Dan Neil and Kevin Kelsy etched their names into Rangers history during Sunday’s emphatic 3-0 Premier Sports’ Cup demolition of Martin O’Neill’s Celtic at Ibrox.
The pair both scored their first goals for the club against Rangers’ city rivals, becoming the 24th and 25th players to achieve the feat in the club’s history.
Neil was the first to break the deadlock, producing a superb finish from the edge of the box to register his maiden Rangers goal before Kelsy doubled the advantage in the second half.
Neil then completed a memorable afternoon by scoring his second long-range strike of the game in the 75th minute, sealing a comprehensive victory for Derek McInnes’ side.
The Rangers vice-captain therefore achieved something particularly rare, of the 25 players to score their first Rangers goal against Celtic, only three have managed to score twice in the same match.
Neil is the first Rangers player to do so since Jim Forrest, who scored twice in a 3-0 League Cup victory over Celtic at Celtic Park in 1963.
That makes Neil's contribution all the more remarkable given the occasion, the former Sunderland captain’s first Old Firm appearance for Rangers ended with two goals, the captain's armband and a place in the club's record books.
McInnes praised the 24-year-old man-of-the-match after the game.
"Dan's going to get highlighted for his goals and his two goals are brilliant, different types of finishes, but that space at the edge of the box, we knew we could occupy that space at times if we attacked properly and we looked after the ball and if we forced Celtic back then that space might develop,” he said.
“We still need people to step up and show the quality and Dan did exactly that."
Kelsy nets on Old Firm debut
Kelsy, meanwhile, marked his Old Firm debut in perfect fashion. The Venezuelan striker, signed on deadline day for a reported £9.5 million, produced his first goal in Rangers colours with a superb finish to put the game beyond Celtic. His strike came on the hour mark before Neil added the third.
The 22-year-old, signed from Portland Timbers, gave a simple reaction to his first Glasgow Derby.
“In one word, amazing. Amazing. I'm happy for that,” he said to Premier Sports.
“Amazing. My first goal for this team. I'm happy to help my team. I'm happy.”
Derek McInnes sets his own record
The significance of the afternoon stretches beyond the individual milestones, however. McInnes became the first manager in Rangers history to win his first Old Firm match by more than two goals, with the 3-0 scoreline providing an emphatic start to his derby record.
It was also Rangers' first victory over Celtic under McInnes and sent the Ibrox side into the League Cup semi-finals, where they will face Aberdeen, the team they defeated in the final the last time they lifted the trophy in 2023, while McInnes’ former side Hearts face off with Edinburgh rivals Hibernian in the other last four clash.
The result was particularly striking given the pressure surrounding Rangers earlier in McInnes' tenure. Four consecutive Premiership victories had begun to build momentum before Sunday's derby, but the manner of the Celtic victory represented a significant statement.
Two first Rangers goals against Celtic. Two goals from the captain. Three goals without reply. And a record-breaking first Old Firm victory for the manager, it all made for one memorable afternoon at Ibrox.
The victory was also the first League Cup win for Rangers' over Celtic since the 2011 CIS Cup final at Hampden.
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