Rangers

The Gers boss described the 3-0 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road on Wednesday as a great advert for Scottish football but he was less enamoured by the game in blustery Paisley.

The Light Blues’ in-form striker Cyriel Dessers scored the only goal of the windswept match after 14 minutes, taking his tally for the season to 12, as the Ibrox men kept up their pursuit of leaders Celtic.

“After the Hibs game, I said it was a good advertisement for Scottish football, the way the two teams played with tempo, good combination play, attacking actions, real intensity and high tempo,” said Clement, who refused to confirm the widely-reported Rangers interest in Brazil left-back Jefte.

“Today was the opposite, because of the circumstances. I’m not the guy who can control circumstances – that’s not my job. My job is to see that my team is ready for all circumstances, and they were today.

“I’m even prouder of them than I was after the Hibs game, because this was more difficult.

“After a good game with good football, in the way we want to play and the way we train also, we adapted to the circumstances here where you cannot play good football.

“You need to do it in a different way and it’s not so easy because it’s not the way you train or work.

“You need to have personality, resilience, structure, hard work and doing the right things with the ball in a different way to what we are used to.

“They did that, better in the second half than in the first half. You need some time to adapt, so that was part of the story also.

“But it was a very mature performance and this is what you need if you want to win trophies. You need to be ready in all circumstances.”

The Ibrox club have reportedly reached an agreement to sign 20-year-old Jefte, currently on loan with Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia.

However, as has been his way during the January transfer window, Clement remained tight-lipped and said: “If there’s nothing signed with the player I can’t say anything.”

A frustrated Stephen Robinson believed his side did enough to get something for their efforts.

The Buddies boss said: “Ultimately (I feel) frustration. I thought we deserved a point at least out of the game.

“We pressed a very good team really well, won the ball back on numerous occasions and showed composure in very difficult conditions with the wind and pitch.

“We pushed a very good team all the way and the difference was a fantastic finish.

“I have to give credit. With the conditions, the wind, it was an incredible goal and that is the difference between the teams.

“Rangers knew they were going to be tested and we did that.

“The conditions didn’t suit either team. It wasn’t like it suited us more than them.

“We didn’t have a Dessers in the team that could make the difference by taking a chance.

“But if we play like we did, we’ll win more games than we lose.”

Midfielder Mohamed Diomande’s fine strike in just over a minute at Ibrox set the tone for an impressive performance.

Oscar Cortes doubled that lead with his first goal as a Light Blues player with striker Cyriel Dessers adding a third and fourth just before and after the break and substitute Fabio Silva scoring a fifth to pile pressure on Celtic, who take on Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.

The Gers boss, looking ahead to the visit to Kilmarnock on Wednesday night, said: “There is nothing won. We won three points and have a difficult day again on Wednesday. I am already thinking about Wednesday.

“That is my character and it is what it is. It is also the best way and I want to see that from my players also. They can enjoy it, they can be happy today.

“They even have a day off tomorrow, that doesn’t happen that much. That was to be decided about results in the last couple of weeks so they deserve that.

“I expect that they come in really fresh on Monday with a lot of mentality and hunger for more. It is all about that. To be ambitious, to be hungry for more, to be better.”

The Belgian was not totally satisfied with everything he saw in the Gers’ 10th successive win, adding: “Not everything. But it has been one of the best until now, I think.

“If I want everything, I want to have less shots against on target in the second half.

“But we made a lot of changes and the other team has nothing to lose. Then you can get into this situation. Maybe Jack (Butland) was happy that he could show his quality in this game.

“I am really pleased but I see what I see in the training. It is not that these things are falling out of the sky.

“The team is growing, we have been talking about that a lot in the last weeks and months. They played a really good game and they took the moments also. That is important in football.

“The first goal from Dio is really important in a game like that to open up the game and then we continue and it is good that there is a hunger and desire to never stop, to always want more.

“That is the mentality I want to see and what we have been talking about the last couple of months.”

Third-placed Jambos suffered their first defeat in 13 matches and boss Steven Naismith was unhappy at the goals his side conceded.

The former Ibrox forward said: “We lost some of the weakest goals we have conceded at bad times in the game.

“After Rangers going top of the league last week and playing before Celtic this week, we knew they were going to start fast and the atmosphere would be loud and we probably didn’t deal with that well enough.

“When we concede the two goals, one early in the first half, one early in the second half, it is an uphill battle.

