Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of tonight's Old Firm Derby between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park.
The Gers were 4-2 victors in the reverse fixture at Ibrox back in September as they established a 15-point gap ahead of their perennial rivals at the top of the SPL table.
However, Neil Lennon's side has whittled that deficit down to one point and a win tonight for the Hoops will see them top of the SPL table going into 2012.
> Full team news for this evening's match.
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00min: It's a windy old night in Glasgow as the two teams leave the tunnel to a thunderous reception...
00min: We've had the handshakes, we've had the huddle, now for kickoff. Celtic get us underway.
01min: Early opportunity for the hosts as the ball breaks for Gary Hooper following Charlie Mulgrew's free kick. However, the midfielder fails to control the ball as it goes out for a goal kick.
03min: Rangers' first threat on goal comes from Sone Aluko, but the forward's touch lets him down when taking on Joe Ledley.
07min: So close for Rangers! Aluko swings a ball in and Lee Wallace's header bounces back off the far post before Celtic clear to safety. The visitors are taking control now.
09min: Looking at replays of that Wallace header it seems that the ball may have actually gone over the line. Ally McCoist won't like that.
11min: No real pattern to the game at the moment. Both teams having their share of opportunities in an explosive atmosphere.
14min: Rangers are giving away a lot of needless free kicks. With this swirling wind and Celtic happy to pump the ball into the box, they should be more careful.
15min: Great chance for Scott Brown to give Celtic the lead, but his shot from Giorgio Samaras's knock down goes straight at Allan McGregor.
16min: The ball is in the net soon after for the hosts, but Samaras's effort is ruled out for offside after Brown's fizzing effort is parried by McGregor.
18min: Another shot on target for Celtic. This time Craig Forrest's drive is saved comfortably by McGregor. The home side are building pressure now.
21min: First proper tackle of the night comes when Biram Kyal wipes out Nickica Jelavic from behind. No free kick.
23min: Rangers could be in front, but Carlos Bocanegra scoops his shot over the bar from close range from a corner.
25min: Celtic's turn to whip in a corner this time, but Thomas Rogne's header flies out for a throw-in.
29min: Sasa Papac is lucky not to receive a yellow card there as he caught Scott Brown off the ball. Referee Willie Collum looking to keep a lid on this one.
32min: Collum tells Kyle Lafferty in no uncertain terms to calm down after he has a coming-together off the ball with Joe Ledley. It was something of nothing, really.
34min: Unconvincing from McGregor there as he first spills a cross before spilling Gary Hooper's shot. Luckily for him there were three Rangers defenders to clear the danger.
37min: Free kick within shooting distance as Nikica Jelavic is man-handled by Thomas Rogne. However, Jelavic's drive goes straight at the Celtic wall. The match has turned somewhat scrappy in the last five minutes.
41min: Another free kick slung into the area by Charlie Mulgrew, but Carlos Bocanegra nods clear. It was always going to be a factor, but the wind isn't helping either team at the moment.
HALF-TIME: All square at the break then as both sides fail to conjure that special something in front of goal. Rangers could feel aggrieved at Lee Wallace's header which may have gone over the line, but neither side really deserves to be ahead. Stay tuned for the second half. You just know something controversial is coming.
Second half underway: Neither manager makes any changes during the interval as Rangers get us going.
46min: Rangers start the second half much the brighter as Steven Davies's cross is collected by Fraser Forster. Ally McCoist is down on the touchline barking at his players to get the ball into the box as much as possible.
49min: Celtic win a corner as Forrest's cross is blocked by Kyle Bartley, but it comes to nothing. Moments later Bartley is there again to tackle Giorgios Samaras just as he was about to pull the trigger. Some important defending there by the on-loan Arsenal man.
GOAL! JOE LEDLEY - CELTIC 1-0 RANGERS Celtic Park goes absolutely bonkers as Joe Ledley is able to head in from Charlie Mulgrew's corner to give the hosts the lead. A simple finish, but, if you're a Celtic fan, who cares?
55min: What a shot in the arm that was for the home side. Suddenly they're spreading the ball around much better as Scott Brown fires over from the edge of the area.
59min: It's taken just under an hour, but the first yellow card of the match is issued as Carlos Bocanegra goes in late on Gary Hooper.
61min: A bad call from the linesman there as Gary Hooper is flagged offside following Giorgios Samaras's pass. The replays would suggest that he was clearly on.
63min: Celtic are dominating now, with Scott Brown's inviting cross cut out by Carlos Bocanegra. The resulting corner is wasted as Victor Wanyama's header drifts harmlessly wide.
66min: Rangers make the first change as Sone Aluko is replaced by Gregg Wyle. Aluko hasn't done too much wrong this evening, but it's a like-for-like substitution.
67min: A cheeky effort from Charlie Mulgrew there as he shapes to cross the ball from a free kick but instead bends the ball around the wall and into Allan McGregor's near post. The goalkeeper is able to palm the ball away.
70min: Rangers are struggling to create any meaningful chances now as Nikica Jelavic's tame overhead kick is easily gathered by Fraser Forster. Another goal for Celtic would surely knock the stuffing out of their great rivals.
73min: A nasty one there as Biram Kyal and Lee McCulloch both go in for a challenge with a suggestion of studs. McCulloch is the first to his feet but Kyal looks in real trouble.
77min: That's it for Kyal. The midfielder is stretchered off to a rapturous applause and is replaced by Ki Sung-Yueng. It's a real shame for Kyal as he's been one of Celtic's shining lights this evening.
79min: A double change for Rangers now as Lee McCulloch is replaced by Maurice Edu, while David Healy comes on for Lee Wallace. Rangers have to go for it now.
81min: He's only been on the field for two minutes but David Healy goes into the referee's book for a hack on Craig Forrest. Things seemed like they were going to flare up between the players there, but everything remains under control. For now.
83min: Ki Sung-Yeung, who has scored a catalogue of screamers during his time at Celtic, fires one at the Rangers goal, but the ball flies over.
85min: Kyle Lafferty now gets booked for his lunge on Adam Matthews. Meanwhile, Anthony Stokes comes on in place of Gary Hooper, who receives a huge cheer from the Celtic crowd. He's been very lively tonight.
88min: Celtic fans are chanting as if they've won the match but they want to be careful as there are two minutes plus injury time to go. You know what these Old Firm derbies are like...
90min: There'll be five minutes of injury time. Most of that came from Biram Kyal's nasty collision with Lee McCulloch.
90+2min: Rangers desperately charge forward, but Kyle Lafferty's long-range effort is blocked. The Celtic fans are roaring their team past the finish line.
90+4min: Anthony Stokes goes into the book for a trip on Lafferty. Celtic are seconds away from a win which will take them to the top of the SPL table.
FULL-TIME: Not the greatest Old Firm Derby in the world but the Celtic fans don't care. They are going positively nuts. The Hoops, who were 15 points behind their rivals a few months ago, are now two points ahead going into 2012.
Jack Prescott
