Rangers and Celtic played a frenetic Old Firm derby that produced the first goalless Old Firm meeting in eight years and a combined expected goals (xG) of 0.32, the lowest in a Premiership game since xG tracking began in 2019-20. Rangers registered no shots on target, the first league game without one since an Old Firm derby in January 2021. Celtic registered no first-half attempts, the first such occurrence since November 2017, despite recent extra-time, penalties and a long trip from Kazakhstan. Rangers can take defensive consolation after their heavy Club Brugge defeat, but both teams showed very poor attacking quality.
Rangers (0.15) and Celtic (0.17) ended Sunday's derby with a combined expected goals rating of 0.32. In short, that is bad. Very bad. In fact, it is the lowest total accumulated in a Premiership game since the xG stat became a thing in the 2019-20 season. Essentially, that means the quality of chances both sides created amounted to very, very little.
Rangers had no shots on target - the first time they had failed to do so in a league game since an Old Firm derby in January 2021. Meanwhile, Celtic had just two. At the half-time whistle, Rodgers' side had not even attempted an effort - a first for them in a league match since November 2017. That also means they are the only Premiership team to fail to register a first-half goal atttempt against Rangers this term.
Rodgers' men had played extra-time and penalties in their Champions League exit on Tuesday before a 3,500-mile trip home from Kazakhstan, but that is still a sobering statistic for a Celtic side struggling at the top end of the pitch. Rangers, however, can take comfort from that given they were a defensive mess in their six-goal defeat away to Club Brugge on
Collection
[
|
...
]