Brendan Rodgers has spoken out after Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo was struck by missiles thrown from the crowd during today’s 1-1 draw against Rangers at Ibrox.

The Finnish international was struck by objects thrown from the Rangers end in the second half, including a bottle of alcohol.

The incident comes just a few months after Arne Engels was hit by a coin in a separate area of the pitch during January’s Glasgow Derby.

Rodgers said: (Sky Sports), “I think that. It’s natural. It’s something that I’ve been here a few times, and there’s been these incidents, but thankfully, they got them off the pitch quickly, and we could play on.”

It’s not the first time something like this has happened at Ibrox. Sadly, it’s becoming a regular issue. The sight of players being hit by objects from the crowd has no place in football.

Celtic fans will remember Engels being hit earlier in the season. That was concerning enough, but nothing seems to have changed since. The fact that Sinisalo has now gone through the same thing shows the problem hasn’t gone away.

Sinisalo, who joined Celtic in the summer, showed great composure and focus despite the incident. He’s continued to impress between the sticks and handled today’s match with real maturity.

There’s always tension when Celtic face Rangers, but that’s no excuse for this kind of behaviour from the stands. Something needs to change before one of these incidents leads to a serious injury.

Celtic supporters can be proud of the effort shown by the team at Ibrox, but there’s no ignoring what happened off the ball. Safety must come first — and until it does, questions need to keep being asked.