Brendan Rodgers has Celtic twinkle in his eye as Simply The Best wind-up heard loud and clear at Ibrox
Hoops fans went viral over the weekend for hijacking the Rangers anthem at Ibrox
Brendan Rodgers admits the sight of Celtic fans partying in the away end again at Ibrox was a joy to see.
Around 2,000 Hoops supporters were back in the Broomloan Stand last weekend for the first time since January 2023.
And they raised the roof when the teams emerged from the tunnel by outsinging the home crowd to Ibrox classic Simply The Best.
Footage of the green-and-white faithful hijacking Rangers' famous anthem went viral on social media in a season where Celts clinched a 55th title and became the most decorated club in Scotland.
And in an interview with Celtic TV, Rodgers - chasing a third Treble as Hoops boss - had a twinkle in his eye as he hailed the atmosphere.
Asked if the players enjoyed seeing the colour from the away end as the champions walked out onto the pitch, Rodgers said: "Yeah.
"We've had those experiences before when you have 7,000 people behind the goal and it's just such a wall of noise and colour which gives the players a great boost.
"But the 2,500 in the corner was still a great boost for us, just knowing that you're in that arena and you have millions of people watching worldwide, but you've got that support in there that just gives you that extra push when it's needed in the game.
"So, yeah, it was absolutely fantastic to have them there. We could hear them the whole game. The support they gave us really helped us push through, especially in that second half. So yeah, it was a nice moment to have the supporters back again."
Rodgers has lost just three derbies of his 23 derbies as Celtic manager - with two of them coming this season.
With nothing at stake other than bragging rights, both clubs settled for a point in the end as Adam Idah cancelled out Cyriel Dessers' first-half opener.
Rodgers was content with a draw but believes the runaway leaders could've snatched all three points with a bit more ruthlessness up front.
He said: "Listen, it doesn't matter how many points you are ahead, a Celtic vs Rangers game is always a difficult one. Obviously, when you travel across the city to Ibrox, it's difficult.
"I think it was absolutely brilliant to have the supporters back, that felt a real big difference for us in the game.
"We had to stand up performance-wise early on, you know, lots of direct balls going forward and crosses into the box. We were obviously disappointed with the goal we gave away just before halftime because that could be a critical point.
"But my message really at halftime was that we've shown some real good moments in the first half. The actual lead up to their goal could have easily had us in front.
"So we just had a couple of positional changes and just reinforcing some pressing items. And then I felt second half, we had possession and good possession coming through the pitch.
"Not a criticism, but maybe where we could have been better was just a little bit better in the final third of the pitch. That would have allowed us to progress like we have done and we could have had more opportunities to score.
"But overall, the point each was probably deserved. We had the chance late on which would have been a great end to the game for us. But listen, we leave there 17 points clear and a massive goal difference. I'm pleased with the fightback from the players in the second half."
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