A lot has been made of Celtic's strength in depth over the last few weeks, with some of those on the squad's fringes coming in to make a positive impact on the first-team as the title race continues to heat up.
This is something that John Kennedy touched on following Celtic's 3-0 victory away to Livingston, with the assistant manager emphasising how important it is that Celtic are sharing the goals over the last few weeks instead of just relying on a few individuals.
Going into the game at Ibrox, two expected starters were in for the biggest tests of their Celtic careers so far.
Nicolas Kühn has found his feet at Celtic after an underwhelming first few appearances, and Tomoki Iwata has been taking his chances in the team in place of the injured Callum McGregor.
Supporters have been happy with their form over the last few weeks against some of the weaker teams in the division, but the real test would come against Rangers.
With their performances under the microscope, how did the pair fare in their first starts in the Glasgow Derby?
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Tomoki Iwata
This wasn't Iwata's first derby appearance, having had a few cameos from the bench when he was brought on to add a bit more defensive solidity to help see out the games.
On this occasion, however, the Japanese midfielder was given his first start, and Iwata didn't look out of place one bit.
He had a solid first-half performance, clearing up any danger that came his way and preventing potential Rangers attacks.
In the second-half, he was fouled by Tom Lawrence in the build-up to a Cyriel Dessers goal that was eventually disallowed after a VAR review.
As Rangers began to grow into the game in the second-half, Iwata was made to do a lot more running which saw him noticeably tire out in the latter stages of the game.
In all, it was a positive first start in the derby for a man who was celebrating his 27th birthday on the day.
Nicolas Kuhn
This was Nicolas Kühn's first derby appearance, and many supporters were going to be carefully watching his performance, as the jury still seems to be out on the German winger with some supporters.
He didn't make much of an impact in the early stages when Celtic dominated the possession, but his biggest impact on the game was his role in Celtic's second goal. It was Kühn's cross that led to the handball that saw Celtic awarded the penalty, which O'Riley converted in style.
He was rather strangely booked by John Beaton for persistent fouling. Then he couldn't get involved in the second-half as Rangers began to see more of the ball, and the German eventually made way for Yang Hyun-jun after 65 minutes.
With supporters expecting a lot from his first derby outing, it was a quiet afternoon for Kühn who failed to build upon his recent form.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie