Rangers of Scotland midfielder, Joe Aribo was again in action from the start for The Gers and the Super Eagles’ star played a key role in their latest victory over local rivals, Celtic, but his national team colleague and clubmate, Leon Aderemi Balogun remained out with injury.
With Aribo pepping up into the match highlights repeatedly, the former Charlton Athletic of England ace helped his side enforce their status as the current dominant team in Scotland with a 4-1 victory over 10-man Celtic at Ibrox, to move within two games of an Invincible league season.
Megasportsaena.com reports that, with the title long since sewn up, and both sides out of the Scottish Cup, it had been one of the most underwhelming build-ups to an Old Firm game in living memory, but the match more than made up for that.
In a crazy seven-minute spell of the first half, Mohammed Elyounoussi hit the crossbar for Celtic, before Rangers took the lead through Kemar Roofe’s neat finish. Callum McGregor was then sent off for a second booking in the build-up to the goal.
Celtic immediately equalised through Odsonne Edouard, but Alfredo Morelos quickly restored the champions’ lead with a thunderbolt finish.
Roofe scored his second soon after half-time to give Rangers breathing space, but David Turnbull, Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and Elyounoussi all spurned good chances for Celtic that would have set up an exciting finish.
Instead, Jermain Defoe came off the bench late on to add a fourth in injury time for his first Old Firm goal, as Rangers rubbed salt in the wounds of the deposed champions.
Rangers worked space 40 yards from goal and Kamara slipped a ball through before being taken out late by McGregor. Referee Nick Walsh played advantage as Aribo crossed from the left, Kent sent the ball goalward and Roofe chested the ball past Scott Bain.
However, as Rangers celebrated, Walsh produced a second yellow card for McGregor and Celtic were, for the second time at Ibrox this season, a man light and the game was now wide open.
Aribo forced Bain into a good save at his near post, before Edouard blocked Goldson’s goal-bound header, following which Rangers soon regained the lead thanks to Morelos and his first goal at Ibrox against Celtic.
Defoe had the final say as the score-line became emphatic, turning Stephen Welsh inside out before passing the ball into the net past Bain.
