It’s not often Brendan Rodgers is on the losing side as Celtic manager, in fact the 3-0 defeat against Rangers was their first of the Scottish Premiership campaign.
Despite their shock scoreline at Ibrox, Rodgers’ men still hold an 11 point advantage at the league summit.
Other than a 7-1 humbling from Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League and a loss at Tynecastle with 10-men, it had been a pretty flawless 2024 for Celtic.
But 2025 began in the worst possible manner. And Rodgers didn't shy away from crediting Rangers as he criticised his team for failing to show their true selves.
Asked if it was a strange feeling in the Hoops dressing room after they were thrashed by their arch-rivals, Rodgers admitted the overall sense of disappointment.
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“Yes, clearly it's a disappointment, he said.
“I've always said that for us, win, lose or draw, it's a safe space.
“We can reflect on that. It's a really, really disappointing performance. I think that's what the players will feel.
“We didn't show the personality of the team, we didn't show the mentality of the team in that performance today.
“But you've got to give Rangers credit. They've won the game, we have to accept that and as a collective, evaluate, recover and now get to our next game.”
