Rangers v Celtic
Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson broke the deadlock a minute from the end of the first half of the Old Firm derby at Ibrox.
Midway through proceedings Scott Brown missed a good chance for the visitors when his close-range shot was saved by Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
But with the interval approaching, Thomson drove into the Celtic box, worked a one-two with Jean-Claude Darcheville, and slotted past Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
The huge punt aimed towards Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink straight from kick-off indicated how the visitors were set to play - his clumsy foul on David Weir setting the tone for the opening exchanges.
A frantic, disjointed and mostly aerial battle ensued with the ball seeing little of the grass as it sped from corner to corner and end to end.
Amid the early chaos, Vennegoor of Hesselink stabbed an Aiden McGeady cross past the near post after six minutes.
A minute later Lee McCulloch came closer at the other end when he climbed high at the back post to bullet a Kevin Thomson free-kick just wide of Boruc's left-hand post.
McCulloch sent another header in from a searching Kirk Broadfoot cross but the former Wigan player was stretching and the ball went well wide.
In the 18th minute Georgios Samaras got the break of the ball on the edge of the Rangers box but his low drive trundled harmlessly through to McGregor.
Brown glided onto a clever chip from Samaras deep inside the Rangers box but the ball would not sit up well enough for the former Hibernian midfielder to allow good contact on his shot which allowed McGregor to save.
The ball appearing to slide over the line for a corner and Vennegoor of Hesselink received a yellow card for protesting the goal-kick decision.
It was all getting messy with Thomson and then Dailly picking up yellow cards before Brown struck the outside of McGregor's post from an acute angle.
Rangers finished the half applying some pressure on Boruc and after the ball had ricocheted around his box, the Poland international was glad to pounce on a Ferguson drive.
And a minute from the interval the home side took the lead with their best moment of football in the game.
Thomson drove into the Celtic box, worked a one-two with Darcheville, and slotted right-footed past Boruc.
HT: Rangers 1 Celtic 0
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