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By STEPHEN MCGOWAN Published: 04: 22 AEDT, 3 January 2025 | Updated: 09: 33 AEDT, 3 January 2025 100 View comments Their performances in the Europa League so strikingly different to the lacklustre displays in domestic football, Rangers supporters launched a recent campaign to play all of their games on a Thursday. This one-sided, comprehensive New Year win over their oldest rivals will surely prompt a surge of signatures. At the seventh attempt Philippe Clement finally secured his first win over Celtic. For Brendan Rodgers this was only a second Old Firm defeat in 21 games and it really was a result comprehensive and convincing as Celtic's triumph by the same scoreline in September. If a good deal more unlikely. ‘You guys don’t need to start anymore about never winning an Old Firm. I’m very pleased the players got the reward they deserve. They grabbed it. That’s what I want to see, ' victorious boss Clement said.   There were times during this contest when you had to remind yourself which of the teams started the day 14 points clear. Missing first choice defenders James Tavernier and John Souttar, goalkeeper Jack Butland was hospitalised on Hogmanay and missed the game. Liam Kelly came in an had almost nothing to do. The much maligned Robin Propper scored the second goal. Ridvan Yilmaz, the left back pitched in as a makeshift right back atoned for missing the key penalty in the recent Premier Sports Cup Final by managing twice as many shots as the entire Celtic team. Rangers supporters are entitled to ask where this performance, this intensity, these tactics, were against St Mirren and Motherwell, all season indeed. . Despite a victory when desire played a crucial role Celtic remain eleven points clear. As close to a dead rubber as this fixture ever comes the outcome seems unlikely to make any impact on the destination of the league, but does wonders for Philippe Clement. Rangers stunned Celtic to secure a 3-0 win in the Old Firm derby on Thursday afternoon It was a memorable day for Rangers fans who overcame the odds to stun their local rivals It was Philippe Clement's first ever Old Firm Derby win at his seventh attempt at Rangers Despite leaving £25million of summer signings on the bench - record signing Arne Engels felt unwell - Rodgers will now go into the market to spend and, after a performance of staggering incompetence, the need looks more pressing than it did last week.   To win this Rangers had to be almost perfect with a makeshift team while Celtic had to be miles off the pace. In a game when the home side enjoyed almost total dominance both proved to be the case. Beaten just once in domestic football in 2024 Celtic started 2025 with a performance poorer than any they've produced since Rodgers returned to the club. Their first domestic defeat since March. # ‘I mentioned to the players (at half-time) that I didn’t think we could be any worse in the second half, ’ said Rodgers. ‘We’ve got experience of coming from behind here but we never had that reaction. ‘I didn’t think we were aggressive or had quality in our game. ’ One look at the Rangers defence was enough to have supporters reaching for the paracetamol and fearing the worst. Missing captain James Tavernier, first choice goalkeeper Jack Butland and best defender John Souttar Clement was forced to improvise. Hopes of a miraculous recovery for Leon Balogun proved overly optimistic. Left-back Yilmaz was pitched in on the right side and, after a ropey start dominated Daizen Maeda. Dujon Sterling partnered Propper in the centre of defence once more, Liam Kelly starting his second game in goal since returning to Ibrox in the summer and didn't have a thing to do until he produced a superb save from a fizzing Reo Hatate strike in the final move of the first half. In the second half Celtic failed to muster a single shot on target. . Not one. The importance of the opening goal in these fixtures can't be overstated. It came inside seven minutes for Rangers. On the ground where he planted his flag as a Celtic player Liam Scales was one of a number of Celtic players who had a hideous first half. Playing the slackest of passes inside his own half, skipper Raskin picking the ball up in midfield and surged forward before laying the ball off to Ianis Hagi. Celtic's lead is still 11 points at the top of the table though their unbeaten domestic start is ended Ianis Hagi fired in from outside the box after seven minutes and left the visitors rattled A low shot from 25 yards had to be perfect and it was, fizzing inside the left hand post of a flailing Kasper Schmeichel to give Rangers the start of their dreams and claim his first goal in the Scottish Premiership since May 2023. Watching from the stands it was a strike his legendary father Gheorghe would have been proud to call his own. The Ibrox side had won all eleven of the Premiership games when they had taken the lead this season and the only regret from a dominant first half when Celtic were all over the place was the failure to add more goals. Celtic looked rattled, slack in possession and - with the Rangers support in full voice - unnerved by their surroundings. They gave the ball away at will, the home team forcing them into one mistake after another. Celtic looked like a team who had spent New Year whooping it up in Glasgow's Ashton Lane, the Rangers midfield of Hagi, Raskin and Diomande outplaying Callum Mc Gregor, Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo It took an outstanding last ditch penalty box tackle from Cameron Carter-Vickers to prevent Mohamed Diomande pulling the trigger. Had he done so he would surely have given Rangers the second goal they deserved. Until Rangers failed to clear a corner and Hatate smashed a bouncing shot towards goal for Kelly to parry Celtic had failed to trouble Butland's deputy in any shape or form. They really were woeful. Celtic had to come out for the second half and match the intensity, hunger and desire of their opponents. The visitors finally started to string some passes together and ask some questions early in the second half. Reminding everyone of the danger he possesses - even on off days - Kyogo Furuhashi calmly lobbed a Paulo Bernardo ball over the top into the net eight minutes after the restart. An outrageous finish, VAR confirmed the Japanese predator had gone a second too soon. . He was offside. How close Rangers came to a second goal on the hour when Cerny stroked a shot on to the inside of the post, the ball bouncing the safety. Robin Propper capitalised on a save from Kasper Schmeichel to make it 2-0 in the second half Danilo's 81st-minute goal then wrapped up the points to put the stamp on a stunning win Rangers (4-2-3-1): Kelly 6; Yilmaz 8, Sterling 7, Propper 7. 5, Jefte 7. 5 (Fraser 90+1'); Diomande 8, Raskin 8 (Barron 90+5'); Cerny 7, Bajrami 6. 5 (Danilo 80'), Hagi 7. 5(Cortes 90+5'); Igamane 6. 5 (Dessers 90+4') Subs: Dowell, Munn, King, Matondo Goals: Hagi 7', Propper 66', Danilo 81'  Booked: Jefte, Raskin Manager: Philippe Clement 8 Celtic (4-3-3): Schmeichel 5; Johnston 5, Carter-Vickers 6. 5, Scales 4. 5, Taylor 5. 5 (Valle 64'); Bernardo 5 (Mc Gowan 64'), Mc Gregor 6, Hatate 4. 5 (Engles 75'); Kuhn 5, Furuhashi 5. 5(Idah 64'), Maeda 5 Subs: Palma, Ralston, Sinisalo, Trusty, Yang Booked: Mc Gregor, Kuhn Manager: Brendan Rodgers 3 Referee: Don Robertson Attendance: 51, 065  A huge Celtic let off was the cue for Brendan Rodgers to change things. Adam Idah, Luke Mc Cowan and Alex Valle replaced Kyogo, Bernardo and Taylor. It really made no difference. Rangers claimed the second goal they deserved after 66 minutes. Schmeichel turned a rasping Cerny strike round the post. From the resultant corner Idah blocked a Raskin header on the line. The much maligned Robin Propper turned the ball in to the net from close range. Rangers weren't done yet. With eight minutes to play Jefte broke clear on the left. A cross cum shot came off Carter-Vickers and fell perfectly for substitute Danilo - on the pitch a matter of minutes - to sweep the third goal into the net to scenes of mass jubilation.  The Brazilian's fifth goal in seven games put the tin lid on a day when both teams got the result they deserved. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group