Ledley the hero as Celtic rise above Rangers
The key moment of the first half came when Rangers midfielder Lee Wallace’s early header may have crossed the line before Hoops keeper Fraser Forster clawed it back.
Asked for his thoughts on whether Wallace’s header had gone over the line, Celtic boss Neil Lennon said: “I’m not too sure. Is the whole of the ball over the line? Possibly.
“We had an offside decision against (Gary) Hooper so it was one apiece there.”
However, Rangers manager Ally McCoist felt his side were wrongly denied that opening goal, arguing Wallace’s sixth-minute header had gone over the line.
Watching a replay of the incident, McCoist said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt the ball is over the line but sometimes you get them and sometimes you don’t. We didn’t get that one.”
However, after Ledley buried his header from a Charlie Mulgrew corner into the back of the net seven minutes after the break, the home side stamped their superiority on the game and ran out deserved winners.
It was Celtic’s ninth SPL win in a row and confirmed the turnaround in fortunes since November 5, when they were 15 points behind the champions, albeit with two games in hand.
However Lennon claimed he was always confident his side would haul themselves back into the title race.
Lennon said: “I always believed we would get back in. It has come quicker than we expected.
“You know over he course of the season that Rangers can’t maintain the form they were showing at the start of the season. Injuries and suspensions bite in.
“At the minute we are in a good place but it changes nothing. All it does is psychologically give us a lift going into the new year.”
Neil Lennon’s men look to have the bit between their teeth while struggling Rangers have it all to do to recapture their form and on the evidence of last night, that is likely to need fresh faces when the January transfer window opens.
Celtic skipper Scott Brown tried to intimidate Lee Wallace as they lined up for kick-off, staring intensely at the Rangers midfielder.
However, in the seventh minute Wallace’s header at the back post from an Aluko cross looked like it may have crossed the line before Forster forced it back onto the post.
As the driving wind gave way, but only a little, to torrential rain, Celtic took the initiative.
Brown had a drive from 14 yards saved by Allan McGregor before Hoops striker Georgios Samaras had the ball in the Light Blues’ net only to be ruled offside.
The conditions continued to dominate the game but in the 24th minute, after Aluko’s corner from the left had been headed goalwards by striker Nikica Jelavic, Rangers defender Carlos Bocanegra inadvertently helped the ball over the bar from two yards.
However, the Hoops had the best of the possession and in the 35th minute Hooper took a Samaras knock-down, turned and forced McGregor into another save before James Forrest blazed an angled drive over the bar following a corner.
Both sides went at each other from the start of the second half but it was Celtic who struck after McGregor had tipped a great drive from Forrest over the bar for a corner.
From Mulgrew’s delivery from the right, Ledley rose high in a packed penalty area to direct his header past the Rangers keeper.
Ledley said afterwards: “It’s a great feeling. I thought we played well from the off and dominated.
“It was a good team performance and I’m glad I got the goal.
“We always believe in ourselves. We didn’t have the best start to the season but we have moved on from there.
“We have played some great football at times, as we did today.”
The complexion of the game changed immediately after Ledley’s goal.
Rangers were on the ropes, trying desperately to stem the green and white tide and the Ibrox side were lucky to escape when Hooper appeared to be wrongly flagged offside as he raced clear of the visiting defence.
Aluko was replaced by Wylde after 66 minutes as McCoist tried to inspire a response from his side which came in the form of a couple of spectacular efforts from Jelavic, one of which flew over the bar and the other into the arms of Forster.
In the 76th minute Celtic midfielder Beram Kayal went off injured on a stretcher, to be replaced by Ki, after a clash with McCulloch which originally looked to have hurt the Ibrox player more.
Moments later, McCulloch and Wallace went off to be replaced by Edu and David Healy, who was soon booked for a scything touchline tackle on Forrest.
As the game entered the final stages, and Celtic had not sealed the win, the tension increased and the visitors looked in danger of losing the plot.
With four minutes remaining Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty was booked for a late challenge on Matthews before Anthony Stokes replaced Hooper.
There were five added minutes but Rangers, desperate as they were, failed to threaten Forster, leaving Celtic deserved winners and league leaders going into 2012.
Elsewhere, Hibernian manager Pat Fenlon endured a frustrating night as his side were held 1-1 at home to Inverness. Fenlon’s men got the perfect start when Garry O’Connor slotted home after only eight minutes for his 11th of the season but that was cancelled out in the 41st minute by a Johnny Hayes strike.
Both sides had chances to win it in the second period, Hibs having three stoppage-time corners but Inverness held firm as the spoils were shared.
SPL Results: Aberdeen 0-0 Hearts; St. Johnstone 2-0 Kilmarnock; St. Mirren 2-2 Dundee United.
CELTIC: Forster, Matthews, Rogne, Mulgrew, Ledley, Brown, Kayal (Ki Sung-Yeung 77), Wanyama, Forrest, Samaras, Hooper (Stokes 86). RANGERS: McGregor, Broadfoot, Bartley, Bocanegra, Papac, Aluko (Wylde 66), McCulloch (Edu 79), Davis, Wallace (Healy 79), Jelavic, Lafferty.
Referee: William Collum (Scotland).
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