Glasgow Rangers moved to within two points of the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a 1-0 win over their city rivals on Sunday afternoon.

Derek McInnes is the first Light Blues manager in over 40 years to win his first two games in charge against Celtic, having also overseen a 3-0 win over them in the League Cup last weekend.

The Gers have now won their last six successive matches in all competitions, keeping five clean sheets in that time, and have not conceded in any of their last four games.

It was Ryan Naderi's instincts that won the game for the Scottish giants against Celtic on Sunday, as he reacted first to fire into the back of the net after Min-su Kim's long-range effort bounced back out.

Why Ryan Naderi was vital to Rangers' style of play against Celtic

The towering German striker will grab the headlines because of his goal that won the match for Rangers, but it was his all-round game that truly made his performance so impressive.

McInnes wants to play an aggressive style of play with the Gers and that has taken time for players to get used to. Naderi was still getting to grips with it in the early stages of the season, but now he has hit his stride.

The mobility and physicality that the German striker plays is vital to the way that Rangers want to play under the Scottish boss, as evidenced by his performance against Celtic on Sunday.

At face value, losing 13 out of 16 ground duels and ten out of 18 aerial battles may seem like a negative, but it shows how he was able to consistently challenge Celtic players and prevent them from gaining any rhythm in their play.

Naderi did not give the Hoops players a second to breathe, constantly pressing and engaging in duels, and that played a vital role in preventing the hosts from dominating the match and creating chances to equalise.

The new Barry Ferguson played his best game for Rangers

The former Hansa Rostock centre-forward was not the best player on the pitch for the Gers, though, as that honour has to go to a star who looks like the club's new Barry Ferguson.

During his time at Ibrox, Ferguson was a leader with and without the armband in his 424 appearances, winning 17 trophies in total, and Dujon Sterling is following in his footsteps.

The versatile English defender has donned the captain's armband already under McInnes this season, but it was Dan Neil who wore it from the start against Celtic.

Despite not being the official captain for the game, Sterling produced a captain's performance in Ferguson fashion against the Hoops with an incredible defensive display.

The 26-year-old star won 100% of his tackles (4/4) and 100% of his ground duels (6/6) throughout the 90 minutes, as he kept Camilo Duran, Benjamin Nygren, and Kieran Tierney quiet when they came down his side.

Sebastian Tounekti also had no joy against Sterling when he came on for Celtic on the left flank, as he failed with all three of his attempted dribbles in 19 minutes on the pitch.

Sterling won nine of his 13 total duels and made an eye-catching ten ball recoveries without being dribbled past a single time in the 90 minutes, which speaks to the quality and reliability of his defending.

There is an argument to be made that it was his very best performance in a Rangers shirt because it is the first time that he has played in a win and a clean sheet at Parkhead since his move to Ibrox in the summer of 2023.

Sterling played in the 3-0 win over Celtic in the League Cup last weekend, but that was in front of the Gers supporters. It was a different task in a completely hostile environment at Parkhead, and he rose up to the challenge.

He was even better than Naderi in the 1-0 win at Parkhead because of how dominant he was defensively, winning the vast majority of his duels and completely shutting down Celtic's biggest attacking threats.

Sterling has only made 98 appearances in three years with the club, due to injury issues, but his 98th appearance may well be his best to date, due to the performance, the environment, and the opposition.

The experienced defender looks like a new Ferguson-esque figure for the Gers with the aggression, the passion, and the reliability that he plays with, whilst offering a leadership presence without having to wear the armband.