It was a night of high drama, raw emotion, and seismic implications at Celtic Park as Rangers stormed back from a goal down to defeat Celtic 3-1, drawing level with their Old Firm rivals in the Scottish Premiership and plunging the home side into chaos both on and off the pitch. On January 2, 2026, Youssef Chermiti emerged as the hero for Danny Rohl’s men, netting twice in a second-half blitz before Mikey Moore sealed the deal, while Celtic’s Yang Hyun-Jun had earlier given the hosts hope with a spectacular opener.
The stakes could hardly have been higher. Rangers, who had trailed Celtic by eight points when Rohl took charge in October, arrived at Parkhead knowing a win would resurrect their title ambitions. For Wilfried Nancy, Celtic’s under-fire French manager, the match represented a desperate chance to halt a disastrous run—five defeats in seven prior games had already frayed nerves in Glasgow’s east end.
The opening 45 minutes belonged to Celtic. Yang Hyun-Jun, lively and inspired, sent the home fans into raptures with a dazzling solo run and an emphatic finish into the top corner. The South Korean’s strike was a moment of real quality, and it seemed to set the stage for a much-needed Celtic resurgence. The hosts pressed their advantage, carving out several chances; Auston Trusty missed a free header, and Johnny Kenny was twice denied by Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland, who produced a string of fine saves to keep his side in the contest.
But football is a game of two halves, and when the teams emerged after the break, the momentum shifted dramatically. Rangers grew in confidence, pressing higher and exploiting Celtic’s defensive frailties. The equalizer came when Nicolas Raskin, unchallenged, surged down the byline and squared for Chermiti to tap home from close range. Suddenly, Celtic’s composure evaporated.
Within minutes, Chermiti struck again. Exploiting space down the left, he cut inside and fired low past Kasper Schmeichel, sending the traveling Rangers support into delirium. For Chermiti, whose £8 million move from Everton had previously drawn skepticism, it was a defining moment. He had scored just twice in his first 19 matches, but here, he delivered when it mattered most. As the Daily Record noted, “Chermiti had gone from looking like a panel beater to a world beater in the space of 90 minutes.”
The hosts, shell-shocked, never recovered. Moore’s late strike—set up by Djeidi Gassama—put the result beyond doubt. Rangers fans, packed into the corner of Celtic Park, celebrated wildly, while their heroes would later be serenaded with fireworks and song upon their return to Ibrox.
For Celtic, the final whistle unleashed a torrent of fury. Thousands of supporters streamed out early, gathering outside the main entrance to demand sweeping changes. Chants of “Sack the board” and calls for principal shareholder Dermot Desmond’s resignation echoed through the night. The unrest escalated, with fans clashing with police and venting their anger at both the club’s hierarchy and the embattled manager.
The scenes were extraordinary, even by Old Firm standards. Players leaving the stadium—including captain Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, and Yang—were met with abuse from angry fans. According to the Daily Record, one supporter shouted, “Someone apologise,” while another demanded, “Admit it’s not good enough.” Even celebrity attendee Stormzy found himself caught up in the chaos as security struggled to maintain order.
Wilfried Nancy, facing the most intense scrutiny of his short Celtic reign, remained defiant in the face of mounting calls for his dismissal. “I don’t think about it. I think about finding ways to help my team to be good on details. We are together with the board,” he told Sky Sports. Yet he admitted, “We are really close to doing good things but when we concede goals (like that) sometimes it is difficult. I see many, many good things. That’s why the frustration is here because we deserve better.”
But the statistics make grim reading for the Frenchman. The 3-1 defeat marked his sixth loss in eight matches—a rate of failure unprecedented among recent Celtic managers. Comparisons with previous bosses were stark: Tony Mowbray took 21 games to lose four league matches; Nancy managed it in just six. BBC pundit Michael Stewart declared Nancy’s position “untenable,” while Celtic legend John Hartson wrote on X: “I genuinely don’t know where Celtic go from here... what happens next? F*** knows!”
For Rangers, the mood could not be more different. Danny Rohl, who inherited a team in crisis just eleven weeks ago, has now guided his side to three straight wins and back into the title race. Speaking to BBC Sportsound, Rohl was quick to praise his players: “I give big respect to my team. In the first half, we tried something, but they were better. They won the 50-50 duels and they played big and fast and behind, created us a lot of problems. In the second half, we changed at half-time a little bit the style of pressing. We are good in the game then. You have two stories, we can turn things in one half to come back 3-1 and win this game and the second story, we have a centre-forward with Youssef who scores fantastic goals. We should enjoy, but tomorrow we have to be again, ready for the next game. This is a demanding league. My players did really well today.”
Indeed, the transformation under Rohl has been remarkable. When the German arrived, Rangers were thirteen points behind leaders Hearts and seemingly out of contention. Now, after this statement win, they sit level with Celtic, just six points adrift of the top. The Ibrox faithful, who gave their team a hero’s welcome after the match, are daring to dream again.
The match itself was not without controversy, but referee Steven and his team managed proceedings with minimal fuss—a feat in such a heated fixture. The result also had wider ramifications: Hearts extended their lead at the top to six points with a win over Livingston, while Motherwell, Hibernian, Dundee, and Falkirk all recorded victories in a dramatic day for Scottish football.
As the dust settles, Celtic find themselves at a crossroads. The disconnect between manager, players, and supporters has rarely been more pronounced, and the demand for change is deafening. For Rangers, however, the future looks bright. With Chermiti finally delivering on his promise and Rohl’s tactical tweaks paying dividends, the blue half of Glasgow has every reason to believe the Premiership title is once again within reach.
The fallout from this Old Firm clash will reverberate for weeks to come, but one thing is clear: the Scottish Premiership title race is well and truly alive, and the drama shows no sign of abating.
