Captain Callum McGregor admits Celtic will be looking to banish the blues from the stinging 3-0 defeat by Rangers when they host St Mirren on Sunday.
The William Hill Premiership leaders had not lost in seven previous Old Firm fixtures before the trip to Ibrox on Thursday but encountered a fired-up Gers side who never looked back after scoring after seven minutes through Ianis Hagi’s low drive from distance.
Second-half goals from defender Robin Propper and substitute Danilo gave Light Blues boss Philippe Clement his first win over Celtic at the seventh attempt since taking over in October 2023 and it was the Parkhead side’s first defeat at Ibrox since May 2023.
However, the Hoops remain 11 points clear of the Govan club at the top of the table and looking ahead to the visit of the Buddies, the Celtic midfielder said: “It just shows you that if you’re not competitive in the game then it can happen and I think over the piece we’ve been so good in these games that maybe everyone’s a bit like, ‘oh, what happened there?’
“It’s probably a testament to how well we’ve done and how much we’ve managed to go there and get results and play well.
“So, it’s just a reminder that if you’re not quite on the money then these games are tough and you can lose them and then the pressure starts to build so it’s important that we reflect on the game and then we get it out of our system come Sunday.
“We just need to reset and go again.
“That’s the good thing. There’s a game in a few days so we can try and rectify it.
“Obviously, it is a different opponent and everything else, but you can try and get it out of your system.
“There’s a lot of football in January, so just get that performance, get the high energy and just tick them off one at a time.”
It was only a second defeat in 21 Old Firm games for Brendan Rodgers over his two spells as the Hoops boss and McGregor revealed the Northern Irishman was stung by the loss.
The former Scotland midfielder said: “You can tell he’s hurting, as is everyone.
“So that’s the sign of a competitor. It doesn’t matter how many points you’ve got, how many games you’ve won, or how well you’re doing, if you lose one game, it stings and it hurts.
“So that’s the sign of a champion and an absolute competitor. So it’s good that we feel like this, and we’ll use it as fuel to turn it around.
“But there’s no point in having any excuses. We wanted to win the game, but we were never really competitive in the game, so the only thing you can do is accept responsibility and find a way to change it.
“That’s why we’re here. We’re here to try and win as many football matches as we can. And then when it goes wrong, you have to reflect and find out why.”
