Roy Keane slaps down Rangers win vs Celtic as Ian Wright's glowing Old Firm praise met with icy Hoops comeback

Roy Keane was not having praise of a back and forth Rangers vs Celtic clash - in a clear response on why the Ibrox club came out on top.

The Overlap panel have been left debating a drab stalemate between Manchester United and Manchester City at the weekend in the Premier League. It sparked post match debate on whether or not football is becoming too robotic after a derby lacking all the blood and thunder it requires.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright saw plenty of that in Rangers’ recent 3-2 win at Parkhead, where a Hamza Igamane goal deep in the second half sealed a big win for interim boss Barry Ferguson. Keane, a Man Utd icon and former Celtic midfielder, reckons it happened because Rangers could play without an added element of pressure as the Hoops already have the title all but sown up.

Keane response to Old Firm entertainment

Wright started with: “Can I say, a game I saw, Roy, was the Old Firm derby a couple of weeks ago when Rangers won 3-2. And you know what, I'm not talking about it like they were defending and had all the possession Rangers or something. It was a game, it was end to end, players trying, you know what I mean, tackles flying, no one got booked for 35 minutes, the VAR didn't get involved in it. And it wasn't like, oh my God, it's Real Madrid and Barcelona. It was Celtic and Rangers and they were going for it. And it was one of the most entertaining games I've seen for a long time.”

Keane responded: “ Yeah, but the situation was that, the Celtic already have won the league, so Rangers are going to come and have a go, aren’t they? When we're watching games, our teams, like just United at the moment, or even City, more reluctant even for these clubs to go, their focus is more about not losing than going to win. That was definitely the case on Sunday. I know it's not the case every time they play.”

Where derby debate stemmed

Gary Neville’s comments post match to Sky Sports are what kickstarted the rivalry debate. He said: “I don’t think there was one player who walked off that pitch disappointed about drawing 0-0, from either side. They all walked off sort of thinking, ‘We’re OK here, got away without making a mistake’. It was that type of game. It was really disappointing. I apologise for my co-commentary actually, I think I let it get to me. I was boring on there as well. That was drab as well.

“I think the congratulations and love-in that I’m watching says both teams are happy with a 0-0. The best Man City and Man United teams would be very disappointed with the way they’ve approached the end of that game. It looks like it’s Sunday afternoon and they’re going to go for a roast dinner together now. They’re micromanaged to an inch of their lives, so robotic, and it’s symptomatic of a lot of games that we’re watching nowadays.

“I’m disappointed. It’s a Manchester derby. It should have more blood, thunder, and risk and courage involved in playing the game and winning the game than that.”