Rangers – McGregor, Goian, Bocanegra, Perry, Whittaker, Papac, Edu, McCabe, Davis, Aluko, McCullock (subs: Alexander, Lafferty, Bedoya, Kerkar, Perry, Little, Mitchell).

Celtic – Forster, Cha, Rogne, Mulgrew, Matthews, Brown, Ki, Ledley, Wanyama, Samaras, Stokes (subs: Zaluska, K. Wilson, Izaguirre, McGeouch, Brozek, Commons).

Another Old Firm derby, another charged Ibrox atmosphere, but both sides are labouring under very different sorts of pressure…

With an insurmountable lead at the summit of the Scottish Premier League title, Neil Lennon’s men arrive at Ibrox knowing that victory here – at the home of their historic rivals – will seal a 43rd League Championship and with it an enormous symbolic victory.

It’s also the only means by which they can silence the critics for whom they’re unworthy recipients of a title by default.

Mortally wounded by administration, Rangers enter today’s fixture leaking goals, points and, most troublingly, players.

With three losses in the last four, victory today would go some way toward’s atoning for the structural disarray into which the club has slipped in recent weeks.

We’re off!

The opening moments have been what proper football commentary types would call “frenetic”. Lunges, dives, concussive tackles all-round…

A speculative effort from McCabe, loitering on the right edge of the box, slips past Forster’s left post.

Rangers have had the best of the first eight minutes, pressing Celtic across the park…

GOAL for Rangers! (Aluko)

In a variation on what was fast becoming a tired theme, Aluko finds space inside the Celtic half and breaks towards the penalty area.

Once there, a combination of fleet-footed manouevring and shambolic defending clears a path to goal. The striker feints left, dodges rights and nudges an effort past Forster into the bottom left corner.

Rangers 1-0 Celtic

Apropos of nothing in particular, Samaras streams away into the Rangers half.

Having used his, ehm, pace to evade the offside trap, the Greek international in unchallenged until within range of goal. Unwilling to risk a strike on his left, he cuts back inside and thumps a shoulder-high effort towards the near post. McGregor gets there but can only palm an effort into the path of Anthony Stokes…

… who Heskeys a shot into the turf and over the bar.

Oddly, the goal has afforded Celtic a degree of freedom.

Less willing to press their opponents indiscriminately, Rangers have begun to play like a team conscious of the fact it has something to protect.

The directness of Aluko is causing mayhem in the Celtic ranks…

Again drawing the centre-half pairing of Rogne and Mulgrew, he side-foots a pass to Wallace on the left of the box. Striking the ball at pace, his effort dips over the bar.

Red card!

Again the interplay between Aluko and Wallace leaves the Celtic defence in tatters.

This time, however, the left-winger isn’t quite unmarked, just marked incompetently. A yard too slow, Cha sends Wallace tumbling to the ground on the edge of the box.

With just the keeper to beat, fullback was adjudged (correctly) to have denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Anthony Stokes, who managed to squander a handful of opportunities during his brief spell on the pitch, is withdrawn in place of Izaguirre.

Brown fells McCulloch with a push in the back, sending Neil Lennon sprinting from the bench to accuse the Rangers player of simulation.

Unnecessary.

Rangers have settled into an easy rhythm, shuffling the ball about in midfield. Before the Ibrox crowd can tire of greeting every successful effort with a cheer of “Olé”, however, Lee McCulloch is pushed over.

Rangers – McGregor, Goian, Bocanegra, Perry, Whittaker, Papac, Wallace, McCulloch, Edu, Davis, McCabe, Aluko (subs: Alexander, Lafferty, Bedoya, Kerkar, Perry, Little, Mitchell).

Celtic – Forster, Cha, Rogne, Mulgrew, Matthews, Brown, Ki, Ledley, Wanyama, Samaras, Stokes (subs: Zaluska, K. Wilson, Izaguirre, McGeouch, Brozek, Commons).

Emboldened by glimpses of their opponent’s confusion in possession, blue shirts are growing more adept at threatening the perimeter of the Celtic box.

McCulloch’s physicality is winning the battle on the right flank, while the dynamism of Wallace looks a constant threat on the other touchline.

And Aluko… well, we’ve covered that ground already.

There’s hope, Celtic fans!

Izaguirre, marooned on the left wing, looks helplessly about in search of support before taking a deep breath and flicking a ball into the corner. Beating two defenders for tenacity, he springs towards the touchline and… misses the obvious cut-back to the penalty spot before scuffing an effort into McGregor’s chest!