“It is a lesson to be learned. I would hope it wouldn’t (affect us) because we are in a really good place.”

There is little respite for the Light Blues, who drew 2-2 with Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie in Lisbon on Thursday night, with the return game at Ibrox next week.

The cinch Premiership leaders are now preparing for the last-eight clash with the Hibees at Easter Road, where Clement believes their focus will be “200 per cent. No doubt about that”.

The Belgian boss, whose side beat Hibernian 4-0 at Ibrox in his first game in charge of the Govan club last October and 3-0 in Leith in January, said:  “My team have been working hard all season in that way and never stopped.

“Good proof is after the Real Betis game (in December), a few days later they had the Viaplay Cup final and they were there (won 1-0).

“My team is hungry to win more trophies and we know we need to play well against Hibs because they are really hungry to beat us, apparently.

“We are going to see how people recover for the next two days and we are going to go hard to get into the semi-final because it is important.

“I have read that they (Hibs) were really unlucky in their last two games against us. So they have a lot of belief, clearly.

“So it is about us getting a good result there and qualifying.”

Clement was proud of all of his players’ efforts in Lisbon but had special praise for Portuguese attacker Fabio Silva, on loan from Wolves, who returned to a club where he spent two years in the youth system and turned in a fine performance on the left-hand side.

He said: “Fabio is growing. He is still a young player at 21. We had a lot of talks before he came to Rangers about his role and the roles he could play.

“We talked about him as a striker and also playing on the left side, or even around the striker. He can do all these roles and he showed his quality in this game.

“You see he has integrated really quickly into the squad and feels really good within the club. He plays with a smile and gives a lot of energy to the team.

“He has his qualities and is taking more and more control of his emotions. We talked a lot about that, that it’s the next step for him to take.

“I am really happy about how he handled the game in Lisbon because it was a hostile situation with a lot of attention towards him. But he played for the team, to show everybody he’s a good player.

“He played to be good player for Rangers and that’s important to me.”

The Light Blues went into the game with just two wins in eight in all competitions and on the back of a goalless draw against Dundee on Wednesday night which followed their first ever defeat by Ross County in their cinch Premiership encounter in Dingwall last Sunday.

The Gers boss, who raised eyebrows by dropping regular centre-back Connor Goldson in a reshuffle, saw striker Cyriel Dessers score a goal in each half to set up a date with Celtic on May 25 – the first Old Firm final since 2002.

“To say it’s pleasing it not a good word,” said Clement, who revealed attacker Abdallah Sima will be assessed in the next couple of days after going off early with an injury.

“It’s what I expected. It’s what I demanded, it’s what I wanted.

“It was what I knew I would get from the team, also. I was totally not pleased about the game after Ross County, with how we lost our structure and lost our normal football.

“Against Dundee, we were too much in a rush to score a goal and today we found the right balance again, what we have been doing for a lot of months.

“But it’s been challenging in the last couple of months with all the injuries and players in and out.

“We have been lacking rhythm. But today, if you see the bench, it is stronger again and that’s going to be important in the next couple of weeks when it’s one game a week.

“Before these cup semi-finals we were the only team that played during the week. It makes a different and you need to look at that if you have three games in seven or eight days.

“With players coming out of injury you cannot let them play all the minutes. It’s been a puzzle around that but now, in this last part of the season, it’s going to be a challenge in the squad with players coming back.

“Quality then rises in the training and quality rises in the game also because we have a strong bench.”

Hearts boss Steven Naismith blamed “immaturity” for failing to make more of their attacking play.

“Frustrated, disappointed with the outcome,” he said. “That is the overriding emotion.

“We got off to a terrible start, we can’t lose cheap, early goal like we did.

“But the reaction from then until the second goal was good.

“I thought we controlled the ball a lot, created opportunities and what you see is our immaturity in the final third.

“We had four or five really good situations and we either pick the wrong option, or the wrong pass or we don’t get the finish.

“And these are moments when we must hit the target or make the goalkeeper make a save or score a goal.

“That is the biggest frustration for me because we get good opportunities that we didn’t take and the goals we conceded were cheap.”

The Gers were widely lauded after a consistent run of form that saw them wipe out Celtic’s eight-point advantage at the top of the cinch Premiership to briefly take over at the summit in February.

However, they go into this Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final against on-song Hearts having been ferociously criticised after slip-ups away to Ross County and Dundee over the past week left them with just two wins from their last eight games in all competitions and their title hopes hanging by a thread.

