated their city rivals at Parkhead in the first league game between the two clubs since 2012. Moussa Dembele became the first Celtic player to score a hat-trick in the fixture since Harry Hood 43 years earlier. Scott Sinclair and Stuart Armstrong also got in on the act.

Scott Brown had a dig at Barton, who had claimed the midfielder wasn’t in the same class as him when he arrived in Scotland, after the win. “It was pretty much men against boys,” he said. It was hard to disagree.

7

Date: April 29, 2017.

Competition: Premiership.

Venue: Ibrox.

Attendance: 49,822.

Result: Rangers 1, Celtic 5.

Scorers: Rangers – Miller (81). Celtic - Sinclair (7), Griffiths (18), McGregor (52), Boyata (66), Lustig (87).

Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, Wilson, Hill, Beerman, Windass, Holt, Hyndman (Garner, 57), Miller, Waghorn, Dodoo (Halliday, 45).

Celtic: Gordon, Lustig, Simunovic, Boyata, Tierney, Brown (Kouassi, 90), Armstrong (Rogic, 77), Roberts (Forrest, 72), McGregor, Sinclair, Griffiths.

Referee: John Beaton.

This may have been the second time in the 2017/18 campaign that Celtic had beaten Rangers 5-1 But it was the first time since 1897 they had triumphed by that emphatic scoreline at Ibrox. It was also their record win at the Govan ground.

Scott Sinclair, Leigh Griffiths, Dedryck Boyata, Callum McGregor and Mikael Lustig all got their names on the scoresheet for Celtic while Kenny Miller scored a late consolation goal for Rangers.

8

Date: April 15, 2018

Competition: Scottish Cup.

Venue: Hampden

Attendance: 49,729.

Result: Celtic 4, Rangers 0.

Scorers: Celtic – Rogic (22), McGregor (38), Dembele (52, pen), Ntcham (78, pen)

Celtic: Gordon, Lustig, Boyata, Ajer, Tierney, Brown, Ntcham, Forrest (Roberts, 73), Rogic (Sinclair, 60), McGregor, Dembele (Griffiths, 79)

Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, McCrorie, Martin, John, Halliday (Windass, 41), Docherty, Dorrans (Holt, 73); Candeias (Alves, 53), Morelos, Murphy.

Referee: Bobby Madden.

Rangers caretaker manager Graeme Murty had revealed that his players had cheered in the Ibrox dressing room when they learned they had been drawn to face Celtic in the semi-final. They weren't celebrating at the end of the 90 minutes at Hampden.

Brendan Rodgers' side dominated from kick-off and were 2-0 up at half-time. Any hopes of Murty's team making a comeback ended when Ross McCrorie was red carded for pulling back Moussa Dembele as he bore down on his goal. The striker converted the spot kick himself and Olivier Ntcham added another before the final whistle.

It was Rangers' heaviest defeat to Celtic at Hampden since the infamous 1969 Scottish Cup final some 49 years earlier.

A dressing room bust-up involving Ibrox captain Lee Wallace and vice-captain Kenny Miller, neither of whom played, led to both men being disciplined and they eventually departed despite winning appeals against their punishments.

9

Date: April 29, 2018.

Competition: Premiership

Venue: Celtic Park.

Attendance: 58,320.

Result: Celtic 5, Rangers 0

Scorers: Celtic – Edouard (14, 41), Forrest (45), Rogic (47), McGregor (53)

Celtic: Gordon, Lustig (Hendry, 71), Boyata, Ajer, Tierney, Ntcham, Brown, Forrest, Rogic (Sinclair, 67), McGregor, Edouard (Griffiths, 75).

Rangers: Alnwick, Tavernier, McCrorie, Martin, Halliday, Holt, Dorrans (Docherty, 71), Candeias, Windass (Morelos, 57), Murphy, Cummings.

Referee: Craig Thomson.

Celtic sewed up their seventh consecutive Scottish title with their biggest win over Rangers in 61 years - but they could quite easily have eclipsed their record 71- triumph in the League Cup final in 1957.

They were 5-0 up after less than an hour after a double from Odsonne Edouard and goals from James Forrest, Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor. Only some fine saves from Ibrox goalkeeper Jak Alnwick prevented the home team from winning by more.

“We should have had seven but we will take five," said manager Brendan Rodgers. “We scored five but it was probably going on seven or eight."

10

Date: Saturday, December 29, 2018

Competition: Premiership.

Venue: Ibrox.

Attendance: 49,863.

Result: Rangers 1, Celtic 0

Scorer: Rangers – Ryan Jack (30).

Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Worrall, Halliday, McCrorie, Candeias (Coulibaly, 71), Arfield (Flanagan, 90+2), Jack, Kent, Morelos.

Celtic: Gordon, Lustig (Ralston, 45), Boyata, Benkovic (Ajer, 45+1), McGregor, Brown, Ntcham, Forrest, Christie, Sinclair, Johnston (Edouard, 60).

Referee: John Beaton.

Predictions that this league win, which saw Rangers draw level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership table, would lead to the Ibrox club deposing their Parkhead rivals as Scottish champions didn't come to pass.

But this deserved triumph, their first in the league in over six years, was still savoured by the Light Blue legions. A first-half Ryan Jack goal, his first since joining from Aberdeen on a free transfer the previous year, proved enough to sew up the three points. But the margin of victory could have been far greater.

Brendan Rodgers fielded Callum McGregor out of position at left back in the absence of Kieran Tierney and winger Michael Johnston up front. His team was dire and slumped to their only defeat in the fixture under the Northern Irishman.