Celtic 0 - 1 Rangers: Rangers offer their supporters hope of avoiding another moribund championship challenge next season.

Celtic 0-1 Rangers

Ehiogu 50

El Gran Clasico this was not. Rangers' victory, after six fruitless attempts in the Glasgow epic, offered their long-suffering supporters hope of avoiding another moribund championship challenge next season.

Less than 24 hours after La Liga's finest, Barcelona and Real Madrid, had contested a mesmerising 3-3 draw, Rangers recorded their first win at Celtic Park since February 20, 2005. This had all the aesthetic and artistic merit of the Ultimate Fighting Championships but was equally engaging.

For Rangers, the manner of victory was incidental. This result was more important for its psychological benefits than a mere three points.

It was a throwback derby for Walter Smith. After a nine-year hiatus from management at Rangers, he rediscovered the winning formula that so exasperated Tommy Burns. Celtic played the more attractive football, and ought to have had a penalty when Aiden McGeady was fouled by the unlikely match-winner, Ugo Ehiogu, but after the centre-back's 50th-minute overhead kick, Rangers' belief grew immeasurably.

Mindful of Rangers' personnel limitations, Smith tempered the optimism after the result. "Maybe today we gave an indication that we are getting there, a little bit," he said. "There is no other way for Rangers, we have to offer a more sustained challenge. Celtic have shown atremendouslevelof consistency and we have to match our closest rivals."

Celtic will now have to postpone their title celebrations until after the international break, against Dundee United, at the earliest.

Gordon Strachan bemoaned the wastefulness in front of goal during a dominant first half. Kenny Miller, who on Friday lamented his lack of action in big games, vindicated the manager's decision to overlook him.

Not much has survived from the shortlived Paul Le Guen era, but Smith, in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the calamitous collective contribution against Osasuna, made two changes reminiscent of the Frenchman's ill-fated reign.

Filip Sebo has become a byword for incompetence since his £1.8m transfer from Austria Vienna. With only two goals, the striker has been a haunted figure, stunned as much by the physical demands of Scottish football as the cruelty of its observers. He has taken on cult status at Ibrox, a recognition of his workrate if not scoring rate. Across the city, he is the embodiment of Rangers' suffering. He and Kenny McDowall, a former Parkhead employee, were cheered as they clambered off the team bus.

Sebo's inclusion was a welcome surprise to some Celtic fans who had been saving a banner for a rare sighting. "Van Vossen, Andre Flo, Konterman, Capucho, Seeebo: The legends just keep coming" it read.

Rarely has a laughing stock tried to recover his reputation in such unforgiving surroundings. He replaced Kris Boyd, Rangers' leading goalscorer and his unpretentious style was used at the front of a 4-2-3-1, another relic of Le Guen's flawed revolution. He provided prodigious industry, but often to little tangible effect. His remit was irritation, not inspiration.

"It's hard asking the same players to play five games in 13 days, especially a lone striker and the wide players," explained Smith, who also omitted Chris Burke from his squad and restored Allan McGregor. "Filip covered a lot of running on his own, put himself about and I think he did well."

Smith has little option but to be pragmatic. Taking on Celtic at their own game, expansive and enterprising football, is beyond the distant challengers. Thus, Rangers began robustly, absorbing Celtic's many and varied attacks while keeping McGregor's goal intact. Weir and Ehiogu would earn their corn but twice Miller was presented a clear shot on goal by Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and finished meekly.

McGeady tried to test Alan Hutton's fragile confidence, fizzing a shot just past McGregor's far post, producing a save and pinging over a couple of tantalising crosses, but in the main Hutton coped well. The winger aside, the champions elect lacked vitality after their San Siro exertions.

Ehiogu evoked memories of his past career as a reputable internationalist with his first command performance since moving from Middlesbrough. His contribution at the other end was a reward for acrobatic speculation. Having toiled to carve out a single noteworthy shot throughout the first half, Rangers forged an unlikely lead within minutes of the restart. Celtic inadequately cleared a Charlie Adam corner and from the resultant penalty-box ping-pong, Ehiogu's overhead kick was flung helplessly into the top corner by Artur Boruc.

Celtic lacked invention and became embroiled in attrition. Nacho Novo's sprightliness prevented Lee Naylor making his trademark shuttle runs into enemy territory, the Spaniard Rangers' most dynamic performer. Sebo's willingness kept McManus, Steven Pressley and, latterly, Darren O'Dea occupied, if rarely threatened, until Dado Prso replaced him.

The captains, Barry Ferguson and Neil Lennon, sacrificed themselves as duelling positional pawns, while Evander Sno was crowded out by the protective layer of Brahim Hemdani and Kevin Thomson.

Thomson, in tandem with Ian Murray, closed down the space afforded to Shunsuke Nakamura. The Japanese playmaker was restricted to set-plays in Celtic's pursuit of parity. Their labours were in vain. For Rangers, the result offers a template for future prosperity.