RANGERS 3 CELTIC 0: Dan Neil at the double as Ibrox men sweep sorry city rivals aside to book semi-final spot

There was never any sense in Derek McInnes trying to downplay the importance of this affair before a ball was kicked.

There were a good few reasons why he became Rangers’ 10th permanent manager in 14 years back in June. None were more significant than the fact that his predecessors had invariably failed to lay a glove on Celtic in that period. 

Consequently, the Parkhead club’s stranglehold on the major honours in Scotland has rarely weakened in that time.

How badly Rangers supporters longed for an indication that things might be different going forward with a new man at the helm.

By the end of a remarkably one-sided affair, they’d seen that and then some. A powerhouse display by McInnes’ side, the likes of which would have felt completely beyond them in the torrid early weeks of this campaign, felt hugely significant in many respects.

Rangers, suddenly, look capable at long last of challenging Celtic’s generational superiority. The Parkhead men now appear vulnerable.

After chalking up four league wins in unconvincing fashion, Rangers’ progression to the last four of the Premier Sports Cup could not have been more emphatic.

McInnes’ side out-fought, outplayed and out-thought their city rivals. They won every individual battle on the field. They scored three times without reply, an outcome that in no way flattered them.

Sure, there are at least four clashes with Celtic to come this season, the first of which arrives in the Premiership at Parkhead next Sunday.

But this felt like the laying down of a marker, a display which told Celtic they aren’t going to have things all their own way from now on. The Ibrox men might just have come back down to earth by the time the next instalment arrives.

The performance was the stuff of dreams for McInnes. His side played with aggression and personality. There wasn’t anyone approaching a failure in his squad.

If Dan Neil’s early labours at the club had mirrored that of the side he’d joined from Sunderland, then his display here epitomised the recent improvement across the board.

Without a goal in light blue to date, the midfielder scored two sumptuous strikes from distance. On a day when it felt like many Rangers careers belatedly got going, Kevin Kelsy’s clinical strike arrived in between.

Celtic contributed to how comfortable Rangers were throughout. Martin O’Neill lost eight derbies in his first spell in Glasgow and none of those performances were assuredly any poorer than this one.

Error-strewn, lacking in cohesion and belief throughout, the visitors were simply dreadful from the first whistle to the last. Ivor Pandur in the Rangers goal did not have a meaningful save to make.

Quite simply, not one of O’Neill’s players turned up. Not his old stagers like Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and Cameron Carter-Vickers. And certainly not his new arrivals — Sam Johnstone, Camilo Duran, Mika Baur and Kasper Hogh. Sebastian Tounekti continued his habit of making no appreciable impact on matches.

Collectively, it was a pitiful effort. A first domestic loss of the season arrived in alarming fashion. Celtic, surely, can only be better next week.

McInnes was handsomely rewarded for going for it. In pairing Kelsy with Ryan Naderi up front, he gave up a body in central midfield. His side had to bypass that area as often as possible and play off second balls. They ticked that box with aplomb.

In the absence of Yang Hyun-jun, O’Neill had a serious issue to contend with on the left-flank. Given Tounekti’s lack of a final ball in Perth, the Tunisian’s selection in that role raised eyebrows. Auston Trusty was relegated to the bench with Liam Scales preferred.

Whether there’s any advantage to the home sides in this season of no away fans, we shall only know in time. What’s beyond dispute is that the atmosphere beforehand is less intense and less toxic.

Rangers’ intent was still obvious, Olwethu Makhanya sliding into the back of Carter-Vickers immediately and setting the tone.

Selected ahead of Viljami Sinisalo in goal again, Johnstone’s first involvement was to pass the ball straight to Kelsy. To the keeper’s considerable relief, the forward only found the side net.

Errors pockmarked Celtic’s play. McGregor, normally the most assured man in these games, played a slack cross-field ball straight to Kelsy. The Venezuelan found himself the meat in a sandwich.

Colby Donovan shut down a Rangers attack and sparked one for his own side with a pass to Hogh. With the Dane slipping at the worst possible moment, Duran drilled his effort wide.

Johnstone wasn’t convincing when trying to deal with James Penrice’s cross. Scales did well to get something on Kim Minsu’s goal-bound strike.

The Korean was less convincing when taking set pieces. Two corners failed to clear the first man. A free-kick cleared everyone.

Rangers’ pressure told at the midway point of the first period. Naderi had been a handful from the word go. He nipped in to take the ball off the toe of Carter-Vickers and found Kelsy.

Kelsy had a split second to choose the right option but did so. Lurking on the edge of the penalty box, Neil’s right-foot strike had too much power and accuracy for the Celtic keeper.

Rangers made fewer errors than Celtic. One did come from Manny Fernandez when trying to build from the back. It resulted in Duran firing straight at Pandur.

The Croatian was then alert as Baur’s ball threatened to play in Duran. A flying header turned a dangerous ball out of play.

Celtic rarely cut Rangers open. The travails of O’Neill’s side in the first half were summed up by Tierney overlapping and taking Tounekti’s pass in his strike. The full-back’s cut back was aimless.

O’Neill’s side just didn’t move the ball fast enough in such moments. By and large, Rangers were comfortable.

The withdrawal of Tounekti at the break was no surprise. Haissem Hassan replaced him. Immediately, the Egyptian’s directness drew a booking for Makhanya.

With Naderi threatening to find the second at a corner, O’Neill became more agitated. Even more so when Hogh was dispossessed by Naderi while dreaming.

You felt a second goal would be enough for Rangers to seal it. It came just before the hour mark.

Penrice, excellent at left-back or when making up the extra man in the middle, showed composure on the left and crossed. With Celtic’s central defenders concerned with Naderi, Kelsy floated towards the back post. When the ball dropped for him, he drilled it beyond Johnstone.

Nico Raskin thought he’d removed all doubt when he turned home a set-piece only for the offside flag to curtail his celebrations.

Hassan did fire just over after cutting inside from the right, but Celtic already looked a beaten team.

That was confirmed with 15 minutes remaining. Another surge from the home side, another meek attempt from the visitors to clear their lines. Neil had plenty work to do when the ball fell to him on the edge of the box via Carter-Vickers’ touch.

His controlled strike was superb, curling away from Johnstone to send Ibrox wild for the third time.