The first Old Firm clash of the season ended in stalemate, a dismal goalless draw that left both Rangers and Celtic supporters heading home frustrated, and both managers with more questions than answers.
Russell Martin’s selection raised eyebrows before kick-off, with Bojan Miovski starting up front but Nico Raskin once again absent, fuelling talk of a fallout and impending departure, with his interview’s doing nothing but deflecting the issue. Joe Rothwell was dropped, while Lyall Cameron missed out through injury as did Kieran Dowell.
The tension around Ibrox was palpable, not least because Martin came into the fixture under severe pressure after a bruising European exit and a poor domestic start.
Banners critical of his handling of Hamza Igamane and Raskin had been tied to the Copland gates, while the Celtic huddle was greeted with the usual boos, perhaps with a few aimed at the Rangers boss himself.
The contest began with little rhythm, both sides looking tentative. Rangers settled into a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Diomande sitting deeper and Aasgaard operating behind Miovski. The home side shaded the early exchanges, pushing Celtic back with a series of corners and free kicks, though their delivery was wasteful.
Miovski thought he had a penalty shout on six minutes when Liam Scales bundled into him, but referee Don Robertson waved play on, and VAR agreed.
Rangers believed they had the breakthrough just after the half-hour when John Souttar headed home a James Tavernier free kick, only for VAR to chalk it off for offside. Tempers flared soon after with a string of heavy challenges, with Anthony Ralston in particular lucky to avoid a booking, but the half closed without a single goal or even a shot on target.
The second half began with more of the same: energy without quality. Mikey Moore sent an effort into the Copland Road stand.
Celtic slowly grew into the contest, Reo Hatate and Arne Engles finding space between the lines, but their shooting was tame.
Rodgers introduced Shin Yamada and James Forrest to liven up proceedings, while Martin responded by replacing Miovski and Moore with Cyriel Dessers and Oliver Antman.
Nedim Bajrami was a rare bright spark for Rangers after replacing the ineffective Aasgaard, carrying the ball forward and unsettling Callum McGregor, who had been anonymous for most of the match.
Still, clear chances remained elusive. Dessers almost pounced late on when Schmeichel’s pass went astray, but the veteran goalkeeper recovered.
Despite Rangers finishing the stronger, piling on late corners and free-kick, neither side could fashion the decisive moment. Don Robertson’s leniency allowed the game to flow, though it only underlined the lack of real quality on show.
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Nil-nil, a result that does little for either manager. The Ibrox side spent more time in the Celtic half and forced more set pieces, but their cutting edge was non-existent.
Celtic, meanwhile, offered very little going forward, their wide play predictable and their forwards wasteful, with Kieran Tierney again failing to complete the 90.
The absence of Raskin and the decision to persist with an unconvincing shape will only intensify scrutiny on Martin. For Brendan Rodgers, the draw denies Rangers some pre-international break momentum but does little to ease the criticism following Celtic’s own European collapse.
In truth, this was one of the poorest Old Firm matches in recent memory: no shots on target, no real drama, and no winner. The season moves on, but both sides look short of answers.