‘Pure madness’, ‘Scandalous’ – Celtic fans erupt at Auston Trusty after ‘nightmare’ moment vs Rangers
Celtic supporters were in total disbelief after a moment of madness from experienced defender Auston Trusty against Rangers in the Old Firm derby.
Chris Sutton predicted a Rangers win at Celtic Park on Saturday, 3 January, and that is exactly what unfolded, thanks to goals from Youssef Chermiti, a brace, and Mikey Moore in a 3-1 win.
Wilfried Nancy is under growing pressure despite just two months in charge of the Hoops, and Danny Rohl has just driven a dagger into the manager’s hopes of remaining in Scotland much longer.
His tactics appeared to be working in the first half, with Celtic going ahead through Hyun-Jun Yang, but all that hard work was completely undone, with most of the blame falling at the feet of Trusty.
There was very little that could be done about the equaliser, but with the Gers in the ascendancy, the centre-back had the chance to snuff out one of their most dangerous attacks of the game.
Youssef Chermiti allowed to stroll in for a second goal
Chermiti, who has struggled at Rangers, was through in on goal in the 59th minute, but had Trusty come across, the visitors would not have taken the lead so early in the second half, or maybe ever.
One supporter blamed the “pure madness and horrible decision-making” from the former Sheffield United man, while another tore him apart for his “scandalous” defending.
It was a moment that shaped the rest of the second half, with the visitors going on to grab a third, and Jack Butland made up for his early error with a plethora of extraordinary saves.
- @calummcclurkin: “Celtic so naive in the second half. Scandalous defending for the second goal by Ralston and Trusty. Could be a wild final 30 minutes.”
- @jonnyrmcfarlane: “Flashbacks to Daniel Cousin at this same ground here. Terrible from Trusty. Remarkable the turnaround. Celtic haven’t turned up second half.”
- @GrahamSpiers: “I’m seeing now why Sean Dyche really rated the young – but often injured – Youssef Chermiti at Everton. Brilliant, blistering pace to put Rangers in front. Utterly bizarre defending from Auston Trusty.”
Neil McCann astounded by Auston Trusty moment vs Rangers
Speaking about the goal on Sky Sports (3 January), Neil McCann was far more impressed by the goalscorer, given his huge transfer fee when arriving from Everton in the summer.
He said, “This is incredible. Chermiti, paying back a chunk of that transfer fee Rangers paid for him,” and it certainly was. The entirety of Celtic Park fell into silence, although not the away end.
That was until chants of “sack the board” started to ring around the stands, and the finger could quickly be pointed at the manager. That is usually what seems to happen when the going gets tough.
The former Columbus Crew boss has had just a handful of games in charge at Celtic Park, but it could be over just as quickly as it started following the Hoops’ damning defeat to Rangers.