“If you win 10 games in a row, you have more belief than when you lose two times but this is Rangers, this is a club where you always have to fight,” said Clement.

“Every point you lose, it’s like you’re going to hell. That’s this world, and that’s good. That’s also the challenge and it’s interesting to see which players can live in that way.

“But it’s an exciting place to be because on the other side you can go also to heaven when you win games and when you win trophies.

“In other teams, where it’s not so important to win points or when it’s not something dramatic when you lose points, you cannot go to heaven also because those are not the clubs that win trophies. This is something you need to embrace.”

Clement insists he is comfortable with the intense scrutiny and criticism he has faced amid Rangers’ recent “bumps in the road”.

“I know it’s part of the job,” he said. “I’ve been now more than 30 years in this world and I’ve been buried a lot of times as a player and as a manager, so I know what I’m doing in a club. I know what I’m doing in this club. I know we are on the right road together.”

Clement described the demands of being in charge of Rangers as similar to managing former club Brugge in his homeland.

“Winning, becoming champion, is the only thing that counts,” he said. “But I’ve been like that all my life. There is nobody who can be more critical than me because I want to win everything.

“Everybody who knows me from when I was a child, whether it was basketball, tennis or table tennis or whatever sport, I want to win. I made a lot of fights with my wife about that, that I wanted that mentality with my children because I did it with them also.

“If I played a game with them and they were three years old, I wanted to win. That is the mentality that is necessary in a club like this, but you need to embrace that.

“It’s also because of that that you can be successful and you can win trophies and have these exciting moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. That is what Rangers is about and that’s why I love to be here.”

Clement galvanised Rangers earlier in the season after replacing Michael Beale in October.

Asked what he would say to supporters who fear the resurgence is fizzling out, the Belgian said: “The same thing I said in October. I think this team since October did improve in results, in attitude and resilience, and in six months they proved it several times.

“So it’s there, they can do it. They’ve shown it several times with quality. That’s what they need to do again. So, yes, my belief is there 200 per cent.”

Rangers reached the last 16 of the competition when they beat Real Betis 3-2 in Seville on Thursday to claim top spot in Group G.

It was the first time a Rangers team had won an away game against Spanish opposition in Europe and a first home defeat of the season for a Betis side that had drawn with Real Madrid earlier in the month.

Clement has now gone 13 games unbeaten since replacing Michael Beale but the Belgian knows that silverware is the true litmus test for Rangers managers and he has the chance to succeed at the first attempt on Sunday.

Rangers take on an Aberdeen team that have taken seven points from the last four league encounters between the clubs.

The Dons secured a similar pre-Hampden boost on Thursday when they rounded off their Europa Conference League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, the team that beat Rangers in the 2022 Europa League final.

When asked what his own side’s result and performance could do for his team going into Sunday’s match, Clement said: “Nothing. For me there’s no difference if we would have won or lost. It’s a different game.

“Of course it will give confidence but we need to keep our feet on the ground. It’s a totally different game, different opponents.

“But the biggest gain is everybody feels in the dressing room if they stick together and work hard that they get the rewards.

“But it stays one game of football. We are going to go really hard to win this first trophy but we need to be humble also.”

Clement did concede that Thursday’s win would set a new benchmark for his side.

“There were a lot of records to break,” said the former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco manager, whose team took the lead three times against Betis, the final time through Kemar Roofe in the 78th minute.

“It’s a little bit like if you go to the Olympics and you do the high jump and you put the bar that high that everybody thinks ‘that’s impossible to do it’. And you jump over it.

“And that’s what the boys did, by doing the right things with and without the ball, being brave, never giving up and showing quality on the ball.

“This needs to be a reference for the rest of the season – to stick together and you see we can do amazing things together.”

The 49-year-old Belgian, appointed last Sunday as replacement for Michael Beale, had clearly asked his players to increase the tempo and get the ball forward quicker and they reaped early rewards when attacker Abdallah Sima scored a seventh goal in seven games in the 17th minute.

Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin drilled in a second just before the interval, Sima added a third in the 65th minute to make it nine for the season and striker Cyriel Dessers got a close-range goal 10 minutes from time.

Asked if he was impressed by the start to his tenure, the former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco boss said: “Impressed is a big word. I am happy. I am happy about the result. I am happy that the seeds we planted this week, that the team is trying to do them as well as possible.

“I still saw a lot of details we can make better but I seen a team who stayed well in the structure and made the runs and the tempo we played at.

