Russell Martin is still awaiting his first SPFL win with Rangers after his side were unable to turn their dominance into a win over Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

In a match reflective of two sides on edge after recent humbling defeats in Europe, Rangers looked like a team that had changed course as they grew into the game and put pressure on Celtic throughout the encounter and could have gone in at half-time 1-0 up if not for VAR ruling out John Souttar’s brave header for offside.

Meanwhile, Celtic struggled to get a foothold in the first half and only came alive in the final 30 minutes of the game but still ultimately failed to cause Jack Butland any major issues.

Celtic looked flat in comparison to their Old Firm counterparts, and if not for a solid defensive display from Liam Scales, they could have easily found themselves trailing on a number of occasions after being comfortably second-best for most of the match.

Both sides failed to create clear-cut chances and, despite the occasion, were unable to cultivate the end-to-end spectacle the Old Firm deserves, with a combined two shots on target between them.

The biggest moments of the game fell to the officials, with referee Don Robertson waving away an early penalty protest from the Rangers players after Scales had collided with Bojan Miovski. The Macedonian striker, making his debut after his recent arrival from Girona, had made the most of the collision between him and the Celtic defender, with his calls for a penalty swiftly rejected.

Later in the half, Rangers looked to have taken the lead when Souttar got up to bravely head home from a fantastic James Tavernier free kick, but in his eagerness to score, the centre-back had strayed fractionally offside, and the goal was correctly chalked off by VAR.

The second half saw much of the same, with both sides unable to force the breakthrough that would have sent either set of fans into raptures after enduring yet another edgy Old Firm clash. The best moment of the half fell to Djeidi Gassama, with the Rangers starlet taking on Kieran Tierney and, in perhaps a moment to signify the passing of time, burning the Celtic veteran with a burst of pace and skill.

The result means that Rangers have taken four points from four games in the SPFL as they host high-flyers Hearts after the international break, with Celtic now level at the top of the table with the Jam Tarts on 10 points.

 Written by Riley Taylor