Rangers' Ben Davies has opened up about the aftermath of their defeat to Celtic, revealing who took charge in the dressing room. The Ibrox defender was left reeling as his team's title hopes were all but extinguished by their Old Firm rivals.
With a win needed to draw level at the top of the table with two games remaining, Philippe Clement's side had everything to play for. Despite the high stakes, Rangers fell short with another lacklustre start.
In the three previous Old Firm clashes this season, the Light Blues conceded the first goal. Despite Clement's warnings against a slow start in such a crucial match, the message seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Fabio Silva missed two opportunities against the run of play early on, while Rangers struggled at the other end. A lapse in defence allowed Celtic's Matt O'Riley to score the decisive opening goal, and John Lundstram's failed attempt to intercept a Daizen Maeda cross left them with a mountain to climb once again.
Last month at Ibrox, Clement's squad staged a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to snatch a draw, and they were momentarily buoyed when Cyriel Dessers narrowed the gap. However, Lundstram's reckless challenge on Alistair Johnston dashed any hopes of a turnaround, leaving the team with an insurmountable task.
Rangers dejection after Celtic defeat (Image: GETTY)
The gaffer expressed his exasperation with yet another sluggish start, and post-match, Davies echoed the sentiment. Having trailed by two goals in each of his three Old Firm clashes, the defender lamented: "We would have liked to have started the game better and taken the lead, but that wasn't the case."
Davies went on to reflect on the uphill battle after being reduced to men, saying: "I think it is difficult when you play half the game with 10 men and stay in the game for that long. But I thought that we showed character in the second half, stuck together and stayed in the game for as long as we could looking for that opportunity at the end."
Despite being largely starved of possession in the latter half and Celtic's numerous attempts to put the game beyond reach, including a penalty, Clement commended his players for their tenacity and keeping the pressure on until the final moments.
Jack Butland's penalty save from O'Riley was pivotal for Stoke, but manager Michael O'Neill was proud of his players' fighting spirit despite the defeat.
"They didn't give up and it would have been easier to give up in an environment without fans, being behind and with ten men. At least we kept on going. We tried to create a second goal and stayed in it until the last second of the game."
O'Neill acknowledged the tension in the closing stages: "Nobody in the stadium was relaxed until the end but we couldn't get it over the line. We need to play 90 minutes like we played the last 70. They know they can do it, they have done it before. In parts of the game they did it, even with 10 men. We were then not out of the game but it was much more difficult. The positive side is that the team again showed resilience."
Defender Ben Davies echoed his manager's sentiments: "It was a difficult afternoon. I thought we started the game okay. We then conceded two goals, but I thought we did really well to bounce back and get a goal back straight away.
"Obviously the second half was difficult. We just had to stay in the game for as long as we could and then try and nick something, like we did the last time we were at Parkhead when we were down to 10 men. We created chances and were hoping we could get something towards the end and then go from there. But it wasn't to be."
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As the Celtic camp erupted in jubilation at full-time, the Rangers' away dressing room was a picture of sheer desolation and fatigue. Reflecting on the atmosphere post-match, Davies shared: "I think we left everything out there in the second-half. There were a lot of tired bodies, so we let the manager speak. We are going to let it settle and then go from there."
The road to recovery begins with a clash against Dundee at home for Rangers. Despite the slim chances of overturning a six-point and seven-goal deficit with just two games left, the team must press on.
Securing wins against Dundee and subsequently Hearts at Tynecastle this Saturday may not be enough to alter their fortunes. However, with the Scottish Cup Final against Celtic looming at Hampden Park the following Saturday, Clement's squad needs to swiftly overcome their Parkhead sorrow.
Davies is focused on taking things one step at a time, yet he's acutely aware of the importance of being battle-ready for the decisive showdown at the National Stadium. He acknowledged: "The Scottish Cup final is in two weeks, we have got two league games before that which we need to win both of. Then we have got a week to prepare for the cup final."