'A big blow' - Philippe Clement delivers wild Rangers assessment after Celtic loss as he points to missed chances

Defiant Rangers boss Philippe Clement felt his side could easily have walked away from Celtic Park with a 3-3 draw if his players had converted their chances in Sunday’s heavy Old Firm defeat.

The Ibrox club slipped five points behind their city rivals in the Premiership table after conceding three goals to Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor in Glasgow’s East End. But an upbeat Clement was eager to highlight the positives from their latest derby humbling at the hands of the reigning champions.

The Belgian - who is still searching for his first win in the world-famous fixture after five attempts - reckons the outcome of the match could have been a lot different if his flops had taken several scoring opportunities they created, with Cyriel Dessers and James Tavernier denied by Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel in either half and Rabbi Matondo failed to hit the target from a free header.

“We started the game really well” Clement stated: “In the first 10 minutes we had two really good opportunities, with Cyriel coming free in front of goal and with Rabbi’s free header there. So you need to be clinical in those games, and to come in front. it changes the momentum. It would have helped the team a lot to go in front there.

“We did good things with the ball to create that, but we need to be more clinical in those moments. It was the same in the second half, because at the end, Celtic had 14 shots, we had 13. They had four on target, we had four on target. But you lose 3-0. That’s really a clear result and a difference in efficiency. And of course, you give them a lot of confidence. If they come 1-0 in front and 2-0 in front, it’s always easier to play.

“Ball possession was also equal today, 47-53, between the two teams. So I was not happy with the reaction after the 1-0. It wasn’t good enough. There we went down in the first half, in the second half there was a better reaction. But you have to become more open as a team, because you need to chase two goals and take more risks. So that also creates chances for them. But on the other side, we also had 100 per cent chance, but they need to be put in against them.

“There are of course other details, and you can speak about some duels and some possession. But the momentum shifts with the 1-0 and for sure with the 2-0. Then Celtic are on the sofar. They have only to keep the ball and to wait for the moment you step out to use the space. So that creates a lot. It’s a really big blow to lose 3-0 against Celtic. For all of us, for the fans, it’s not something that you want. I think also we didn’t reward ourselves in that way. It could have been a 3-2 or a 3-1 or a 3-3. Even if you have a good, efficient day today.”