Missed chances and madcap defending, it was Rangers' Old Firm Groundhog Day in Glasgow's East End today.

A Celtic break down the right, a cut-back. Goal. 

A failure by Ben Davies to clear the ball in a straightforward manner. Goal.

John Souttar giving the ball straight to Jota for him to round McGregor. Goal.

A trio of instances that will have left Michael Beale furious and perplexed. Two of the three are the type of incident that would have boys' club managers fulminating, let alone a coaching professional.

There's another element to this though, and that's Celtic's capacity to make the most of the gifts they are given. Postecoglou's team are clinical. Rangers are not.

Alfredo Morelos had a good game and scored a perfectly legitimate goal that was chalked off inexplicably. He caused problems for Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt throughout but he also missed a couple of other very good chances. At the other end, Kyogo punished with extreme prejudice. The Japanese didn't get many opportunities, but when he did, he wasn't messing around. If you give him a chance, the ball nestles in the corner of the net. He's deadly and has now proved it in three consecutive Old Firms.

Beale's well aware of this and perhaps it's why Morelos, for all his qualities seems destined to play in another league next term. His highest Premiership tally is 18 goals for Rangers, a level from a central striker that will rarely bring you league titles. To re-establish dominance, Beale must find someone that can score at a rate similar to Kyogo. He's on 22 for the season already and has been the key part of their title procession.

At the back, mistakes apart, Davies and Souttar actually had decent games but both succumbed to inexplicable brain farts that will mar their match ratings in tomorrow's press. Connor Goldson's absence was always going to be felt but few would have predicted the errors would be so stark and under such little pressure.

Davies has looked excellent as a ball-playing central defender who moves the ball quickly when Rangers are on top but today will have done little to quell the sense he's not a top defender at this level. Beale is on the lookout for a big, strapping stopper to compliment the squad and you'd have to think it's days like today that are influencing his thinking. Maybe his future use will be similar to Leon Balogun, coming in and out for certain games. He can be an important player in the future, but there's a conversation to be had over games where he will be examined defensively.

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Souttar is too early into his Rangers career to soberly judge. While his awful backpass will be highlighted, he should be afforded more time to settle into the demands of being a Rangers player. This is a huge jump from Hearts and he will need space to adjust, even more so given his issues with injury. With Goldson getting a scan on Monday, we will soon find out how long he will get to state a convincing case for his future at Ibrox. It looks likely he may get a run in the team.

Defensive calamities and missed chances aside, despite the defeat, the Rangers performance was a step forward from the League Cup final. There were positives to take. There's no doubt they look better when going after Celtic and trying to press high up the pitch. James Tavernier got two great goals, should have made it a hat-trick with a late header and looked much more like his old self after the confidence boost of a stunning free-kick for the first. To hit 100 goals from right-back is an achievement he can be very proud of despite a difficult result. Nico Raskin looks born to be a Rangers player and possesses that rare gift bestowed upon all true football talents; always appearing to have time on the ball.

The core of something decent is there with this Rangers squad but further surgery is required at both ends of the pitch. As Bill Murray found to his cost in, repeating yourself over and over is absolutely no fun. Beale knows this better than anyone. He called the game before it even took place.

Here's what he said on Friday: "It’s important those guys show their quality and if we get moments, we have to execute. We had big moments at Ibrox and Hampden and didn’t. Ultimately it comes down to the boxes. You’d like to be dominant in between but big games are won in the two penalty boxes."

The manager knows these failures are just a continuation of what's gone before and emblematic of issues in the construction of this squad. He must now show he has the coaching ability to sort them out. No pressure, he has three weeks. Because on the 28th at Hampden, nobody wants to be thinking about Punxsutawney Phil.