Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 in League Cup opener

Rangers secured a decisive 3‑0 victory over Celtic in the first Old Firm clash of the season, a League Cup match that drew 51,212 supporters to Ibrox. Manager Derek McInnes, who has faced intense scrutiny since taking charge, guided his side to a dominant performance that left Martin O’Neill’s team struggling to keep pace. The win was celebrated amid the stadium’s familiar techno soundtrack, with the crowd’s enthusiasm echoing the club’s growing confidence.

The goals came in a concise sequence: captain Dan Neil opened the scoring and then added a second, bookending a second‑half strike from Kevin Kelsy. McInnes’s Rangers displayed a nascent identity centred on relentless physicality and frequent sprinting, even as the quality of the football was uneven at times. The combination of a disciplined work rate and decisive finishing proved sufficient to silence the opposition and secure the win.

With this triumph, Rangers have reinforced their early-season form and set a positive tone for the remainder of the campaign. The victory also signals that McInnes’s approach is taking hold, offering a foundation on which the club can build as it progresses through the League Cup and the Scottish Premiership.