Kris Boyd wasted no time in aiming a post-match dig at Brendan Rodgers, after the Celtic boss had played down the impact of Barry Ferguson’s arrival at Ibrox earlier in the week.

Rodgers had stated that he hadn’t noticed any significant changes since Ferguson replaced Philippe Clement, insisting that Rangers still showed many of the same traits as before.

But after Rangers’ late 3-2 win at Celtic Park, Boyd fired back, claiming Rodgers was now seeing a very different Rangers side.

“Brendan Rodgers had a pop in terms of saying he has not really seen anything different – he has today,” Boyd said on Sky Sports. 

Rodgers had been unmoved by talk of a Rangers revival under Ferguson. Speaking midweek, he suggested that while Ferguson brought passion and a strong connection to the club, he hadn’t witnessed a real shift in the team’s tactical approach or mentality.

However, Sunday’s hard-fought win at Celtic Park—Rangers’ first in the league since 2020—gave Boyd ammunition to question Rodgers’ pre-match assessment.

Under Clement, Celtic dominated the first derby of the season, winning 3-0 at Ibrox in September. However, the League Cup final was a narrow, scrappy affair, and when the teams met again in January, Celtic were completely outplayed in a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox.

Now, after another poor performance in the derby, Boyd believes Rodgers has no choice but to accept that Rangers have improved.

While Celtic still hold a commanding lead in the title race, Rodgers will know that his team’s performances in the past two derby matches haven’t been good enough.