Rangers fans' hopes for a Celtic collapse lasted about three days. The Hoops got back on track, following a goalless draw at the weekend against Dundee United, with a statement 4-0 win over Motherwell. On the other hand, Philippe Clement's side lost 2-1 against St Mirren. The results mean that the gap at the top is now at a season-high 12 points.
There is a lot of football left to be played this season for sure. That being said, it would take a bit of a miracle for Celtic to let slip of this lead, especially with how inconsistent the Rangers have looked throughout the campaign.
Clement's side are struggling to build up any sort of momentum. Whenever they have a couple of good performances, they follow it up with another stumble.
And one has to wonder how much more time Clement will get as Rangers manager, despite signing a long-term extension just earlier in the season. As reported by AOL, he said after the defeat to St Mirren:
"We lose very important points because we didn't perform how we should've in the first half It was below, below the level we need to play.
That's why I was angry at half time. The reaction was good and the team played how they should have in the second half. We threw away 45 minutes and because of that we threw away three points.
"In the first half we didn't control the midfield. Playing like this you can't win games. It's cruel to get that goal against us, but we didn't lose the game in that situation, we lost it in the first half."
Celtic fans will love comments from 'angry' Philippe Clement
Would Clement still be the manager of the Rangers if he did not sign that extension earlier in the campaign? One has to seriously question that considering the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Mick Beale were shown the exit door by the club when they in better positions. In the case of the former, he had even guided them to the UEFA Europa League final a few months earlier.
Of course, none of this would concern Celtic. Their focus has to be on winning as many games as possible and if they do that, the table will take care of itself.
Celtic have had their stumbles in recent times as well. The performance and result against Motherwell was a step in the right direction but now they need to build on that as they head towards the Glasgow Derby at Ibrox at the start of 2025.