“The most important thing was the reaction after losing the ball or missing a chance. The reaction was good and that is a crucial apart of modern football.

“It is like the honeymoon. Everything is new. They need to confirm this the next week, the next month.”

On the other hand, Clement was not happy to see left-back Borna Barisic go off with an injury after 10 minutes to be replaced by Ridvan Yilmaz who is not in Rangers’ Europa League squad.

The new Gers boss does not know yet if Barisic will be fit for the game against Sparta Prague on Thursday but noted that Todd Cantwell, Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe and Danilo were not fit to start the game – Cantwell and Danilo got on in the second half.

Jose Cifuentes returned from international duty with Ecuador with a knock and Tom Lawrence (calf) and Rabbi Matondo (knee) remain out.

Clement said: “On the downside for me, I see a player going off after 10 minutes – we will see (for Sparta Prague), I don’t know the situation.

“I see players who struggled to play 90 minutes also so there are still several players injured or coming back from injury so that is also going to be a main task together with the performance staff, to get everybody at his best physical level to produce this kind of game and better every few days for the next couple of months.

“It is not about one moment then afterwards too tired to do it again three days later.”

The Easter Road side’s six-game unbeaten run – five under Nick Montgomery – came to an end and the Hibs boss said: “It was a tough afternoon. It was a defeat.

“Obviously disappointed with the manner of the first goal. I thought we were building into the game at that point, frustrating them and we’d created a couple of half chances on the counter.

“It’s a disappointing goal to concede. And then they start building a bit of momentum, the fans are buoyed by a new coach coming in.

“The second goal, my view at the time is it was a foul on Joe Newell. That’s my opinion and I’ve watched it back on the video – he gets kicked from behind, into his Achilles before the ball is touched.

“I genuinely thought VAR would have called that back – but it wasn’t to be.

“The second half was difficult, a couple of sloppy turnovers, the pressure was off them and they’ve got quality players.

“They were more clinical than us in the final third today. We lacked a bit of creativity, didn’t generate many chances.

“It wasn’t to be, it’s a defeat and we accept it. We cop it on the chin and move forward.”

Jota's first-half header was the difference in Sunday's 1-0 semi-final win over Rangers at Hampden Park, teeing up a meeting with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the final.

Just one win shy from sealing the Scottish Premiership and with the Scottish League Cup already secured, Postecoglou believes Celtic are on the brink of history.

"These things you have to earn," the Celtic manager told Viaplay. "It's not just rolling up and hoping it happens.

"Rangers put in everything to try and stop us. The boys were brilliant in attack when they needed to – and defend when needed to.

"You have to enjoy it when it's hard-earned. We've given ourselves the chance to do something special."

Yet Postecoglou insisted his side are far from the finished article, despite hailing Celtic's gritty character.

"It's not just about the football and individuals, but collectively, they take hold of games and have that resilience – that's the growth of this side," the Australian added.

"We're not a top team yet. We've still a bit to do, but you have to embrace every aspect of the game to be one of those sides and we're doing that."

Rangers manager Michael Beale pulled no punches in his assessment, suggested his team have let down their supporters with their endeavours this campaign.

Beale told Viaplay: "Over the season, we've not been good enough. We've fallen short in winning silverware for our fans and the club.

"We played well in the game, we were in the game the whole time. We don't want to feel like this this time next season."

James Tavernier hit the post as Rangers looked to fight back, while Scott Arfield twice went close as Joe Hart stood firm in the Celtic goal.

A momentary lapse in concentration proved Rangers' downfall when Daizen Maeda latched onto a loose ball and Jota headed in his right-wing cross.

"We had as many chances as we probably wanted today and it comes down to us switching off in the moment," Beale added. "In their box, Joe made good saves, we missed on the rebound too.

"We played well in the game, we were in the game the whole time, so we're disappointed to not get a result as I thought we performed well enough to get one. Today is a lot of what ifs."

Four wins in a row without conceding a goal following a damaging 1-0 home loss to  Celtic had given the Gers boss some breathing space but defender Stefan Gartenmann scored his first Dons goal after 38 minutes, with the home side booed off at half-time.

A high-tempo Gers start had given way to another plodding, disjointed, one-paced performance and Dons midfielder Jamie McGrath added a second in the 68th minute before Light Blues’ half-time substitute Scott Wright was sent off three minutes later for picking up a second yellow card from referee Steven McLean for a foul on Gartenmann.

