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Captain Callum McGregor believes Celtic showed their character and personality to battle back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday.

 

McGregor delighted with Celtic’s fight against Rangers

Martin O’Neill’s side were blitzed in the first half by Rangers, who led through a double from 21-year-old Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti and it looked like being a long way back for Celtic.

However, in a stunning second-half turnaround, left-back Kieran Tierney scored in the 56th minute with a header and a dramatic last-gasp leveller by substitute Reo Hatate – after Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland had saved his spot-kick and a second shot from the rebound – earned a point, albeit the draw favoured William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts.

 

With nine fixtures remaining Rangers are six points behind the Edinburgh club and two ahead of Celtic, whose game in hand is away to Aberdeen on Wednesday night.

The Hoops have also produced key late goals in games against Dundee, Livingston and Kilmarnock in recent weeks and midfielder McGregor talked up his side’s resilience.

 

He said: “Maybe the last four or five weeks it’s been quite evident. And football’s not easy.

 

“It never goes to plan a lot of the time as well. You can plan for things but in the moments where you’re up against it, you need characters, you need personality to take the ball and play your way back into the game and probably none better a place to do it than there.

It shows everyone that we’re right in this, obviously with a game in hand which hopefully will nudge us closer as well and then we charge down these last nine games and see where we can get to.”

 

McGregor believes Celtic’s never-say-die attitude can send the psychological message to other teams that they are aiming to retain their title.

 

He said: “Obviously we’d probably like to not be putting ourselves in those positions, but like I said the game’s never perfect and it just shows you the team are still fighting.