Sunday’s Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers proved somewhat an anomaly: a result which pleased both sets of fans, and even the neutral. Rangers overcame the most turbulent month in their club’s history to come out 3-2 victors over their arch-rivals in front of the home support. It was the first good news to come to the club since they went into administration almost five weeks ago, and the fans loved every minute of it. Even the Celtic fans, however, were not too distressed by the outcome. While they would have loved the opportunity to rub winning the league on Ibrox soil in their rivals’ faces, they knew that, win or lose, the title is theirs and now they can enjoy the victory all the more in front of a full home crowd, probably this weekend.

Even the neutral was left with a warm feeling in their heart following the match on Sunday, and that is not a feat often achieved by matchups between the two Glasgow sides. Over the last few years, the derby has provoked far more bad press than it has good.  This year, however, crime was far down from that of previous Old Firm days, and presumably far lower than if Celtic had won the title at Rangers’ stomping ground. Both fans sang in great support for their own team, rather than the usual sectarian abuse we have come to expect from such games. It also proved to be a wonderful game of football. Despite the four red cards the game produced (including Celtic manager, Neil Lennon), it was a far less heated affair than these games often prove to be, possibly because there was less at stake.

Rangers kicked off the scoring early with a superb individual goal following a mazing run through Celtic’s defence from 23 year-old Nigerian forward, Sone Aluko. Signed in January he has proved a real hit with the Ibrox crowd, scoring six goals already, and this will have done nothing to hamper his reputation. The Gers doubled their lead shortly after the break with a close range from Andy Little, who scored with his first touch after coming on off the bench. Lee Wallace bagged their third to seal the win. Celtic proved their fight, however, with two goals right at the death to maintain their dignity and add some drama to the game.

In terms of individual performances, credit must go to 19 year-old Rangers midfielder Rhys McCabe, whose passing and technical skill outclassed that of any other player on the pitch, or indeed the league this weekend. In players such as McCabe, Aluko and Wallace, Rangers fans can be optimistic about their future, should they survive their current financial situation. While the players can be applauded for their attitudes and performances during the match, the referee Calum Murray did not cover himself in glory during the match. All three of the dismissals were questionable, in particular Cha Du-Ri’s, which caused the dismissal of Lennon during the half-time break for questioning the referee’s decision. In the grand scheme of things, however, his decisions did not affect the outcome of the match and the outcome of the match did not ultimately affect the outcome of the league and so his mistakes are forgivable.

All in all, Sunday’s Old Firm proved to be the good advert the Scottish game so desperately needed to see following the turmoil 2012 has brought to Scottish football so far. The bookies had Rangers as 3/1 winners before the match, despite having home advantage and despite being current holders. Everyone loves an underdog story and so no matter your footballing allegiances, everyone was able to smile for once at the outcome of the most fiercely contested derby in world football.