Abdallah Sima reduced the deficit for the 10-man home side from close range in the 75th minute but Dons defender Jack MacKenzie scored a third in the 85th minute to seal a deserved three points for Barry Robson’s men.

The result piles added pressure on Beale, who may be entering his final days in Govan with his side already seven points behind league leaders Celtic.

The boos that rung out at the end from the home fans who had stuck around told its own story.

An added-time Celtic winner at Motherwell earlier in the day had reminded the Ibrox crowd just how difficult it was going to be for the Light Blues to reduce the gap and even so early in the season that looks unlikely.

MacKenzie, Leighton Clarkson and Dante Polvara all came into the Aberdeen side but in a high-tempo start to the game, Gers striker Cyriel Dessers, in for injured Kemar Roofe, missed a great chance in the fourth minute when he ballooned a pin-point pass from skipper James Tavernier over the bar from 12 yards.

Midfielder Sam Lammers then shot wide from the edge of the box before attacker Sima headed a Jose Cifuentes cross past the near post.

In the 20th minute Aberdeen keeper Kelle Roos made a fine save from Dessers’ close-range header.

Despite Rangers having almost total control, the home fans became increasingly grumpy,  their mood not helped when Cifuentes missed a Tavernier cross right in front of goal.

And when Gartenmann, on a season-long loan from Midtjylland, escaped to the back post unmarked to knock in Clarkson’s corner from the left, the mood among the Light Blues supporters got worse.

Wright replaced Ryan Jack and Ridvan Yilmaz made way for Borna Barisic for the start of the second half as Beale looked for a route back amid growing anxiety.

In the 52nd minute Roos parried a low Barisic drive but inside a packed Dons penalty area the visitors scooped the loose ball away to safety.

Aberdeen were growing in confidence and, at the other end, striker Bojan Miovski headed a Clarkson cross against the post.

There was little fluency or tempo about Rangers and there was worse to come following a few seconds of pinball inside the Gers box, with Rangers players blocking various attempts before McGrath hammered the ball past keeper Jack Butland.

It was all going wrong for Rangers and former Aberdeen player Wright, booked  earlier for a tackle on MacKenzie, saw yellow again for a foul on Gartenmann.

The depleted Light Blues were handed a lifeline when Sima slotted in from close range after Cifuentes had poked a loose ball back across the goalmouth but MacKenzie soon restored the two goal lead – confirmed after a long VAR check – when he drove in off the bar after Aberdeen again had the Gers defence in disarray.

The Wales international has struggled for appearances this season and was told by Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri to find a new club this month.

Ramsey had been linked with a number of Premier League sides, including Wolves, Burnley and Crystal Palace, but he sealed a deadline-day switch to Rangers on Monday.

He will spend the rest of the 2021-22 campaign at Ibrox, with an agreement also reportedly in place for Rangers to sign the midfielder permanently at the end of the season.

"I am really pleased to be joining a club like Rangers, where there is so much to look forward to between now and May," Ramsey told Rangers' official website.

"I had a number of offers on the table, but none matched the magnitude of this club, with European football and the chance to play in front of 50,000 fans every other week.

"I have had some fantastic conversations with the manager and Ross Wilson, and I'm really looking forward to working with both of them, and to meeting the supporters."

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst added: "I'm absolutely delighted that we have been able to add a player of Aaron's quality, experience and leadership to our squad.

"As soon as it was mooted as a possibility, I was really keen for us to try everything to get the deal done, and huge credit must go to Ross and to the board for the work they have put in on this.

"I look forward to welcoming Aaron to the training centre tomorrow."

Ramsey will be looking to kick-start his career back in Britain with Rangers following a largely frustrating time of things across his two and a half years with Juventus.

The 31-year-old, who previously spent 11 seasons with Arsenal, has struggled for regular appearances at the Allianz Stadium due to persistent injury problems.

He has started just 34 games in all competitions since making his debut in September 2019, with 16 other players featuring more regularly for Juve over that period.

While his playing time has been limited, Ramsey's 2.07 chances created per 90 minutes during his time in Turin is the best return of any midfielder currently in the squad.

Since Allegri's arrival at the start of the season, Ramsey has been used only five times – and not at all since early November – totalling 111 minutes of action on the field.

The Cardiff City academy product is eligible to make his Rangers debut in Wednesday's Old Firm showdown with Celtic.

The Gers announced the signing of Mateusz Zukowski from Lechia Gdansk earlier on Monday.

