Celtic player ratings v Rangers: One pass mark as particular area of team completely misfires

The final Old Firm clash of the season ended in defeat for Celtic as they were comfortably swept aside 3-0 by Rangers at Ibrox.

We give each Celtic player involved in the match a mark out of ten for their performance in Govan.

Goalkeeper

Joe Hart (6) was faultless for all three of Rangers’ goal and was unfortunate that his parry from a fierce John Lundstram drive landed plum in Todd Cantwell’s path. Made a really good save from Cantwell later in the match and was decent with the ball at his feet.

Celtic defender Yuki Kobayahsi looks on during a difficult afternoon for the champions at Ibrox.Celtic defender Yuki Kobayahsi looks on during a difficult afternoon for the champions at Ibrox.
Celtic defender Yuki Kobayahsi looks on during a difficult afternoon for the champions at Ibrox.

Defence

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This was the weakest link in Celtic team at Ibrox. With three of the first-choice back-four not in the starting XI, this would be a big test for them and the quartet all failed. Anthony Ralston (5) was probably the best of the bunch as he battled manfully down the right flank and put in a couple of dangerous crosses. Alexandro Bernabei (4) was given a rare start at left-back but the Argentinian found the going tough defensively and was careless when trying to go forward. To his left, Yuki Kobayashi (4) had some accomplished touches but the way he was easily outmuscled by John Souttar for Rangers’ second goal was unacceptable. Carl Starfelt (4), the most experienced defender on the pitch for Celtic, looked uneasy throughout the match and his part in the third goal was comical, crashing into Callum McGregor and then miscontrolling the ball.

Midfield

Captain Callum McGregor (4) was never in control of the match and cannot be excused for his part in the third goal. This was not a typical performance from the Celtic captain. Reo Hatate (5) put in plenty of graft and was probably the most dynamic of the midfield trio, but his impact was also limited. Matt O’Riley (4) had a very frustrating afternoon, capped on by his failure to take a really good chance just after the break. As a unit, it was completely overrun by Rangers.

Attack

Hyeongyu Oh (4) was asked to lead the line in place of Kyogo Furuhashi and fluffed his lines just after Rangers’ opener. Clean through on goal, he hit the base of the post with a very presentable chance. The young South Korean was unable to impact the match positively. Either side of him, Jota (4) was an anonymous presence in a match that he normally shines in. Liel Abada (5) also had an underwhelming afternoon but did get into some promising areas in the first half.

Substitutes

Kyogo Furuhashi (2) and Daizen Maeda (2) were both summoned from the bench on 63 minutes but neither forward made an impact. The same can be said of Tomoki Iwata, Sead Haksabanovic and David Turnbull (all n/a), who appeared when 3-0 down and all hope of salvaging something from the match had gone.