After a dramatic derby draw, Andy Halliday explains why Celtic is more appropriate for the Rangers’ “moral victory” title.

Clement said Rangers were the ‘moral winners’ but Halliday reckons that tag might suit their rivals more once the dust settles.

After they’ve had some time to collect themselves and consider the wider picture, Andy Halliday believes that Celtic will emerge from their draw at Ibrox the happier of the two teams. At the break, the Hoops had a comfortable 2-0 lead over the Rangers, who were playing on enemy territory. The Hoops were clearly in the driving seat. Energised by Philippe Clement during halftime, the Gers battled back and tied the score, then Adam Idah struck a stunning goal that many thought would win it all. However, Rabbi Matondo struck just before the end of the game with an incredible equalizer to cap off one of the greatest Old Firm derbies in recent memory.

After the game, Clement declared that his team had won “morally,” believing that their effort in the second half had earned them the praise. However, former Celtic manager Neil Lennon and others have strongly contested that claim. Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, former Rangers midfielder Halliday said that he understood the other player’s perspective, but he thought the Parkhead team would be more satisfied with the outcome.

The midfield player for Motherwell commented, “I can see why Clement made that statement right after the game. At halftime, I didn’t see the Rangers coming back into the game; I felt they were out of it. Then, of course, Rangers would have taken a point when they finally made it 2-2 and Idah scored right away to make it 3-2.

However, taking a broader view and considering the size of the league coming future, there’s no denying that Celtic gains more from the draw than Rangers do. Both teams essentially hold the title in their hands, but based on their performances in the Old Firm this season and the fact that Celtic has four of their remaining six games at home, they should have no trouble defeating Rangers at Celtic Park. “Let me say this again: there is still a lot of work to be done. It will be such an intriguing run-in because of this. However, I believed that Celtic would have been more than content with a draw prior to the match.However, given how the game played out and Rangers’ ability to rally from behind to earn a draw, Celtic may feel as though they have lost two points.”

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