Philippe Clement: Rangers players got deserved reward in Old Firm win

Rangers manager Philippe Clement said his side had fully deserved their 3-0 win over Celtic and had delivered in difficult circumstances.

Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper and Danilo scored the goals as Rangers found their groove to punish Celtic and close the gap at the top of the Premiership by three points.

Injury problems in key positions had forced Clement to put together an unfamiliar defence but he saw his side shut out the champions and deliver a high-energy performance.

“I’m very pleased that the players get the reward that they deserve,” Clement said.

“They didn’t get it in the League Cup final and that was a harsh and cruel one. Today they got it. They didn’t get it, they grabbed it and that’s what I want to see.

“It was a well-deserved victory and a strong collective victory with some players out of position but doing a very good job, and some players who haven’t played much stepping in.

“I’m very pleased that everyone on the outside can see all the hard work that the players have been doing in the last couple of months.”

The victory came after Rangers and Clement had taken criticism for a defeat to St Mirren and draw with Motherwell over the last week and the manager took pleasure in how everything had come together for one of their best displays of the season.

He refused to highlight any one aspect of the win, saying that everyone had contributed.

“It’s always difficult to pick one thing out because to win these games you need to do a lot of things right,” he said. “All of these things are important because if you don’t do one, you don’t get the result.

“For sure, the collective defensive job and the structure in that way [was important] but also the braveness on the ball. It’s not only that we defended well and reduced Celtic’s chances but we created a lot today. A lot.

“We scored three good goals too. It’s all these things together.”

For the Belgian, the victory was a first win in seven encounters with Celtic. Asked about personal pleasure from a result that eased some of the pressure from him, he said “I’m not here for myself” and said the only importance in his first Old Firm success was in changing the narrative.

“Only that it means you guys don’t talk any more about me never winning an Old Firm,” he said. “That story is done.

“I know, and I knew in June, that this was a really, really big challenge and I do it because I love this club so much, and the fans and everybody in the building.

“This is a massive club but we’re not where we want to be yet. I want to be part of getting this club back to the level it needs to be at.”