Rangers vs Celtic; Scottish League Cup Quarter Final
Rangers vs Celtic. Scottish League Cup Quarter Final.
Ibrox Stadium.
Rangers 3-0 Celtic: Derek McInnes wins first Old Firm of season as hosts reach Scottish League Cup semi-finals
Report as Rangers comfortably win first Old Firm game of the season 3-0 at Ibrox; Derek McInnes earns his first derby win as manager as his side advance to the semi-finals of the League Cup; Dan Neil and Kevin Kelsy provided the goals on Old Firm debuts with the captain netting twice
Sunday 13 September 2026 14:40, UK
Derek McInnes won his first Old Firm game as Rangers manager with an utterly dominant 3-0 victory over rivals Celtic to advance to the last four of the Scottish League Cup.
Captain Dan Neil notched a double and £9.2m Deadline Day signing Kevin Kelsy was also on the scoresheet on his Old Firm debut at a rapturous Ibrox Stadium - without the presence of away supporters.
Visitors Celtic struggled to cope with Rangers' aggressive man-for-man press - failing to create any distinct opportunities as they lost a first cup tie in seven against their Glasgow rivals.
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Kelsy and Minsu Kim both passed up big early opportunities before Neil eventually fired McInnes's side in front after 23 minutes.
The stand-in skipper calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner with precision from the edge of the area following some great movement and link-up play involving the Rangers' front two of Ryan Naderi and Kelsy.
The Venezuela international then got his first goal for his new club in the second period as he volleyed in Naderi's flick-on at the back post.
Neil completed the scoring with 15 minutes to play as he dispatched the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box to score his second of the afternoon.
Rangers will now face Aberdeen in the semi-finals on the weekend of October 31/November 1, with Hearts drawn against Hibernian.
Key moments from Ibrox
4: RANGERS SHOULD BE IN FRONT! Johnstone tries to clear the ball but sends it straight to Kelsy. With the keeper off his line, he takes aim but it's wide of the post.
16: OFF THE LINE! Another mistake from Johnstone. The goalkeeper slaps the ball to clear, it goes as far as Minsu. He gets a shot away but Scales is there to clear it off the line.
23: RANGERS GOAL! The hosts take the lead and it's what they deserve. Carter-Vickers fails to clear the danger and Kelsy sends the ball to Neil on the edge of the box to fire into the net.
49: SAVE! A big stop from Johnstone! Rangers with the first chance of the second half, Minsu's effort is pushed clear by the Hoops keeper.
50: SAVE! Rangers go close again. Naderi's close-range header is stopped by Johnstone.
59: RANGERS GOAL! Rangers double their lead as Ibrox bursts back into life. Kelsy makes up for his first-half miss and he smashes Penrice's cross into the net for his first Rangers goal.
64: OFFSIDE GOAL! Raskin got the last touch as Fernandez looked to head in from Penrice. Celtic are all over the place.
72: OVER! Celtic get forward only for Hassan to send his effort over the bar.
76: RANGERS GOAL! Wow! The captain Neil with his second of the afternoon. A curling effort into the top corner and Rangers are all but through to that semi-final draw.
McInnes' perfect game plan
Sky Sports News' Adam Binnie at Ibrox:
Derek McInnes got his game plan spot on.
He used left-back James Penrice as an auxiliary midfielder to flood the middle of the pitch - allowing Rangers to press Celtic man-for-man.
Djeidi Gassama and Minsu Kim provided width and energy as wing-backs with Dujon Sterling, Emmanuel Fernandez and Olewthu Makanya defending three-vs-three against Celtic's front line.
It was a bold decision that paid dividends as Celtic folded under the pressure.
Dan Neil snatched the starring role of midfield general from his Celtic counterpart Callum McGregor, who was left isolated without a defensive-minded midfield partner.
McInnes's side now must face the daunting task of a trip to the home of their rivals with no travelling support next Sunday - live on Sky Sports in the Scottish Premiership.
Win that, and the gap is just two points.