A typically high-tempo Glasgow derby saw Jota head in the only goal of the game just before half-time to keep Celtic's treble hopes alive.

Rangers had chances to level in the second half, with James Tavernier hitting the post, but they were unable to find a way past Joe Hart on Sunday.

Just one win away from sealing the Scottish Premiership, Ange Postecoglou's side further cemented their superiority over their rivals with a fourth win in five Old Firm derbies this season.

Rangers nearly took an early lead as the pre-match smoke cleared, with Nicolas Raskin seeing a shot from 25 yards out deflected just wide of the near post.

Celtic started to take control and tested Allan McGregor with shots from Alastair Johnson and Jota, while Rangers lost Malik Tillman to a hamstring injury just after the half-hour mark.

The Bhoys were ahead in the 42nd minute after Rangers' defence went to sleep and allowed Daizen Maeda to capitalise on a loose ball and cross from the right for Jota to head in unmarked.

Michael Beale's men started the second half brightly and Cameron Carter-Vickers had to react quickly to deny Alfredo Morelos a tap-in, before Scott Arfield forced a good save from Hart low to his right.

Tavernier hit the inside of the post with a smart effort before Fashion Sakala put the rebound into the side-netting, while Arfield hit a left-footed shot over late on as Rangers just could not find the elusive equaliser.

The hosts put in a fine performance at a fired-up Ibrox and Hamza Igamane's well-taken effort shortly after the break put them into a deserved lead.

But former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou avoided an embarrassing defeat at the home of his old rivals as Kulusevski swept home with 15 minutes remaining.

Vaclav Cerny was denied by Fraser Forster after 25 minutes before Nedim Bajrami could not quite meet Jefte's excellent low centre from the left.

Forster again thwarted Cerny on the stroke of half-time but Ibrox erupted two minutes into the second half when James Tavernier's brilliant clip from the right was guided home first-time by Igamane.

Brennan Johnson lashed over the top from just inside the penalty area when he should have done better and Jack Butland was alert to deny Pedro Porro from close range as Spurs belatedly began to bare their teeth.

And Kulusevski – on as a half-time substitute – calmly slotted past Butland after an excellent cutback from Dominic Solanke to restore parity.

Still, the home side came, though, and substitute Cyriel Dessers was frustrated by ex-Celtic keeper Forster after going round two defenders, as it finished all square in a result that leaves Rangers eighth in the table, above Spurs on goal difference.

Data Debrief: Igamane in form as Tavernier closes on Rashford

Igamane is a man in form and was on target twice in the 4-1 drubbing of Nice last time out in Europe. He now has four goals in the competition this season, the most of any Rangers player.

He was assisted by Tavernier, who has been directly involved in 16 goals in the Europa League (10 goals, six assists). The only English player with more goal involvements in the competition is Manchester United's Marcus Rashford (18), while Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is the only one with more assists (eight).

Tavernier made his 53rd appearance in Europe's secondary club competition, the joint-most among English players, alongside Steve Perryman, in the UEFA Cup/Europa League.

Spurs may not have gotten the win their under-pressure boss needed, but they remain unbeaten in all seven meetings with Scottish sides in European competition (W4 D3). Only against Austrian opponents have they played more matches in such competitions without losing (eight).

Meanwhile, Kulusevski has scored in back-to-back appearances within a single season for Tottenham in all competitions for the very first time. This also marked the first of the Swede's 19 goals for Spurs to come as a substitute.

Ange Postecoglou's Hoops completed a successful trophy defence and remain firmly in the hunt for a domestic treble.

Top of the league by nine points from nearest challengers Rangers, this result for Celtic denied their Old Firm rivals a chance to turn the tables and scoop silverware.

Rangers were seeking their first trophy in this competition since 2010-11, but on a pitch that looked better suited to battle than football, it was the men in green and white hoops that had the better attacking ammunition.

Celtic took the lead in the 44th minute when Furuhashi turned in left-back Greg Taylor's cross from close range, on hand to convert after team-mate Daizen Maeda missed his kick at the near post.

Rangers' Ryan Kent shot against the left post early in the second half, with Fashion Sakala firing into the side netting on the rebound.

Furuhashi doubled Celtic's lead when he bundled in Reo Hatate's low ball from the left in the 56th minute, putting Michael Beale's unbeaten record as Rangers boss in severe peril.

