Lennon: We were better team and deserved to win

RANGERS and Celtic will replay their Scottish Cup fifth-round tie after a pulsating encounter at Ibrox ended with both sides down to 10 men after sharing four goals.

It was the first time in 47 years that the home side had hosted Celtic in a Scottish Cup tie but seldom in the intervening time could this famous fixture have produced such an afternoon of drama.

Light Blues’ midfielder Jamie Ness began the mayhem when he scored his first Rangers goal in the third minute with a thundering drive from outside the box.

Old Firm debutant Kris Commons levelled in the 15th minute before Steven Whittaker regained the Light Blues’ advantage after Hoops keeper Fraser Forster had been sent off for bringing down Steven Naismith in the box.

Celtic refused to be beaten though and skipper Scott Brown equalised in the 64th minute before Naismith, booked in the first half for a foul on Mark Wilson, was sent off for simulation inside the visitors’ penalty area.

When the final whistle sounded it was Celtic fans and manager Neil Lennon who celebrated the result and after dominating for most of the game they will fancy their chances at home in the replay.

Celtic captain Scott Brown echoed that feeling: “We’ll take 2-2 and take them back to Celtic Park,” he said.

The match saw the debut of El Hadji Diouf for Rangers and the Senegal international, who had been infamously fined and suspended in 2003 for spitting at a Celtic fan at Parkhead when he played for Liverpool, was involved in a confrontation with Brown which saw the Celtic midfielder booked.

But Celtic boss Neil Lennon said Diouf, who was booed by the Celtic fans throughout, only had himself to blame.

“It’s all of his own making,” Lennon said. “Its nothing to do with my players if he wants to be a cheerleader for the crowd.”

He added: “We regrouped (after Forster’s sending off) and took the game by the scruff of the neck.”

Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist played down Diouf’s treatment from the Celtic fans and players. He said: “He handled it fine, I just thought he got on with the game.”

McCoist thought his team underperformed, having twice taken the lead and enjoyed a man advantage for a significant portion of the game.

“I’m a little bit disappointed, especially in the second half. We started the game very well and were unlucky not to be two-up in the first five minutes,” he said.

“(I was) disappointed in the wide areas, Celtic’s full-backs dictated play an awful lot more than we would have liked today.

“There’s always a danger when you don’t finish a team off that they’ll come back and bite you.”

The result means the Glasgow giants have set up a seventh Old Firm match this season, with the pair also due to play in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final, in addition to their four Scottish Premier League games.