Mark Hendry: O’Neill’s Gamble Backfired - Hatate’s Intervention Saved It

A first-half embarrassment, a necessary tweak and a title race still on edge.

Even the most ardent of Celtic supporters might have thrown in the towel on the title race at around 12.45 pm on Sunday.

The Hoops had been played off the park by Rangers in the first half of their crunch derby clash at Ibrox to the point where it looked like curtains before the break.

The hosts were a million miles ahead of their rivals in the opening stages. Martin O’Neill’s players didn’t just fail to lay a glove, they didn’t even swing. That Jack Butland had double the number of touches as Junior Adamu, as well as the rest of the frontline, was a sorry statistic when Sky Sports chucked it on screen.