Rangers' Derby Double Leaves Celtic's Title Lead Hanging by a Thread

Rangers beat Celtic 1-0 at Celtic Park to complete a rare Old Firm derby double, a result that talkSPORT reports makes Derek McInnes only the second Rangers manager, after Graeme Souness, to beat Celtic home and away within the same week.

The win follows a 3-0 thrashing at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-final the previous Sunday, and it turns what looked like a routine August title procession for Martin O'Neill's side into something far more precarious. What was billed beforehand as a chance for Celtic to stretch their advantage to eight points has instead become a week that has exposed real cracks at the champions.

How Rangers completed a rare derby double

The sequence is stark. Rangers dismantled Celtic 3-0 in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, then followed it with a 1-0 win at Celtic Park in the first league derby of the season, sealing back-to-back victories over their fiercest rivals inside eight days, according to talkSPORT's report on the significance of the result.

Five straight wins and a settled shape

The result extends Rangers' winning run to five successive victories, four of them clean sheets, a run BBC Sport's preview of the fixture flagged as the clearest sign of momentum shifting away from Glasgow's east end and towards Ibrox heading into the second derby.

That preview, published before kick-off, framed the match as Celtic's opportunity to move eight points clear rather than as a game Rangers were expected to win twice over. The subsequent 1-0 scoreline, confirmed by talkSPORT's post-match coverage, shows how sharply the pre-match narrative diverged from what actually unfolded on the pitch.

Inside Celtic's crisis: what's gone wrong for O'Neill

Celtic go into the international break on three defeats in a row across three competitions: the League Cup loss to Rangers, a 3-1 Europa League opening defeat to Ferencvaros, and now the league reverse at Celtic Park. BBC Sport's follow-up analysis on the days before the derby asked directly whether Celtic have "big issues", noting O'Neill and his backroom team had already been questioned after the first Old Firm defeat.

New signings failing to grasp the occasion

A recurring theme in the build-up was whether Celtic's summer arrivals understood the intensity of Old Firm football. O'Neill himself addressed the concern in comments carried by BBC Sport:

"It will probably take a little bit more time, but I think anybody who experienced last Sunday, to know what it's all about, it shouldn't need many more lessons."

O'Neill was equally insistent his side were not spiralling, telling BBC Sport ahead of the match: "Confidence, we're far from rock-bottom. We're still in the lead in the league. If we can win this, we can extend the lead." That optimism has not survived contact with a second defeat.

A turbulent build-up beyond the pitch

Peripheral distractions haven't helped. BBC Sport's gossip column reported that winger Yang Hyun-jun said he was "staking his career" by missing Celtic matches to play for South Korea, while the same report noted Rangers had reportedly agreed an £800,000 potential fee to make James Penrice's loan from AEK Athens permanent, a minor subplot but one that underlines how much noise surrounds both clubs this week.

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown had suggested before kick-off that a Celtic win would "change the game" for O'Neill's side after a difficult week, as reported by BBC Sport's Andy Campbell. Instead, the result has done the opposite, deepening rather than resolving the club's early-season doubts.

McInnes and the Souness comparison: what the history means

The historical weight of the achievement is what elevates this beyond a good week for Rangers. talkSPORT's report confirms McInnes is only the second Rangers manager to complete a derby double over Celtic within the same short window, joining Graeme Souness, one of the club's most decorated managers, in that select company.

McInnes stays wary despite the narrative

McInnes was careful not to overstate the moment, telling BBC Sport before the second fixture: "You're only one bad result away from getting a belt in the mouth again. You've got to try and keep those to a minimum, as much as you can." He added that Rangers had "worked hard to get to where we are", but reminded reporters it "wasn't so long ago" his side were "in a tough spot", a comment that reads differently now the double is secured.

He had also dismissed suggestions that a reduced away following at Celtic Park would blunt the occasion, calling the narrative around away fans "overhyped" in his pre-match comments to BBC Sport.

What the double does to the title race

The table tells its own story. Celtic went into the weekend potentially able to stretch their lead to eight points; instead, defeat means Rangers close to within two points, according to the pre-match framing set out by BBC Sport, which explicitly set out both scenarios before kick-off.

• Celtic lost 3-0 to Rangers in the League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox
• Celtic lost 3-1 to Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener
• Celtic lost 1-0 to Rangers at Celtic Park in the league, completing the derby double
• Rangers' winning run now stands at five games, four clean sheets

A margin that once looked capable of stretching towards double figures now sits at just two points, transforming the psychological complexion of the title race heading into the international break.

What happens next

Celtic head into the international break under real pressure, with O'Neill needing his squad, and particularly his summer signings, to show they can handle Old Firm intensity when league business resumes. Continued struggles in Europe, after the Ferencvaros defeat, will only sharpen scrutiny of his management.

For Rangers, McInnes will want to prove the derby double is a platform rather than a peak, especially with his own caution about how quickly form can turn in Glasgow's fixture. The next meeting between these sides, whenever it comes, will now carry the added weight of history and a title race compressed to a two-point gap.

Expect renewed scrutiny of Celtic's transfer business and O'Neill's tactical setup in the coming weeks, alongside continued betting market movement reflecting Rangers' sudden status as genuine title challengers rather than distant pursuers.