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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

When is the soonest Celtic can win the title after beating Rangers?

Celtic emerged victorious from their latest derby clash with Rangers this afternoon.

A brace from Kyogo and one from Jota was enough for the Hoops to claim all three points against their arch-Glasgow rivals.

They didn't have it all their own way though, as Michael Beale's side ran them all the way to the final whistle, with the game finishing 3-2 to the Scottish champions.

Ultimately though, the Hoops got the win - and it took them one step closer to lifting the league title. 

They now boast a 12-point advantage over Rangers in second spot. 

So, it's very much a matter of when and not if Celtic retains their Premiership crown.

With that in mind, here are some possible scenarios with regard to when Celtic could be crowned champions.

Pre-split

It seems unlikely, but it is of course now possible for Celtic to win the league prior to the split. 

Celtic are on 88 points after the win over Rangers. With only 21 points left to play, they're 12 points ahead of their city counterparts.

Should the Hoops beat Kilmarnock at Rugby Park next Sunday, they could in theory clinch the title with victory over Motherwell in the final game pre-split on April 22.

However, in order for this scenario to happen, they would need some help from other teams.

If Rangers were to lose both of their final pre-split matches against St Mirren and Aberdeen, then a win and a draw would be sufficient for Postecoglou's men to seal the win.

Even if Rangers managed to pick up two points - or even just a single point - from their final two games, Celtic would then win the title with two victories from their own matches.

With all that said, if the Ibrox side were even to win one of their games in the coming weeks, that would prevent the Hoops from clinching the title before the split.

Post-split

This scenario is far more realistic given both sides' red-hot league form.

Assuming that both teams do maintain that form, that would see the 12-point gap in play going into the final five post-split games.

So, with just 15 points remaining to play for at that stage, it means Celtic could potentially clinch the title in their first game after the split. This is scheduled for the weekend of May 6/7.

Again though, this is probably unlikely. That first fixture would need to be the final derby game of the season at Ibrox, and the Hoops would then need to win.

It's hard to imagine the SPFL scheduling the game with this possibility looming.

Alternatively, if they end up facing another team in the first post-split fixture, the only way Celtic could claim the title that day would be with victory and Rangers slipping up in their respective game.

So, perhaps the most realistic timescale would come on matchday two of the top six schedule.

The Hoops could win the title with a win on the weekend of May 13/14 regardless of Rangers' result, with only nine points left on offer past that stage.

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