It was one of the most eagerly awaited Old Firm derby games in years. The hype around this Rangers team and Steven Gerrard has been massive.

A terrific European campaign which has led them to the Europa League group stages has had the Rangers fans finally believing in their team again. But yesterday was always going to be the acid test for the new look Rangers.

They travelled to Parkhead to pit their wits against a Celtic team who, on the contrary, have not only had an indifferent start to the season on the park but more tellingly off it. Celtic looked on the face of it vulnerable and for the taking. What transpired over the 90 minutes was a performance so dominant from the home team that the hype and confidence that has been steadily built up by Gerrard’s side was blown away in a green and white whirlwind.

The last two times Rangers have visited their great rivals' stadium they have been hammered 4-0 and 5-0. So you could say that a 1-0 defeat is certainly no disgrace and a step in the right direction. But in all honesty this could easily have been another heavy defeat were it not for an outstanding performance by Alan McGregor.

Unfortunately on the day I felt that Rangers froze for the first hour of the game and paid Celtic far too much respect. I can’t believe that even a novice manager such as Gerrard would have sent his team out tactically to sit on the edge of their own box, play for a 0-0 and thump long hopeful balls up to Lafferty and Morelos.

Rangers showed no courage on the ball to get on it and play. In any derby game, yes you cannot get bullied physically, but when you get the chance to gain possession you need to pass the ball and show for your team-mate. To be brave is not to go and smash someone. It’s to get on the ball under pressure. Rangers just didn’t do it. The back four sat so deep it was frightening but they couldn’t get up the park because the two strikers were really poor and couldn’t hold the ball up at all. They were both dominated by Dedryck Boyata and Kristoffer Ajer. Ironically after Celtic got the opening goal from the imperious Olivier Ntcham, Rangers actually started to get some joy and create a couple of chances. The shackles were off and they had to go and score a goal. But by then it was too late. With six Rangers players and their manager making their debut in this fixture, it was always going to be a big ask to go and get a result, but the manner in which they lost the game will have worried the Rangers punters.

On the other side I thought Celtic looked right back to their best. Under Brendan Rodgers, every time a big question has been asked domestically it has been answered emphatically. Especially in this fixture. A lot of Celtic fans were bitterly disappointed to lose Moussa Dembele in the dying embers of the transfer window but the jewel in the Parkhead crown and a player who could go for even more money than Dembele is Ntcham.

At just 22 years of age, Ntcham really does have a terrific future in front of him. The composure he showed on the ball at such a young age in the pressure cooker of an Old Firm game was breathtaking. Time after time he started Celtic attacks and crowned a magnificent individual performance with the winning goal. The £4.5m that Celtic paid Manchester City looks like outstanding business and if he continues in his current vein of form, some huge clubs will surely come knocking.

The gap that many proclaimed had closed considerably between Celtic and Rangers still looks wide. Until Rangers go and actually beat Celtic I don’t believe that the players and fans at Ibrox will truly believe they can win the league. They played with no belief at Parkhead yesterday despite the euphoria of the European run. If you strip it down this is actually Rangers' worst start to a league season since 1989. That will be a worry. But on the flip side Rangers did go on to win the league that season. For Gerrard’s men to repeat that they will need to lower the colours of their fiercest rivals at some point. On yesterday’s display that still looks a long way away.

And another thing

Both Dundee and St Mirren continue to struggle badly in the Ladbrokes Premiership. The pressure is now building on both Neil McCann and Alan Stubbs. Some big names recently knocked back the Falkirk job. Is it because they feel a bigger job is just around the corner?