The celebrations around Ibrox were only natural. To come back twice from losing positions against you greatest rivals, particularly when the stakes were so high, and to score an injury-time leveller in doing so provoked an understandable outpouring of emotion from the Rangers players and supporters.

By contrast, the Celtic players trooped off the pitch – after a little bit of argy-bargy – looking somewhat deflated to be leaving hostile territory with just a point to show for their efforts, having been two goals ahead at the interval and having held a lead as the clock ticked past the 90-minute mark.

Once the dust had settled though, and a little perspective applied, the mood in both camps may have been slightly different.

From a Rangers point of view, they were understandably delighted not to have lost the match and subsequently lost the chance to go back to the top of the Premiership when they play their game in hand against Dundee (pitch permitting) on Wednesday night.

However, the realisation may well now have hit them that although they averted disaster, they had also let a huge opportunity slip from their grasp. Had they beaten their rivals, they had a chance to effectively bury Celtic’s title challenge, moving two points clear with a game in hand and leaving the champions needing snookers heading into their final six matches.

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On their own patch, with 50,000 of their own supporters behind them, they never really threatened to do so until after Rabbi Motondo’s sensational leveller. Cyriel Dessers late effort slid the wrong side of Joe Hart’s post though from their point of view, and with it, the upper hand may well have slipped from their grasp too.

If they win at Dens Park, Rangers will pull two points clear of Celtic with both sides having played the same number of games. But to get over the line in the title race - barring slip ups elsewhere from either side in the other five matches they have remaining - they will now have to avoid defeat at Celtic Park, where Sunday’s script will be reversed, and they will be outnumbered 60,000-odd to 11.

They have lost their last three matches at Celtic Park. The last time they managed a draw there was in May 2022, when Fashion Sakala’s goal cancelled out Jota’s opener as Ange Postecoglou’s side maintained their six-point advantage going into their final three games.

Given their improvement under Philippe Clement this season, Rangers will believe they can do so again. And both sides can rightly claim that their Premiership destiny still lies in their own hands. After all, if either side win all of their games - given they have still to play one another - then it is they who will win the title.

The momentum though, which Rangers have held over recent months as they have eaten into Celtic’s advantage since Michael Beale’s dismissal, may just have tipped behind Celtic on Sunday afternoon with the home advantage they enjoy in the final Old Firm fixture.

Before Celtic supporters get too confident though, a note of caution. Celtic have dropped points to teams other than Rangers on eight occasions this season, while Rangers have dropped points to teams other than Celtic in just four matches so far.

Only one of those games – a shock defeat to Motherwell at Ibrox last month – came since the turn of the year, while three of the games Celtic failed to win against the rest of the league have come within that period.

So, it might be said that it isn’t quite as simple as whoever wins the Old Firm fixture will end up winning the league, and it could be argued – statistically at least – that Celtic are far likelier to drop points outside of that clash than Rangers are.

Still, had you offered Brendan Rodgers and his men the opportunity to walk out of Ibrox on Sunday afternoon knowing that six wins from six would bring them the title, they would have bitten your arm off.

It has been tricky at times this season for Rodgers to spin a positive narrative to his players, which contrary to his public rhetoric of late, has been because of their inconsistency, rather than anything to do with the media.

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But they still have a chance to – as he has said previously – write their own story this season. After Sunday’s result, it feels like the chances of a happy ending for Celtic, despite everything, have increased.

It is up to them to go and finish the job now, and if this topsy-turvy season has taught us anything, it is that there are bound to be more twists and turns to come.

Still, having themselves avoided defeat at Ibrox, it is Celtic who now – by the slimmest of margins – must be favourites for the title.