'Nae drama': Celtic ace on Nicolas Raskin battle and why Ibrox draw changes 'mini narrative'

Despite leading by 17 points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, the champions came into Sunday’s derby clash with Rangers looking to halt a run of three successive defeats to their fierce rivals, and were able to do so when a 57th-minute strike from Adam Idah cancelled out Cyriel Dessers’ opener just before the half-time break.

While Brendan Rodgers’ men were unable to find the winner that would have completed the turnaround, McGregor believes the team’s performance proved his Celtic teammates know exactly what is at stake when it comes to facing Rangers at Ibrox.

“I thought we imposed ourselves on the game really well,” said McGregor. “A lot more like us than what we have been [in previous games vs Rangers]. We were actually pretty comfortable in the game, we created some really good situations. Probably on another day, we could have won the game as well. It’s a tough place to come, the games on a balance and a knife-edge and could go either way. So it’s important that once you get yourself back in the game, you don’t lose it.

“We probably feel a little bit hard done by that we haven’t gone on and won it. Which probably shows our mentality, but it is important to cross that mini narrative that was going around. That sets up back on an even keel, we finish the season strong, want another trophy, go to the summer and fresh from there. We can be happy with what we did today.”

Adam Idah Celtic verdict

The Hoops skipper also hailed Republic of Ireland international Idah, with the striker turning up when it matters most for the champions despite missing a gilt-edged chance in the opening 45, while he detailed the reasons he enjoyed the battle with Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin in Govan.

“He’s making a habit of scoring in big games and that’s what you want from your striker,” said McGregor. “If you miss a chance, no problem, keep your head down, keep working hard and you’ll get another chance. He showed that in the second-half, he got us back into the game at a really good time. The VAR stuff, the wait is worth is when you come out on the right side of it, so it’s part of of the game now. Hopefully with the technology, we get more right than we do wrong.

Nicolas Raskin Rangers drama

“It’s football, isn’t it? We’re both want to win, the game is emotional, bits in the game you’re just trying to get an edge here and there. Sometimes it spills over a wee bit, but it’s nae drama. You have to play the game on the edge, it’s a big game, you want to win, you know what’s on the line, something these things boil over but there was nothing in it. It shows we are competitive and we want to win

“You have to manage the emotion of the game, you have to manage the crowd. It is so important, in these games if you just go and try and play football, you have to have an edge as well. Wee bits like that help you and change the atmosphere. You try and use your experience in these games. We’ve come away with a good point from a difficult place. “