Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty hit a late winner against Inverness

Rangers survived a second-half onslaught from Inverness to extend their Scottish Premier League lead over Celtic to seven points.

Carlos Bocanegra slid in to put the home side ahead on 55 minutes after Nikica Jelavic chested the ball down.

Andrew Shinnie levelled from close range for Inverness controversially, as Jelavic was injured in the build-up.

The visitors were well on top, but Kyle Lafferty’s 18-yard effort on 83 minutes sealed victory.

Ally McCoist’s men threatened for the first time after 10 minutes. Gregg Wylde’s classy cross found the head of defender Steven Whittaker eight yards out, only for Inverness goalkeeper Ryan Esson to spring to his right and pull off a stunning save.

However, the Highland outfit were not fazed and set about silencing the Ibrox crowd. Lee Cox accelerated away from Bocanegra and drove the ball across the face of the goal, but Kyle Bartley was on hand to clear for the home side.

There then came strong Inverness appeals for a penalty midway through the opening 45 minutes as the ball hit the hand of Jelavic in the box from Richie Foran’s flick-on, but referee Bobby Madden was not persuaded.

Rangers manager McCoist brought on Lee McCulloch for Maurice Edu at half-time to shake up the midfield. He was forced into another change minutes later when Alejandro Bedoya was replaced by Lafferty after appearing to pick up an injury.

There was a second appeal for a penalty from the visitors when striker Billy McKay claimed he was held by Bartley inside the Rangers penalty area.

However, they were again denied a spot-kick and the league leaders made the most of their reprieve.

Lee Wallace sent a ball to the back post which Jelavic chested down and knocked into the path of Bocanegra, who stole in in at the angle of the six-yard box to put Rangers ahead.

Sasa Papac came agonisingly close to doubling his side’s advantage as he got the break of the ball from a challenge on Jelavic and smashed a left-foot shot from 30 yards against Esson’s crossbar.

That changed the flow of the game as Inverness were to equalise in controversial circumstances soon after.

Jelavic was injured in a challenge from Roman Golobart but the game raged on and both sides had chances to put the ball out of play.

Andrew Shinnie converted from close range after some smart work from Gregory Tade and it was game on.

The action was frenetic in the second period and Caledonian Thistle had three great chances to take three points.

Firstly, McKay rounded Allan McGregor but could only hit his shot off outside of the post, before Lee Wallace cleared off the line from Jonny Hayes.

McKay then had another opportunity to beat the Rangers goalkeeper but could only shoot straight at the Scotland international.

Inverness were made to pay a heavy price for those missed opportunities as Lafferty conjured up an 18-yard strike out of nothing to shoot the Light Blues ahead and leave the Highlanders heartbroken.

(BBC Football)

 Celtic boss Neil Lennon: Banner bampots ruined our best Euro away day since Anfield

Dec 17 2011 by Keith Jackson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celtic fans set off flares and display offensive flag at Udinese match

NEIL LENNON wanted to talk about his players yesterday. Having slept on it, he had concluded that the standard they set with their display against Udinese in Italy on Thursday night was last matched by a Celtic side at Anfield on that glory run to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.

That was quite an assertion, especially coming from the man who was the heartbeat of that all-conquering Martin O’Neill unit.

And yet, by Lennon’s own rage-fuelled admission, it paled into insignificance all because of the mindless actions of a group of renegade Celtic supporters who, in the manager’s own words, have become an “embarrassment” to his football club and his players.

“Apoplectic” was another word the Parkhead boss used to describe the intensity of his own internal fury now the footballing world is looking at his club and shaking its head in dismay.

What on earth were these people thinking when they smuggled in the banner and the smoke bombs which have done so much damage to the reputation of the club they purport to love? Are they actually intent on making Celtic the pariah of the European game and the No.1 target on UEFA’s list of bad guys?

All of this was rushing through Lennon’s head yesterday when he ought to have been basking a little more on what happened ON the field at the Stadio Friuli against Serie A high-flyers Udinese.

And he was not at all pleased.

“I am very angry because we should be talking about the players and their efforts,” was Lennon’s starter for 10 as he launched into a character assassination of the lame brains whose actions will most probably see shame-faced Celtic dragged back into the dock.

Lennon added: “The lads gave everything last night but today we are talking about a group of people who are just hellbent on damaging the club’s reputation.

“So to say I’m upset about it would be putting it mildly.

“I don’t know if we are going to be charged, or if we’ll have to face a disciplinary hearing or not, but it’s the last thing the club needed after all they have done over the past 10 or 20 years.”

No wonder Lennon’s ire was boiling over. He has tried to reason with this lunatic fringe of the Green Brigade and had even offered to meet with them in person in a bid to persuade them to put the club’s best interests first.

Now – by overshadowing the efforts of his players – they have committed what the manager considers to be the ultimate betrayal. He said: “I don’t know if it is those people who are involved or not. I don’t know who these people are. But I’m sure they’ll be singled out soon and done away with.

“It was our best (away performance) since Liverpool and I was so proud. We were unfortunate not to go through.

“That’s what makes the other stuff so galling. These people are embarrassing me and my backroom staff. They are embarrassing the board, they are embarrassing the club, they are embarrassing 99 per cent of the support. But most importantly of all they are embarrassing the players.”

Lennon had been blissfully unaware of what was going on in the end where an 800-strong Celtic support had been housed.

His focus had been entirely fixed on attempting to mastermind the win which would have secured a place in the last 32 of the Europa League. It was as he was attempting to deal with the disappointment of coming up just a couple of inches and a penalty decision short that he learned of the latest self-inflicted humiliation.

He said: “I was only aware of it later on when people were sending me photographs of it.

“It’s just ridiculous – I’m apoplectic with anger. Last night should have been a celebration.

“We should have been talking about the good things.

“If I was in a room with these guys right now what I would say to them wouldn’t be for public consumption. That’s how angry I am about it.

“I’m pretty sure the majority of the players won’t even understand what it’s all about or why a group of fans would do something like this. I don’t know what sort of point they were trying to prove because it’s absolutely fruitless.”

But at least Lennon can still reflect on a point well proved on the park, where his side produced an almost heroic performance.

He would have been purring about it all the way home yesterday if only he’d been given the chance. Lennon said: “The performance is what we should be talking about.

“The way they went about the game and the positivity. They didn’t sit back and defend, they got on the front foot and created quality chances.

“But for a bit of luck we could have scored two or three goals.”

Modesty prevented Lennon from talking up his own part. “I’m not big on tactics,” was how he swatted away suggestions that he too had proved himself with his carefully thought-out formation. This too was a triumph for Lennon but yesterday didn’t seem the time to celebrate.

He did, though, go on to at least half-acknowledge his own part in Thursday’s breathtaking game.

Lennon added: “Udinese play with three centre-halves and what you don’t want is one centre forward chasing them about.

“It was basically a diamond formation with Beram Kayal at the bottom and James Forrest at the top. Forrest was very important in that system to get on the ball and move into little pockets.

“That’s why Ki was in there because we knew he’d find him. With Kayal and Scott Brown they had fantastic energy to fend off runners.”

Now all eyes and ears head to St Johnstone tomorrow.

Lennon wants his players to bring their European display back to the SPL while demanding that the fans do anything but.

He said: “That’s up to the supporters themselves. But a lot of people back home feel the same as ourselves – very, very disappointed.”

(daily record)