Callum McGregor knows how important derby matches are, having played in many of them over the past few years.

And the Celtic captain produced a midfield masterclass to lead his team to a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Paradise in the last fixture of 2023.

The 30-year-old dominated the game, dictating the tempo of Celtic’s play throughout the 90 minutes and picking up the Man of the Match Award, and he was delighted with the win, which extends Celtic’s lead at the top of the Premiership table.

Speaking to Celtic TV after the match, the Hoops skipper said: “It was a massive win. Everyone knows what it means to the club and the supporters, so, first and foremost, that’s what you’re playing for – you’re playing for the pride and you’re playing for the city.

'So it was a brilliant win, a brilliant three points and the performance I thought for 75 minutes we were brilliant.'

“They go down to 10 men and we should maybe have managed the game a little bit better and we gave ourselves a bit of a fright at the end, but you couldn’t ask for anymore from the players, to be honest.

“The level and the intensity and the pressing was absolutely first-class – everything you want in a derby game – and Paulo with the quality for the first goal just sets it off, and sets the tone for us.

So it was a brilliant performance, a brilliant win and we just keep going now.”

McGregor also knows the quality that courses through this Celtic side, and the fact they have a world-class striker in their ranks.
And Kyogo proved that once again when he fired in a stunning left-foot shot from 20 yards out at the start of the second half to double Celtic’s lead.

"I spoke about it the day before, that you’d back him to score in this game and he’s done it again,” said the Celtic captain.

'It’s outstanding. We speak about him all the time, the quality that he’s got, and I’m glad he saved it for today!'

“But that set the tone for the second-half. We then got on top of them again and they lose composure a wee bit at that point.

"It was an important start to the second half, it was a great victory, the fans can enjoy it today and we’ll come back in tomorrow and get ready for another game at the start of the week.

Callum McGregor: A brilliant win and a brilliant performance