Beale, who was appointed in late November, was given encouragement when Alfredo Morelos got one back in the 64th minute, jabbing in as Celtic failed to deal with James Tavernier's free-kick from the left.

Both sides spurned chances in a typically high-octane contest between the Glasgow giants, with Celtic's Sead Haksabanovic shooting wide after being put through in stoppage time.

His miss did not matter ultimately, the men from the east end of Glasgow getting the better of their fiercest rivals, showing they remain top dogs in Scotland's biggest city for now.

Former Arsenal striker Lacazette scored twice before the break after Tom Lawrence had earlier cancelled out Fofana's opener in Glasgow, with the latter also netting again in the second half.

Vaclav Cerny was punished for woefully blazing over the bar when Fofana bent home on the rebound from the hugely impressive Rayan Cherki's shot after 10 minutes.

Lawrence quickly prodded home the equaliser when Cyriel Dessers was denied, but an awful error from Connor Barron led to Fofana laying on a simple finish for Lacazette.

The Frenchman then made it 3-1 with a whipped 25-yard stunner before the break and Fofana poked home Cherki's low cross at the back post to add more gloss shortly after the restart.

Duje Caleta-Car saw a header thunder off the crossbar and Corentin Tolisso had a shot cleared off the line, while substitute Said Benrahma was also denied as Lyon pushed to really emphasise their dominance of proceedings.

Data Debrief: Lyon forwards tormentors in chief

Rangers, who won impressively at Malmo on MD1, just had no answer for the dynamism of a Lyon side who are now two from two and second in the table.

Lacazette was playing his 50th game in the Europa League and scored his 23rd and 24th goals in the competition. Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Aritz Aduriz (26) have scored more since his first appearance in September 2012.

Cherki set up both of Fofana's goals in an excellent display and has six goal involvements in only five Europa League starts (three goals, three assists), while Fofana scored and assisted in the same game for the first time for Lyon.

Rangers have a night to forget and this represented only the first time in the Europa League/UEFA Cup they have conceded four goals at home, and only the third time overall.

Steven Davis opened the scoring with an acrobatic strike and a first-half Jonjoe Kenny own goal put the Premiership champions well on course for the last eight.

There was no way back for the Hoops, who had lifted the trophy in the previous four seasons, and Allan McGregor saved Odsonne Edouard's penalty as they suffered a first defeat under caretaker boss John Kennedy.

Victory for Rangers ensured they have won three and drawn one of their four clashes against their fierce city rivals in what has been an outstanding season.

Davis gave Rangers the lead in style in the 10th minute, volleying in from close range when Joe Aribo's deflected shot looped up invitingly for the midfielder following a sharp turn and incisive run from Ryan Kent.

Edouard shot straight at Allan McGregor after creating space for himself in the Rangers penalty area, then Callum McGregor's drive deflected over the crossbar and Stephen Welsh somehow failed to finish as Celtic pressed for an equaliser.

Steven Gerrard's side doubled their lead 12 minutes before half-time, though, with Aribo conjuring up some trickery to beat Diego Laxalt before crossing from the right and Kenny turned into his own net attempting to prevent Kent from slotting home.

Celtic should have reduced the deficit when Mohamed Elyounoussi was superbly denied by Allan McGregor and Edouard volleyed wastefully over following up.

The Gers keeper did brilliantly to race off his line and thwart Elyounoussi soon after, the Celtic forward letting himself down with a poor first touch after Edouard set him up.

Allan McGregor then dived to his right to keep out Edouard's spot-kick 11 minutes from time after Aribo was adjudged to have fouled Leigh Griffiths, which summed up Celtic's afternoon.

Philippe Clement's side were thrashed 4-1 by Lyon in Thursday's Europa League clash at Ibrox Stadium, where they made amends with a routine domestic victory on Sunday.

Cerny broke the deadlock 11 minutes before the interval, cutting inside and curling a sumptuous effort into the bottom-left corner of Ross Sinclair's goal.

Czech Republic winger Cerny added Rangers' second, and doubled his account, just before the hour after combining with returning midfielder Ianis Hagi before producing a right-footed finish into the far corner.

Hagi – who had not played a first-team game for over a year due to a contract dispute – was sent off with nine minutes left though, following a VAR review for a high challenge on Benjamin Kimpioka's standing ankle.

Rangers still recorded a comfortable triumph to move back within five points of the league-leading Celtic, who are clear of Aberdeen on goal difference, heading into the October international break.

