Celtic 0-1 Rangers: Derek McInnes equals Graeme Souness record after claiming “worthy win” in Scottish Premiership

Derek McInnes has equalled a record set by Graeme Souness after steering Rangers to a 1-0 away victory over Old Firm rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

The Gers entered this contest behind enemy lines - without any away supporters - on the back of their convincing 3-0 home triumph over the Hoops in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals last weekend.

After Auston Trusty's opener was ruled out for offside, Rangers broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark when Ryan Naderi fired in on the rebound after Viljami Sinisalo parried Kim Min-su’s long-range effort.

Over 60,000 home fans at Celtic Park grew frustrated as the Hoops struggled to carve out meaningful opportunities, while Rangers posed a regular threat at the other end and were unfortunate not to increase their lead.

Rangers thought they netted a second 12 minutes from time when Olwethu Makhanya fired a superb volley from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner. However, VAR disallowed the goal after the midfielder used his arm to control the ball before getting his shot away.

Celtic’s perfect top-flight record this season has now come to an end, while they have now won just one of their last 11 games against Rangers in normal time across all competitions

McInnes celebrates second successive Old Firm win as Rangers boss

McInnes, meanwhile, has now become only the second Rangers manager in history to win both of his first two Old Firm derbies, after Graeme Souness back in 1986.

The 55-year-old also boasts a strong head-to-head record over Celtic since the start of last season, winning four and drawing one of his last six meetings in all competitions (L1), with two of those wins recorded as Hearts boss.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match: McInnes said: "Really pleased, we had to deliver a big performance and we did exactly that. It's not easy coming here, the circumstances you're under and what you face.

"We knew we'd have to overcome a wounded Celtic team. We played with a lot of confidence. I'm disappointed we didn't add to the goal we did score, because we were deserving of that.

"At 1-0, you still think they'll get a chance and we're kicking ourselves a wee bit that we didn't take another chance. It was a worthy win, after what was a disappointing start in the league.

"They came in with a back five, filled the middle of the pitch. In the main, we got it right. In the first 15-20 minutes, our strikers weren't giving us enough but once they started linking the play, everything looked quite calm.

"With someone like Duran up top, we always had to be on our toes. But it was a strong performance. We're a youthful team, so we're really fit and winning at places like this helps with all of that."

Rangers have now won each of their last six matches in all tournaments, keeping five clean sheets in the process, since crashing out of Europe in disappointing fashion at the end of August.

As for Celtic, it is now three consecutive defeats in the space of a week for Martin O’Neill side, who have seen their lead at the Premiership summit reduced to just two points by the Gers in second spot.

What next for Rangers and Celtic?

Players from both sides will now shift their attention to the two-week international break across September and October.

Rangers are back in action on October 10 when they welcome basement club Kilmarnock to Ibrox in the Premiership, while Celtic travel to Motherwell for their next top-flight fixture a day later.