What happened on this day in 2005 when Celtic played host to Rangers?
The 20th February 2005 saw Rangers earn a historic victory at Celtic Park to end the Hoops’ run of 11 games unbeaten in Old Firm derbies.
Late goals from Nacho Novo and Gregory Vignal were enough to down the Celts in their own back yard as Rangers pulled away at the top of the table, establishing a three point lead.
The game marked Alex McLeish’s first victory with Rangers at Celtic Park, with the Bhoys having won their last six home meetings against the Ibrox side.
After a rather sub-par display from Rangers, with Celtic enjoying the better chances, Vignal fired his team in front in the 71st minute after a howler from Rab Douglas, only for Nacho Novo to seal the victory via an audacious lob eight minutes from time.
That season, McLeish’s Rangers went on to win the title in the most dramatic of fashions, clinching it on the final day of the season by a single point, arguably the most dramatic end to any season in the history of the Scottish game.
Talk of a title triumph still looks to be some way off for Rangers, however, memories such as these will remain strong in the minds of the Ibrox faithful. The supporters who have stuck by their club in such difficult times have done so in the mind that their team will be back to winning ways sooner rather than later.
Rangers’ last Scottish top flight title came back in 2010/11, and they will be hoping that their next one can come before the 2020/21 season in order to put a stop to Celtic’s charge towards 10 consecutive league titles.
If Celtic achieve this, they would become the first team in Scottish history to do so, earning bragging rights for their supporters for the rest of time.
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