Rangers Conquer Old Enemy Celtic

The first Old Firm Derby of 2008 has gone Rangers way in a hard fought encounter at Ibrox Stadium.

Rangers beat Celtic 1-0 thanks to a Kevin Thomson goal on the stroke of halftime.

The game was only the second derby of the season with the teams meeting at Ibrox again ahead of two clashes at Parkhead towards the end of next month.

The match was seen as vital for both sides as Rangers needed to extend their lead before two trips to their bitter rivals. Celtic needed a result to keep in touch ahead of the Parkhead clashes.

Celtic started the game well and were the better side for the majority of the first half. The match, which was always going to be a tough physical encounter, was spoiled slightly by the match official who handed out some very (silly) early yellow cards.

This obviously caused more yellow cards for similar offences as the match went on and frankly, he should have refereed the game better.

Celtic had a penalty claim turned down midway through the first half when Scott Brown latched onto a through ball in the Rangers box. He was clipped by Steven Whittaker, but stayed on his feet and hit his shot straight at the advancing Alan McGregor.

'Play on' said the referee as Brown had wasted his advantage.

Celtic continued to look the better side with Rangers having the odd chance on the counter.

With halftime approaching, Rangers got control of the ball for the first time and started to look dangerous. Captain Barry Ferguson had a shot saved by Celtic Keeper Artur Boruc as Rangers pushed forward.

Moments later, Kevin Thomson picked up the ball outside the box and played a one-two with Jean Claude Darcheville before slotting calmly bast Boruc to put Rangers in front.

The second half was scrappy, as neither team could take control of the game. There were chances at both ends but neither team could change the scoreline and it was Rangers who won this one.

Celtic were unlucky on the day, with their main problem being that their best chances fell to Scott Brown and not a seasoned striker.

Alan McGregor has also become the first Rangers goalkeeper to keep four clean sheets in a row against Celtic.

Rangers lost Kevin Thomson and Steven Davis to injury during the second half and this will do little to benefit their season with so many high profile games coming up.

Sporting Lisbon travel to Ibrox on Thursday night for the first leg of the UEFA Cup quarter final. The loss of both Thomson and Davis would be massive, but they do have Bruno Hemdani sitting in the wings.

So to wrap up...

Rangers move six points ahead of their Glasgow rivals with a game in hand, thanks to yet another Walter Smith, Old Firm victory.

Has Gordan Strachan got any answers?