CLOSE. But still nowhere near close enough.

Fifty-six undefeated domestic games had come and gone for Celtic when their team slipped off the M8 and bent around on to Edmiston Drive yesterday afternoon. The time they would spend at Ibrox during an unsurprisingly enthralling afternoon would keep that run going, but perhaps they were made to fight for the latest notch on their incredible record more than previous visits to this neck of the woods.

During Pedro Caixinha’s time in charge at Rangers, his team have not been able to lay a glove on them. In truth they have not looked capable of even pulling the thing on in the first place before being laid out. Here it needed to be different. And, for at least one half, it was.

A high press implemented by the Portuguese upon a team featuring seven Old Firm debutants initially looked as if it would pay off. The memories of that 2-0 loss at Hampden and the subsequent 5-1 embarrassment here only a few days later began to pale amid the blood and thunder of this first encounter of the season. Rangers put themselves about, Celtic’s chances were cutting but sporadic, while the half-time whistle brought encouragement among the majority inside the ground that today could be the day.

However, a dose of reality was not far away. Five second-half minutes and a defensive howler later they were one down thanks to Tom Rogic. Sixteen minutes after that Leigh Griffiths made it two.

The tally was then halted. Celtic could have added to their haul as they popped the ball about while a dejected Rangers went through the motions as their supporters went for an early exit, but some pride can be taken for the manner in which they approached the game. If Alfredo Morelos had buried his header at 1-0 down, it could have been a different story.

As much as Brendan Rodgers made four changes for the team that took to the park at high noon – Dedryck Boyata, Stuart Armstrong, Patrick Roberts and Tom Rogic all came in – every one of them had tasted the flavour of an Old Firm encounter before, most of them never on a losing team. On the other side of the white line, though, it was quite different. Seven newbies filled Rangers shirts, with varying results.

While young Ross McCrorie coped fantastically well with the occasion and had a steadfast first half to frustrate Griffiths, even he, his team’s brightest player, was culpable at the back as Celtic sliced through the home defence. Daniel Candeias was lively but faded, while Carlos Pena remains as much of a mystery as the Bermuda Triangle.

For all the tentative excitement that would follow for the home side, the afternoon started in ominous fashion. Not even a minute was on the clock at Ibrox when Rogic slalomed through the middle of the Rangers half to ping a shot from 30 yards that Wes Foderingham did well to tip over the crossbar. Four minutes on Griffiths sent a curling free-kick dipping just wide on the back of Ryan Jack’s foul on Patrick Roberts as well as sending a header over moments later.

Ironically, it took a rather amusing slide tackle from Josh Windass on his own manager in the technical area for his team to find their feet.

The first roar from the home crowd came on 15 minutes as all eyes fell on Craig Thomson. Morelos darted into the Celtic box before hitting the deck as Jozo Simunovic slid in. Replays showed the Celtic man got little of the ball but the referee waved play on as the Colombian fell over the defender's leg.

Candeias and Tavernier combined well after 16 minutes down the right and, even though the cut-back was eventually cut out, it brought Ibrox to its feet. By this point the central midfield two of Jack and Graham Dorrans were motoring while Celtic had to retreat as Rangers came forward. Morelos would go close on the half-hour, again Tavernier was the provider as his raking ball to the back post missed the sliding Colombian by a whisker.

Roberts retaliated down the right moments later by skinning Lee Hodson with a dummy, but his tight shot from the byeline was straight at Foderingham.

A captivating first half was brought to a halt but not without late controversy. A long punt up the park eventually landed, as did what looked like an elbow from Celtic captain Scott Brown on the face of Morelos in the centre circle. Referee Craig Thomson saw nothing wrong, but it didn’t escape Caixinha who berated Brown as the pair came together at the mouth of the tunnel. Unsurprisingly, Brown appeared unperturbed.

While you could say Rangers held their own in the first period, Celtic stepped up a gear in the second. Their injection of impetus would pay off almost immediately.

Griffiths’ corner was cleared on 50 minutes but only as far as Roberts 25 yards out, who then sclaffed the ball towards a crowded box. It initially made its way beyond Fabio Cardoso and McCrorie who got in each other’s way, before Rogic nipped in ahead of Hodson to lash the ball high into the net from eight yards as the Rangers left-back was left to kick fresh air.

As much as the second goal killed the game off, it was really lost at the other end on 55 minutes. Rangers attempted to rally and got their opening through yet another Tavernier ball to the back post. Substitute Kenny Miller nodded it back across the six-yard box for Morelos to surely score, but Gordon pulled off a jaw-dropping point-blank save to deny the striker his ninth of the season.

Just 11 minutes later and it was lights out. This time the architect was Roberts cutting in off the right wing to thread a brilliant pass to Griffiths - who only moments earlier had been roared at by his manager for an unnecessary foul on Windass - running off Cardoso. McCrorie was left blind sided and the forward would drill his low right foot shot under Foderingham for his 67th goal in 100 league appearances for the Parkhead club.

From then on Celtic were on Easy Street. Fifty-seven games unbeaten. Five hundred days and counting.