Rangers officially out of Scottish Premiership title race as Celtic condemn Old Firm rivals to unwanted 26-year first

Rangers have crashed out of the Scottish Premiership title race after suffering a 3-1 away defeat to Old Firm rivals Celtic on Sunday afternoon.

The Gers travelled to Celtic Park sitting four points adrift of their Glaswegian rivals in second, knowing that they needed to claim maximum to keep their slim hopes of top-flight glory alive.

Danny Rohl’s men made the perfect start to the fiery contest as SPFL Young Player of the Year Mikey Moore pounced on a loose ball and slotted home a ninth-minute opener from close range.

However, Celtic grew into the game and responded like true champions less than 15 minutes later when Yang Hyun-Jun fired home an equaliser from around 10 yards out.

? DAIZEN MAEDA WITH AN OVERHEAD KICK!

Celtic with a two-goal cushion over Rangers, and it comes in SPECTACULAR fashion ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/EZgSda8fYm
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 10, 2026

The second half became the Daizen Maeda show, as the Japanese forward scored twice in the space of just four minutes to put Celtic in control, including a sensational overhead kick that looped into the far corner, leaving Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland completely stranded.

Rangers had no response to Celtic’s admirable fightback and their six-game unbeaten league run against their bitter rivals has now come to an end.

Rangers have fallen apart as Celtic edge closer to Hearts

Defeat for Rangers means they officially cannot win the title this season, as they sit third in the table and seven points behind leaders Hearts with only six points left to play for – the Gers are consigned to third place for the first time since 2018.

Indeed, a three-horse race for Scottish top-flight glory has swiftly become a two-team battle for the title, with Rangers losing to Motherwell, Hearts and now Celtic in their last three games.

The Gers have suffered three league defeats in a row for the first time since October 2000 under former boss Dick Advocaat.

Rangers have also lost their first Old Firm derby after opening the scoring at Celtic Park for the first time since November 1988 when they were also beaten 3-1.

As for Celtic, they have put together a five-game winning run in the Premiership - their longest this season - and victory over Rangers for the reigning champions has boosted their hopes of winning a record 56th Scottish top-flight trophy.

Martin O'Neill’s side have taken advantage of leaders Hearts drawing 1-1 with Motherwell on Saturday and have moved to within just one point of the summit with two games remaining.

Celtic will travel to Motherwell on Wednesday night for their penultimate league fixture, before play host to Hearts in what could prove to be a huge title decider at Celtic Park next Saturday.