Rangers suffered a penalty shoot-out heartbreak in the Scottish League Cup final against Celtic.
The Gers produced a spirited performance to play out a 3-3 draw against the Bhoys in normal time. In the penalty shoot-out, Ridvan Yilmaz failed to convert his chance, and Rangers lost 5-4 and failed to cross the final hurdle.
Despite the defeat, there were plenty of encouraging signs.
The Daily Record journalist Keith Jackson wrote that had the final taken place a few weeks back, the narrative would be how many goals Rangers would concede. But things have changed recently and the Gers are playing with more confidence.
Jeff Stelling said on talkSPORT that Rangers fans will be encouraged by the fact that they have closed the gap with Celtic.
He said (16 December, 6.10 am): “Rangers didn’t walk away with a trophy. But their fans must be encouraged that the gap has closed.”
Ally McCoist added: “Absolutely, Jeff. I mean, clearly disappointed as you want to win the Old Firm game. That goes without saying.”
Rangers fans will love what Stelling has said today
The hard fact remains that Celtic are 11 points ahead of Rangers, and in terms of points they have not closed them down, which is obvious.
But Rangers fans have seen huge progress in recent weeks. It feels like the players are finally buying into the manager’s vision, and they are putting in a lot of effort.
Against Celtic, they matched their rivals toe-to-toe and didn’t look for a single minute they could be outplayed or outclassed.
Philippe Clement’s side ticked off a lot of boxes on Sunday.
Can they score the opening goal to put pressure? Check. Can they keep Kyogo Furuhashi under control? Check. Can they come back when trailing? Check. Can they score late goals? Check. Can they dominate midfield? Check.
There are plenty of reasons to believe that Rangers are not too far behind their rivals in terms of quality. It’s a shame it has taken them almost mid-December to finally act as a team, but as they say, better late than never.
In terms of catching up on points with Celtic, it will not only require massive consistency from Rangers, but the Bhoys also need to drop points at the same time.
Read more: Five major talking points from Celtic win v Rangers.
