Celtic held of a spirited late fight back from 10-man Rangers to end their rivals 16-match unbeaten run and inflict a first derby defeat on Philippe Clement.
The Hoops reasserted their authority at the top of the Scottish Premiership table following a gripping encounter at wintry Parkhead. In a match full of talking points, Paulo Bernardo's stunning half-volley rippled the back of the net to give Brendan Rodgers' side a 25th minute lead in front of a partisan home crowd.
Rangers were then denied a strong penalty claim when Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball in the box, before Kyogo Furuhashi curled a stunning effort into the corner of the net early in the second half to double the hosts' advantage - taking the Japanese talisman's Old Firm tally to SEVEN goals in 11 derbies.
The visitors afternoon went from bad to worse shortly after when centre-back Leon Balogun was shown a straight red card by referee Nick Walsh for a last-man challenge on Daizen Maeda. However, captain James Tavernier sent up a nervy ending with a sublime free-kick into the top corner after 88 minutes.
Rangers pressed forward in search of a late equaliser but Celtic stood firm during a lengthy period of injury-time to extend their lead at the summit to eight points. The Gers still have two games in hand to play with one round of fixtures left before the winter break.
Here, we take a look at the story of the match through the camera lense:
1. Celtic 2 Rangers 1: Story of how the match unfolded
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers (R) and Rangers boss Philippe Clement (L) walk side-by-side out of the tunnel ahead of kick-off.
2. Celtic 2 Rangers 1: Story of how the match unfolded
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland punches the ball clear to safety after a fairly even start to the contest
3. Celtic 2 Rangers 1: Story of how the match unfolded
Daizen Maeda of Celtic misses a glorious chance to open the scoring early on after failing to connect with a delivery flashed across the face of goal.
4. Celtic 2 Rangers 1: Story of how the match unfolded
Pick that out! Paulo Bernardo (centre) wheels away to celebrate after breaking the deadlock on 25 minutes with a ferocious half-volley.