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3 DERBY STANDOUTS WHO WILL BE PIVOTAL TO CELTIC'S TITLE PUSH

Celtic will undoubtedly view the latest Glasgow Derby as two points dropped, having lost the lead twice to Rangers.


The Hoops were two ahead going into the break thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Matt O'Riley, with Adam Idah being on hand to slot the Hoops back in front just a few moments after Abdallah Sima's 85th minute equaliser.


It was a real game of two halves for Celtic, with the Hoops dominating the possession and the chances in the first-half against an out-of-sorts Rangers team.


Rangers came out far stronger in the second-half and caused lots of problems for Celtic, but the Brendan Rodgers' side will be disappointed in the manner in which their two-goal lead slipped away so easily.


There are plenty of Celts who can come out of that match with their heads held high, and we have picked out our three star performers from Celtic's derby draw.


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Joe Hart


You might think it is ridiculous to say that a goalkeeper who conceded three goals was one of the star performers, but the truth is that it could so easily have been a defeat had Hart not produced a few massive saves to keep Celtic in the game.


The former England number one pulled off an incredible stop just before half-time to ensure Celtic went into the break with a two-goal lead as English national team manager Gareth Southgate watched on from the stands.


Hart couldn't do anything about any of Rangers' three goals on the afternoon. Tavernier's penalty was powerful into his top-right corner, Sima's equaliser was heavily deflected, and Rabbi Matondo's late leveller was an unstoppable strike.


Retiring in the summer, Hart is really giving his all to ensure that his final season in professional football is a successful one.



Cameron Carter-Vickers


Similarly to Hart, including a defender who conceded three goals may seem like an unwise decision, but Carter-Vickers was vital in ensuring further damage wasn't caused by the storm that Rangers brought in the second-half.


In the first period, Carter-Vickers was a brick wall as he limited Cyriel Dessers to nothing, with the Nigerian only getting a few good moments when he contested with Liam Scales instead.


He put in a number of great blocks, tackles and interceptions as he constantly got in the way of the Rangers attack, and the American demonstrated just how important he really is to this Celtic team.



Daizen Maeda


Usually a somewhat divisive player, Maeda's performance at Ibrox will not have split opinion. He was relentless down the left-hand side with the winger forcing James Tavernier into a mistake that ultimately led to Celtic's opening goal after just 25 seconds.


His work rate across the 90 minutes was commendable as he did his best to stifle Tavernier all afternoon, arguably Rangers' best creative outlet.


Whilst he may be lacking in technical ability, he makes up for that with his running, and he left it all on the line at Ibrox on Sunday.


James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie

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