Celtic v Rangers data proves Ange Postecoglou assessment correct

Kyogo Furuhashi put the Hoops ahead with a superb swivel and finish in the 26th minute before James Tavernier levelled matters with a direct free-kick on the cusp of half-time.

The champions moved in front again when Kyogo pounced just after the hour mark and they extended their advantage to 3-1 just 10 minutes later when Jota rounded Allan McGregor and slotted home.

Rangers captain Tavernier pulled another one back for the visitors in the 79th minute but it was Ange Postecoglou's men who won the day and all but secured their second successive title in the process.

The Australian made just one change from the win over Ross County a week prior. With Reo Hatate ruled out through injury in came Aaron Mooy, himself embroiled in a fitness race ahead of the game, and out went Tomoki Iwata.

Iwata would make an appearance from the bench, coming on for a toiling Mooy in the 61st minute, while Sead Haksabanovic, David Turnbull, Alexandro Bernabei and Oh Hyeon-gyu all joined him in featuring as substitutes.

Here, The Celtic Way rounds up the best StatsBomb data from the game to give you a match report like no other...

xG/trendline

"I thought we weren't as crisp with our passing and second-guessed ourselves a little bit at times," Postecoglou asserted post-match. "Having said that, their only real threat was set pieces."

Celtic created 100 per cent of their xG from open play. Rangers, by contrast and in keeping with Postecoglou's assessment, created 60 per cent of their attempts from set-pieces.

Indeed, in total, seven of Rangers' nine attempts were via set-pieces with their best chance of the match Tavernier's headed goal from the second phase of a corner kick.

The race chart above suggests that, for the bulk of the first half. Rangers were incapable of creating any chances - a 29th-minute Malik Tillman 0.01 xG attempt was their only effort until Tavernier's injury-time free-kick goal.

Celtic started quicker, though not by much. They had three attempts in the opening half-hour and scored one - Kyogo's first also counting as the champions' best chance of the match statistically - but managed just one more until the hour mark.

Conversely, Rangers started the second half in a different manner to which they played the first - on the attack. 

The visitors created three chances in quick succession after the break including two of their three 'best' in the game (Morelos's shot that was saved by Joe Hart and his header that hit Ryan Jack).

Celtic enjoyed their best period of creation in the second half between the 60th and 76th minutes while Rangers plateaued. They then switched roles for the remainder of the match with the Ibrox side finishing with four successive attempts without reply, including the second Tavernier goal.

StatsBomb records the final cumulative xG totals at 0.87-0.60 in favour of the visitors, suggesting both sides overperformed in front of goal by scoring thrice and twice respectively.

Notably, by the time the full-time whistle sounded, Celtic had scored all three of their best chances while Rangers netted just one of their top four.

Shots

The champions generated nine shots in total. They scored three from seven attempts on target, while they saw one blocked and one miss. McGregor made four saves.

Celtic managed to create seven chances inside the Rangers penalty area and three were taken from the close, central danger zone. None of their efforts was classified as a mid-to-high-quality xG chance.

Every one of the hosts' nine shots were manufactured from open play.

Rangers also managed nine shots in total, scoring twice from four on target. Again like Celtic, seven of their nine were in the box. Four of those are classified as mid-to-high-quality xG chances.

Four of the Ibrox side's attempts missed while one was blocked and Hart made two saves. Just three attempts were created from open play.

Individually, Jota took the most shots in the match with four. Kyogo and Tavernier followed with three apiece with Morelos the only other player to attempt more than one.

Passing, possession & positions

Celtic enjoyed 54 per cent possession - well below their Premiership average of 71 per cent but above their 50.1 average against Rangers going into this match.

The champions completed 406 of 506 pass attempts for an 80 per cent success rate - six points below their league average of 86 per cent. The Ibrox side managed 323 successful passes from 423 attempts (76 per cent completion, eight points below their league average).

The pass network below gives a sense of where the game was played and who was most involved. The warmer the colour the more influential the player, while the thicker the passing lines the more passes between the players.

StatsBomb measures pass contributions in on-ball value (often referred to as OBV, a term breakdown can be read here).

The defence sat deeper than usual on this occasion - Alistair Johnston in particular was often level with the centre-backs where usually both he and left-back Greg Taylor are almost alongside Callum McGregor in midfield.

Despite that, the Hoops were regularly forming almost a 3-3-4 for much of the match with Matt O'Riley pushed up in support on Kyogo, Daizen Maeda and Jota.

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Jota sends Hoops 12 clear

The Dane was the only Celt with a red-hot node in the game and topped the OBV charts with a remarkable 0.68 score - five times that of the next-best home player Taylor and more than double the best Rangers player Borna Barisic.

Jota rounded off the Celtic OBV top three while it is worth noting that only three Rangers starters returned a positive score compared to nine of the hosts' line-up.

Rangers' shape resembled a rough 2-5-3 with most of their team ice-cold blue except for both full-backs, reinforcing their importance to the way Michael Beale sets his team up to play.

Todd Cantwell topped the overall xGChain while Jota led the way for Celtic. Cameron Carter-Vickers took the most touches in the match with 180.

Creatively, Taylor played the most key passes of anyone in green and white with two. Tavernier topped the lot game-wide with three.

Overall, five different Celts played at least one key pass compared to two Rangers players (full-backs and set-piece takers Tavernier and Barisic).

Pressing and defending

Celtic made 222 pressures to Rangers' 212 and made more pressure regains into the bargain (42 vs 33). The most intense battleground was the champions' left flank and once again the emphasis on both Rangers full-backs is evident.

O'Riley led all players in total pressures with 38. The Dane was also far and away the leader in total pressing duration while there were notable contributions from Kyogo (29), Maeda (25) and Johnston (25). 

Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin were the most persistent Rangers players with 31 apiece.

Ibrox winger Ryan Kent was the top counter-presser with 10 while Kyogo and O'Riley were Celtic's top two in this metric too - with the latter again by far the most active match-wide in total counter-pressing duration.

Unsurprisingly, O'Riley stood out in the traditional defensive metrics too. He racked up a match-high seven tackles, married those with an interception and was not dribbled past. He did, however, give up one foul.

Elsewhere, Johnston returned four tackles, four interceptions and two clearances but was successful in only one of five aerial duels and was dribbled past twice while conceding one foul.

In true defending from the front style, Jota put in a notable shift with a tackle and a joint match-high five interceptions.