By Steve Henry

The final Old Firm derby of the season has ended in a 3-2 win for Celtic, putting the destination of the Scottish Premier League title right back into the melting pot.

Celtic's win will have hurt Rangers' SPL title hopes

After a bruising encounter in the sun at Celtic Park, Walter Smith's squad will be feeling the strain.

Defensive stalwart and goalscorer David Weir went off injured after five minutes of the second half and, right at the death, Steven Whittaker was red-carded for his reckless swipe at Shunsuke Nakamura.

Smith can ill afford to have more injuries and suspensions like that in what he acknowledges will be one of the most testing few weeks of his whole career.

The run-in to the end of the season will stretch his squad's resources to the limit.

Weir must be a doubt for Thursday's Uefa Cup semi-final second leg clash away to Fiorentina after coming off with a groin strain, and Whittaker's suspension won't help Rangers in their next league game, away to Hibernian.

Celtic, despite also suffering an injury to captain Stephen McManus, will be hopeful that this derby success keeps the title well within their grasp once again, their chances of any other silverware this season having long since disappeared.

A beautiful day in Glasgow acted as the backdrop for a pulsating game that, combined with the previous 2-1 midweek victory and a passionate crowd, went a long way to reviving this fixture's reputation as one of the most exciting to watch in the world game.

With this win, Celtic have certainly boosted their chance of winning three titles in a row for the first time since the last of their nine back-to-back championships in 1974.

Indeed, Gordon Strachan's recent comments that the retro 'Scottish flavour' has returned to the derby seem to have been borne out by their latest game, if you believe that Scottish football is all about pace, tension and blood-and-thunder match-ups of a type reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s.

With this win, Celtic have certainly boosted their chance of winning three titles in a row for the first time since the last of their nine back-to-back championships in 1974.

Rangers, despite their loss, can still hope that 2007/2008 will be the finest season in the club's history, with the CIS Cup already won, a Scottish Cup final place against Queen of the South secured, the small matter of a Uefa Cup semi-final in Florence this week and those three games in hand over Celtic in the SPL.

The momentum, in the league, could be with Celtic, but it's anyone's guess as to where that title will end up.

Will Rangers' fixture pile-up become a case of history repeating itself, mirroring the four-trophy chase that Martin O'Neill's Celtic made in 2003, only to end up with nothing?

MY SPORT: DEBATE Who will win the SPL title, Celtic or Rangers?

Or will Rangers stay the course in all four competitions, to make it one of the most successful seasons in the club's history?

Nothing will illustrate the fine line between success and failure for both clubs more than what happens during May.