Chris Sutton is right, Celtic selection was reason for Rangers 'mauling'

Celtic were destroyed by Rangers on Sunday afternoon as the hosts ran out 3-0 winners at Ibrox in the quarter-final of the Premier Sports Cup.

Martin O'Neill's men appeared shaky and disjointed from the first minute of the action, and their hosts took full advantage to secure a comfortable victory.

Dan Neil netted twice from the edge of the box, while Kevin Kelsy also got his first goal in Rangers colours with a well-taken volley.

It was a disastrous afternoon all round for the Bhoys and O'Neill, who arguably got his team selection wrong from the outset.

Celtic have endured a difficult few weeks after their Champions League qualifying clash against LASK, and their issues came to a head at Ibrox.

A heavy defeat in the first Old Firm Derby of the season has left fans fuming, and Chris Sutton is absolutely correct in his assessment of where things went wrong.

Celtic lose midfield battle despite man advantage

O'Neill lined up in his favoured 4-3-3 formation, with Benjamin Nygren and new signing Mika Baur operating on either side of Callum McGregor in the middle of the park.

Rangers lined up with a two-man midfield, with Ryan Naderi playing higher in support of Kelsy at the top of the pitch.

That numerical advantage should have given Celtic the upper hand to control the battle in the middle of the park, but in reality it was anything but.

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton took to X after the game to share his view that Celtic were "mauled" by their rivals, and he blamed the defeat on the composition of O'Neill's midfield.

He outlined that his former club were "outrun and out-powered" in the centre of the pitch, and suggested that the Bhoys only have players who "can't run" in that area.

That was clearly evident on Sunday, as the energy of Rangers duo Neil and Nicolas Raskin dictated the entire game in the engine room.

Concerningly for O'Neill and his staff, now that the transfer window is closed, that issue will not be an easy fix for them.

Keith Wyness shares why Rangers made profit from lack of away fans

Former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness told Football Insider earlier this week that both Celtic and Rangers will see their revenue boosted by the ban on away fans in Old Firm games.

Sunday's clash was the first example of the SFA's ban being implemented, with the games not set to return to the usual allocations until next season.

Wyness made it clear that both clubs are likely to sell the tickets that would have been provided for the away allocation at a higher price.

There will also be a reduced cost on each matchday due to a lesser need for segregation and policing.