Rangers earn grim point in goalless Old Firm derby as Martin clings to positives

• Rangers and Celtic played out the first 0-0 Old Firm derby in eight years, with a combined xG of just 0.32, the lowest in any Premiership game since records began in 2019-20.
• Rangers failed to register a shot on target for the first time in a league game since January 2021, while Celtic failed to attempt a first-half effort for the first time since 2017.
• Under-pressure boss Russell Martin praised his side’s “fight, desire and togetherness” after securing a first Premiership clean sheet of the season.

Zero shots on target, no wins in four Scottish Premiership games and a worst start to a league season in 42 years. Yet Rangers head coach Russell Martin will take relief from a goalless Old Firm derby that was as tense as it was devoid of attacking quality.

Many expected Celtic to punish their rivals after the disappointment of a midweek Champions League exit, but instead, both sides failed to create. Rangers (0.15) and Celtic (0.17) combined for an expected goals rating of just 0.32, the lowest in a Premiership game since the metric was introduced in 2019-20.

Rangers had no shots on target, something that had not happened since their derby defeat in January 2021. Celtic only managed two efforts in the entire game, and for the first time since November 2017 they failed to attempt a single shot in the first half of a league match. Every other Premiership opponent this season has tested Rangers more in the opening 45 minutes: Motherwell had two efforts, Dundee had three, and St Mirren had eight. Even Alloa Athletic, a third-tier side, managed multiple shots at Ibrox in a recent League Cup tie.

Celtic had the excuse of a 3,500-mile journey home from Kazakhstan and extra-time in Europe just days before, but the numbers underline their struggles in attack. Rangers, for all their misery in a 6-0 defeat to Club Brugge midweek, could at least take solace from greater defensive resolve.

“I was really proud with the response,” Martin told BBC Scotland. “Especially the guys who haven’t played much recently. We need to show that level of togetherness all the time. We’ve got something to build on.”

For Martin, any positives are valuable. Rangers’ only win in their last seven matches came against Alloa in the League Cup, and even that featured two goals conceded. Their four-game winless Premiership start is their worst since 1983, while a five-match streak without victory in the league is their longest of the Premiership era.

Still, Sunday’s draw eased pressure on the manager. A defeat would have turned Ibrox toxic in front of the club hierarchy, but instead Martin secured a first clean sheet in the Premiership this season.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t win because I felt we were good for large parts,” he said. “But I’m really proud of the players’ level of fight, desire, aggression, all things we questioned inside and outside of the building. That was a big focus today, to really fight and show some togetherness and spirit and aggression, and there was so much of that. It’s an important clean sheet, an important point. We’re six points off top, which is frustrating for us, but it gives us something to hunt.”

To begin that hunt, Martin must improve a record of just three wins in 11 games. The schedule offers no respite, with clashes against Hearts and Hibs before a Europa League opener against Genk. For now, though, he can cling to the clean sheet and a rare sign of organisation as evidence of progress.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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