PHILIPPE Clement has defended the Rangers squad’s reaction to their 3-3 draw with Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday and insisted it would have been “weird” if they had not celebrated their comeback.

The Glasgow club were 2-0 down at half-time and 3-2 behind in injury-time in the cinch Premiership match against their city rivals in Govan at the weekend.

However, substitute Rabbi Matondo ensured the home team secured a point in the third minute of added-on time when he fired into the top corner of the visitors’ net.

His strike means that Rangers will go two points clear at the top of the league table with six matches remaining if they win their game in hand against Dundee at Dens Park tonight – a fixture which is now subject to an 11am pitch inspection.

Clement punched the air on the pitch and geed up the fans in the Broomloan Road Stand following the final whistle and then did a lap of honour with his players.

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Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon was working at the game for Sky Sports and he was unimpressed. He said: “I’m old school. I’m not one to celebrate a draw.”

Videos of Lennon doing an “aeroplane” on the pitch at Easter Road after his Hibernian team had drawn 5-5 with Rangers in the final game of the 2017/18 season were quickly posted on social media websites.

And Clement has accused Rangers’ critics of wearing “coloured glasses” and explained why he felt their response to the result on Sunday was appropriate and justified. 

The Herald: “First, what happens with the team?” he said. “We go behind after 22 seconds. Then you go 2-0 behind in an Old Firm. It is more than 30 years since a team came back in that situation. We score in extra-time with a very good goal. You cannot be happy with that? It would be a little bit weird.

“But I read a lot of comments. It is a funny thing is this town – everybody has coloured glasses for sure around the Old Firm. There are a lot of comments about everything, but I don’t care what people with coloured glasses are saying. It is not important for me.

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“Yeah, we were happy that we could come back in that situation, that we showed resilience and we scored an amazing goal at the end. But before the game we wanted to win and in the game we wanted to win also.

“After the amazing goal we were the team who created still a chance, we were not the team who were defending. We get a good chance still with Cyriel (Dessers) at the end so we were going full for the three points.

“We can be happy after a well-deserved point. It could have been more, but it was more about the reaction after going behind.”