Roy Keane shuts down Rangers raving from Ian Wright (2025)

Wright was impressed with the hammer and tong Old Firm derby but Keane wasn't having the theory Rangers are on the Hoops' level

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Roy Keane has his own theory on why Rangers were able to beat Celtic in the last derby – and wasn't having Ian Wright's suggestion that the Glasgow rivals are like 'Real Madrid and Barcelona.'

Rangers sealed back-to-back league wins over the Hoops and their first win at Parkhead in half a decade when Hamza Igamane struck late on to secure a 3-2 win last month.

Ultimately it did little for the title race, with Celtic remaining firmly in charge and on course for a fourth successive league title.

But it did feel like a big one for the visitors, in front of a substantial away support for the first time in years in a derby, and with club legend Barry Ferguson in the dugout.

Arsenal legend Wright watched it and he was certainly impressed. Speaking with former Celtic midfielder Keane on the Stick to Football podcast, he said: “A game I saw, Roy, was the Old Firm derby a couple of weeks ago when Rangers won 3-2. It was a game.

"It was end to end, players trying, tackles flying, no-one got booked for 35 minutes, the VAR didn't get involved in it. And it wasn't like, oh my God, it's Real Madrid and Barcelona.

"It was Celtic and Rangers and they were going for it. And it was one of the most entertaining games I've seen for a long time.”

But that slight suggestion that the rivals were on a par wasn't quite flying for Keane who was quick to clarify the circumstances were out of the ordinary.

And he reckons that, had it been a game Celtic needed to win, it would have been a different story.

Keane said: “Yeah, but the situation was that Celtic already have won the league, so Rangers are going to come and have a go, aren’t they?

"When we're watching games, our teams, like just United at the moment, or even City, their focus is more about not losing than going to win. That was definitely the case on Sunday. I know it's not the case every time (Celtic and Rangers) play.”

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