---
title: "Rangers Women 5-2 Celtic: Gers Go Top of SWPL"
canonical: "https://readrangers.com/2026/09/27/rangers-women-5-2-celtic-swpl-match-report/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Graeme Hanna"
section: "Rangers Match Reports"
published: "2026-09-27T15:20:16Z"
modified: "2026-09-27T15:20:16Z"
---

# Rangers Women 5-2 Celtic: Gers Go Top of SWPL

**Rangers Women sit top of the SWPL after a 5-2 win over Celtic that swung this season’s story firmly into the blue.**

The result in Rangers vs Celtic Women’s clash gave Grant Scott’s side their first defeat of the campaign and kept Leanne Crichton’s team unbeaten in domestic football since the opening whistle of the season.

It also extended a run that Celtic will find hard to stomach. They have won just once in the last thirteen meetings between the sides across all competitions, and this latest gap of three goals will do nothing to close that history.

The game itself was far from one way traffic early on.

Maria McAneny’s header gave Celtic a first-half lead before Jodi McLeary’s double turned it around, and Chloe Arthur’s equaliser threatened to spoil Rangers’ afternoon before Hannah Blake, Katie Wilkinson and Calliste Brookshire finished the job in style.

The win comes amid a strong period for the club more broadly, with growing [support across all competitions](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/27/rangers-join-uefa-top-36-one-million-fans/) reflecting the momentum behind the badge right now.

The wider Old Firm story speaks for itself in Glasgow at present.

## First Half Narrative: Rangers vs Celtic Women

Celtic made the brighter start and it showed inside the opening exchanges.

Poppy Lawson picked out Maria McAneny with a cross from wide, and the forward rose to head firmly past the Rangers goalkeeper to put the visitors in front.

Rangers didn’t take long to respond. Laura Berry whipped a cross in from the flank and Jodi McLeary met it with a first-time volley, sending it beyond the Celtic keeper to level the scores and settle the home nerves.

McLeary wasn’t finished. Celtic captain Kelly Clark was robbed of possession by Calliste Brookshire in a dangerous area, and the loose ball fell for McLeary, who made no mistake in front of goal to put Rangers 2-1 up.

It was a costly mistake from a senior player, and Rangers punished it clinically.

Rangers went in at the break ahead, having recovered from a goal down to lead through a striker in irresistible form. Celtic had shown they could hurt Rangers in behind, but the turnaround set up a second half that would decide the derby.

## Second Half Drama: Ruthless Rangers Power Clear

Celtic weren’t ready to fold. Chloe Arthur pulled her side level early in the second period, finishing well to make it 2-2 and give the away support belief that a result was still possible.

That belief didn’t last. Arthur was caught in possession soon after her equaliser, and Rangers broke quickly through Hannah Blake, who kept her composure to put Rangers back in front at 3-2.

It was a brutal swing for Celtic, conceding straight from the fallout of their own equaliser.

Katie Wilkinson then made it four from a well struck free kick, a goal that summed up Rangers’ ruthlessness on the day.

Calliste Brookshire, already influential in the build up to McLeary’s second, added the fifth late on to complete the scoring and send the home fans into raptures.

Speaking after the game, as reported in the [Daily Record match report](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-women-trounce-celtic-complete-37707364), Leanne Crichton reflected on a chaotic but productive second period. “It was really pleasing and the second-half felt like a whirlwind but we were ruthless,” she said.

“It is a strong win and it does send a message but nothing is won or lost at this time of the season.

“There are loads of games ahead of us but there is a belief in the squad. We have started well. I feel like I have been in this job a lot longer than 14 months. We have done so much work and we are so much further ahead now than where we were this time a year ago.

“The challenge is to make sure that we stay there and sustain the kind of form that we have shown.”

Crichton had no apology for the scale of the celebrations either, particularly around Wilkinson’s free kick.

“If you can’t celebrate Old Firm goals I don’t know what in the world you can celebrate,” she said.

Grant Scott, whose Celtic side had gone unbeaten before this defeat, didn’t hide from the result afterwards.

“It is a punch on the nose for now,” he said.

“We can’t get despondent about it. It is a new squad. We are trying to develop them but we have to study this back, take our medicine and our learnings.”