Infuriating, that; it was right there!

Half-time: Rangers 1-0 Celtic

Celtic have done nothing to dispel persistent criticisms of their mental weakness, while Rangers’ performance has been enough to please the Ibrox faithful, if not to banish all thought of administration and the unseemly battle for third place.

... fan of physical, rushing football Cesc Fabregas.

Some appropriately-accented half-time entertainment:

Ally McCoist: “[We need] more of the same… but we can’t just sit back. Obviously, with the extra man it’s important we keep all our players on the pitch.”

Ball = in play.

A spell of ping-pong in midfield concludes when a Route 1 special is lofted into Forster’s arms.

Yep, we’ve got an Old Firm derby on our hands.

Neil Lennon has been sent to the stands for verbally abusing a match official.

Sky Sports – apologies if you were under the impression I was wedged into the corner of the Ibrox press area; consider that illusion ruined – has lost both commentary and pictures…

What in the blazes!?

… and we’re back, just in time to see Steven Whittaker (literally) wrestle Izaguirre to the ground on the left touchline.

The resulting free-kick, a looped cross in the general direction of the back post, threatens precisely nothing before drifting out of play.

DISASTER! A second red card for Celtic!

Indulging in slow-motion stepovers and all manner of athletic high-jinks on the left edge of the Celtic box, Steven Whittaker is met with a crunching two-footed challenge from Victor Wanyama.

It’s either the stupidest challenge imaginable or an inscrutable piece of performance art, but the referee doesn’t care. Celtic are down to nine men.

The Ibrox crowd, tired veterans of an eight-week spell as the kings of SPL schadenfreude, seize on the opportunity to cheer Celtic’s self-sabotage.

Sun, a one-goal lead, Celtic reduced to nine men: they’re having a ball.

Events on the pitch have lost all sense of momentum and purpose. Hamstrung by numerical inferiority, Celtic seem largely incapable of threatening, while Rangers look content to ride this one out.

Lafferty, a recent replacement for young Rhys McCabe, spins away from what remains of the Celtic defence and, after running himself into geometric cul de sac, drives an effort towards Forster’s near post.

It’s palmed away.

A low, skimming effort from McCulloch sends Forster scrambling to his left post – the one threatened by Lafferty moments earlier. He gets there, but sends a rebound into the path of an onrushing Steven Whittaker. The midfielder, whose effort is a weak one, can’t convert.

GOAL for Rangers! (Little)

Whittaker, who’s caused Celtic no end of trouble this half, loops a cross into the heart of the penalty area. Glancing off the shoulder of Lafferty, the ball falls to Wallace who drives a point-blank shot at Forster.

It’s repelled – expertly – but Little’s there to follow up with a second, nearly identical attempt.

Rangers 2-0 Celtic

Goal for Rangers! (Wallace)

Starved of hope and the subjects of a long public humiliation, Rangers are suddenly in no mood ease back.

Breaking at pace, Davis slips a through ball to Wallace. Rushing goalwards from the left wing, he doesn’t even break his stride before flicking an effort past Forster.

This has become a rout and threatens to become an absolute mullering.

Rangers 3-0 Celtic

PENALTY to Celtic! Red card for Bocanegra!

Samaras is intercepted and brought directly to ground after cushioning a long ball into the danger zone along the perimeter of the six-yard box.

Bocanegra tries to leave the scene of the crime, wandering away while pretending to look at something really interesting in back row of the far stand, but the referee launches a high-speed pursuit.

Brown, looking a little deflated, steps up to the spot… and sneaks an effort beyond McGregor’s outstretched arm.

Rangers 3-1 Celtic

GOAL for Celtic! (Rogne)

Wow. Things just got very interesting.

Rogne materialises on the penalty spot to nod home a cross from the left wing. Stunned silence ensues.

Rangers 3-2 Celtic

Celtic are girding their loins for a final assualt on goal, but a shrill peep of the whistle intervenes to bring proceedings to a close.

Rangers stay to applaud their fans, leaving Neil Lennon’s men (sans Neil Lennon, of course) to stream disconsolate from the field of play. A cheerful Ally McCoist is there to shake every one of their hands, though; some consolation at least.

Full-time: Rangers 3-2 Celtic

Our very own Miguel Delaney may consider himself above liveblogging the SPL, but he’s not afraid to volunteer the occasional nugget of insight.