Derek McInnes says Rangers 'exposed' Celtic during Old Firm thrashing

Derek McInnes says his Rangers side 'exposed' Celtic during the Old Firm on Sunday. The Gers knocked their biggest rivals out of the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday with a 3-0 win at Ibrox.

Rangers dominated from start to finish, and it was not something many saw coming, with Celtic having been largely consistent with the exception of their Champions League qualifying second leg, while Rangers have been in good form of late, but they have lacked quality, especially at the top end of the pitch.

Rangers dominated on the pitch, seemingly winning every battle, but it must be said, McInnes dominated Martin O'Neill, too. O'Neill got things wrong with his team selection, and he couldn't adjust during the game.

O'Neill struggled to get to grips with the game during the LASK collapse, and he couldn't stop this particular disaster from unfolding, either.

But there is plenty of credit due for McInnes, who got it right from the start and managed to stay one step ahead of his more experienced opposite number.

"Yeah, I think it’s a good reference," said McInnes after the game. "Obviously, when you’re playing against a team like Celtic, you are not going to get it all your own way.

"I think we had to do so much right in the game to try and find any sort of advantage. I thought we asked a lot of the players today, particularly out of possession, to make sure that they did their work well.

"We had to play with a bit of risk and we exposed them to a lot of one-on-ones in certain areas. But I just felt as though for us to tap into the crowd, we had to go and play the way we did today.

"It’s all right me seeing it in my head how it plays out. The players have to go and deliver the performance — running the hard yards, winning the challenges, winning the one-on-ones.

"We scored goals in good times, something we’ve not been doing. And the quality of the goals were terrific today. I think getting goals in good times helped us. Once we get the third goal, you start to feel that maybe they’re going to get the job done. But we still have work to do against a team like Celtic because it can change."

Celtic now prepare for their Europa League opener on Thursday night and the next Old Firm, which comes in the league at Parkhead next Sunday.