Data Debrief: Defensive recovery after Lyon pain

Rangers were well off the pace in the Lyon hammering in which they shipped four goals, though the hosts rediscovered their defensive solidity here.

Clement's men have now won three matches in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since doing so across January and February last campaign.

It came as no surprise, however, given St. Johnstone have lost each of their last seven away league games against Rangers without scoring a single goal in the process.

Rangers were on course for a deserved victory that would have breathed life into the title race, but the away side nabbed a crucial leveller right near the end.

Daizen Maeda had initially given Celtic an early lead, but Rangers soon established dominance and were good value for their lead following a quickfire double from Ryan Kent and James Tavernier early in the second half.

But when Rangers appeared to be cruising to a potentially vital victory, Kyogo emphatically finished from close range to stun the home crowd and salvage a point.

Had it not been for a defensive error, Rangers would not have trailed in the first place.

Alfredo Morelos' blind pass into the middle was seized upon by Maeda, who rode Tavernier's feeble challenge and skipped past Connor Goldson before slotting home.

Morelos then forced a Joe Hart error that led to Kent hitting the post from the edge of the box, seemingly jolting Rangers into life.

They finished the half with a hat-trick of Morelos chances, and their positivity paid off early in the second period as Kent curled a fine finish into the top-right corner.

Fashion Sakala, who also played a role for the equaliser, then lured Carl Starfelt into a clumsy foul in the box, and Tavernier converted the spot-kick.

It was not enough to clinch victory, though.

The ball fell kindly for Furuhashi after a scrappy passage late on, and he smashed home the goal many will feel ends the Gers' title hopes.  

Rangers were on course for a deserved victory that would have breathed life into the title race, but the away side nabbed a crucial leveller right near the end.

Daizen Maeda had initially given Celtic an early lead, but Rangers soon established dominance and were good value for their lead following a quickfire double from Ryan Kent and James Tavernier early in the second half.

But when Rangers appeared to be cruising to a potentially vital victory, Kyogo emphatically finished from close range to stun the home crowd and salvage a point.

James Tavernier netted the other goal in a dominant performance by the hosts at Ibrox on Saturday.

Trevor Carson smothered Dessers' first-time shot in the 18th minute, but Rangers brilliantly recycled play, with the forward staying alert and sticking out a leg to turn in Tavernier's follow-up effort.

Oluwaseun Adewumi could have levelled the score before the break but, as he raced in behind the defence, Jack Butland rushed out of his box and timed his challenge perfectly to keep his clean sheet.

Just four minutes into the second half, Rangers were awarded a penalty as Dessers was dragged down on a corner and Tavernier made no mistake from 12 yards.

Butland was then called into action again, making a superb double-save to deny Simon Murray from close range twice in quick succession.

Dessers rounded off the scoring in the 66th minute, meeting Nedim Bajrami's cross first-time to steer a brilliant shot past Carson. 

Data Debrief: Rangers starting to build momentum

Rangers have suffered just one domestic defeat so far this season, going down 3-0 in the Old Firm against rivals Celtic.

They have now kept a clean sheet in five of their seven such games, though they faced just five shots from Dundee on Saturday with Butland being tested twice.

The Czech winger scored twice and provided an assist for Tom Lawrence, while Hamza Igamane was also on target during a dominant performance by the hosts at Ibrox.

Nicolas Raskin had already had a long-range effort pushed away when Rangers broke through in the 10th minute. Cerny drove down the right flank and cut the ball back for Lawrence, whose first-time shot bounced in beyond FCSB goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu.

Cerny doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark, pouncing on loose possession by the visitors before bending into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards out.

The Czech grabbed his second in the 55th minute. A lovely exchange of passes released him, and he ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged before cutting inside and slotting home.

Igamane put the icing on the cake 18 minutes from time. Connor Barron robbed FCSB of possession and found the substitute, who drilled into the bottom-right corner.

Data Debrief: Cerny matches Morelos as Rangers claim biggest Europa victory

Cerny became only the second Rangers player to be directly involved in three or more goals during a single Europa League match, after Alfredo Morelos against Royal Antwerp in February 2021.

Registering 23 shots - their highest total in a single Europa League game - the hosts claimed their first European victory by four or more goals since beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 4-0 in the UEFA Cup in February 2007. It was also their biggest Europa League win since the competition's rebrand in 2009-10.

As for FCSB, they have now lost each of their last eight European matches against British opposition by a combined scoreline of 24-2, conceding three or more times in six of those eight games.