Ryan Jack strikes as Rangers beat Celtic in Old Firm clash to boost title hopes
Steven Gerrard's side move level on points with Glasgow rivals after dominant display at Ibrox to move level on points with Brendan Rodgers' team
RANGERS moved level on points with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership after Ryan Jack's goal sealed a deserved Old Firm victory.
Steven Gerrard's side outfought and outclassed their bitter rivals as they got their title bid back on track in style at Ibrox with their first win over Celtic in six years.
Celtic actually started the better of the two sides, with James Forrest and Ryan Christie both going close for the visitors in the opening ten minutes.
But after that it was Gerrard's men who assumed control of the game, and Daniel Candeias should have opened the scoring on 15 minutes only to shoot too close to Craig Gordon in the Celtic goal.
The Scotland keeper then threw himself full-stretch to palm away Connor Goldson's header before Scott Brown headed against his own bar as Rangers piled on the pressure.
They took a deserved lead in the 31st minute after a fine piece of play from Ryan Kent on the left, where he turned inside and pulled back to Jack.
The midfielder hit it low and at Brown, who could only deflect it and leave Gordon wrong-footed to put Rangers 1-0 up.
It could, and arguably should have been 2-0 just two minutes after the restart.
The influential Kent had pressurised the Celtic back four into a mistake and found himself through on goal only to be denied by Gordon, before Arfield saw a follow-up cleared off the line.
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And minutes later Jack was denied by another brilliant Gordon save as Celtic struggled to halt the tide of Rangers attacks.
Celtic thought they had snatched an unlikely equaliser midway through the second half when Forrest drill low into the net - only for the goal to correctly be ruled out for offside.