MARTIN O’NEIL ACCUSES RANGER OF MAKING ‘EXCUSES’ AS CELTIC BOSS DELIVERS TWO POINT RESPONSES TO IBROX RAGE

Martin O’Neill didn’t just win the game — he swung the verbal gauntlet right back at Ibrox. In the aftermath of Celtic’s heated Premier Sports Cup semi-final victory over Rangers, the 73-year-old interim boss moved quickly from match analysis to message: his rivals are “making excuses”, and the Hoops will answer where it matters most — on the pitch, two points at a time. 

This was never going to be a quiet Old Firm. The Hampden showdown served up goals, extra time drama and a controversy that has had both sets of fans chewing over replays long into the night — and O’Neill, characteristically, chose to put his foot down on the matter of narrative control. He acknowledged the flashpoints in the tie but refused to let Rangers’ post-match fury become the headline, accusing them instead of looking for reasons to deflect from Celtic’s performance. 

The match that lit the fuse

Celtic triumphed 3–1 after extra time to reach the League Cup final — a result that immediately sparked a media and social-media frenzy. The scoreline, the sending off, and a penalty awarded at a key moment all combined to ensure there was no shortage of talking points. For Celtic supporters, the win was a welcome distraction from a turbulent few weeks at Parkhead; for Rangers, it felt like a match whose finer details were being used as arguments rather than accepted as part of football’s unpredictability.

The biggest flashpoint centred on an incident involving Auston Trusty. Rangers supporters and some pundits felt Trusty had escaped sanction for an incident that, in their eyes, should have seen a harsher penalty — and that perception fed into the narrative of ‘controversial refereeing’ that frequently swirls around Old Firm fixtures. O’Neill acknowledged Trusty had been fortunate in that moment, but he was adamant that Celtic had earned the victory through large portions of the tie and refused to let that single moment rewrite the story he wanted told. 

“They’re making excuses” — O’Neill’s blunt rebuke

The line that will keep tabloids busy for days was simple and unapologetic: Rangers were “making excuses.” Watchful and word-savvy, O’Neill didn’t attack the match officials or escalate a war of words; instead, he accused the opposition of turning to external reasons to explain a defeat rather than confronting what happened on the pitch. That bite — coming from a manager with this club’s history and stature — carries weight. It is also a classic O’Neill move: calm, cutting and designed to draw attention back to performance, not perceived injustice. 

That comment landed in a context where Rangers voices were loud and raw. Anger from Ibrox has become part of the pre-match and post-match theatre in recent weeks; O’Neill’s response was crafted to puncture that. By framing Rangers’ reaction as ‘excuses’, he denied them the moral high ground and insisted Celtic’s narrative — that the Hoops did the hard work and deserved the result — should stand.

The “two-point” challenge: tactical psychology

O’Neill also talked about what he called a “two-point response” — a phrase that has already been seized upon by fans and journalists. The shorthand is simple: rather than get dragged into a row, Celtic will answer with victories and points. It’s a psychological nudge as much as a tactical one. O’Neill is saying, in effect, “Don’t bother with the headlines — our reply will show up in the standings.” That kind of messaging is designed to both soothe supporters and needle rivals. 

In football, momentum is everything. An experienced hand like O’Neill knows inflammatory talk can either galvanise or distract. By issuing this two-point challenge, he’s trying to convert the heat of the moment into focus in the dressing room: tighter attention to detail, fewer excuses, more points. It’s a public reminder to his own players and a private reminder to opponents that results silence noise.

Why this matters beyond one cup tie

There’s more at stake than a place in a domestic cup final. Celtic have been through managerial turbulence this season, with Brendan Rodgers’s shock resignation earlier in the campaign triggering questions about stability at Parkhead. O’Neill’s return — interim, but emotionally charged — means anything he says will be scrutinised because it carries the weight of club legend and immediate authority. That background gives his “no excuses” line extra potency: it’s not just a single manager’s opinion, it’s a voice from within an institution in transition. 

For Rangers, the loss and subsequent complaints will be read differently in the boardroom and in the stands. Fans want accountability, but they also want clarity. When a rival manager accuses you of making excuses, it pushes the conversation to whether the club can accept responsibility and evolve — or whether it will double down on grievance.

Social media, pundits and the Old Firm echo chamber

As ever, Twitter/X and fan forums amplified every angle. Clips of the contentious moments were shared, re-shared and dissected to the point that no neutral could be sure what to believe. Pundits on both sides lined up to back their narratives, creating the kind of echo chamber Old Firm weekend nine times out of ten produces. O’Neill’s media composure — measured, with a clear message — was a deliberate antidote to that chaos: stop arguing about one incident, start winning more of the 90 minutes. 

What comes next?

For Celtic, the immediate focus is the Cup final and the tight domestic schedule. O’Neill made clear that he’s interim and that long-term managerial decisions will be made by the board — but in the meantime, results will be the loudest argument in his favour. For Rangers, the mood at Ibrox will require careful management: a club must absorb a loss and channel frustration into improvement rather than lingering on perceived injustices. Both clubs know the season’s narrative is far from settled; this episode will be remembered as one of those pivot points that can either be a turning point — or a diverting distraction. 

Final word: O’Neill’s old-school warning

If there’s a human thread through all of this, it’s the voice of experience. Martin O’Neill has been here before: big games, bigger emotions, and the kind of pressure cooker Old Firm encounters always create. His message was old-school in tone — fewer excuses, more work — and that’s precisely the kind of managerial clarity supporters can rally behind. Whether Rangers accept that prescription or double down on grievance is up to them. But O’Neill has done what managers are paid to do in these moments: claimed the moral frame and handed the reply back to the players — in the shape of two points at a time.