A sensational Daizen Maeda overhead kick helped propel Celtic within a point of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, as a compelling Old Firm derby ended with Rangers condemned to a third-place finish.

Maeda's astonishing moment of quality, hooking the ball over his shoulder into the top left-hand corner of Jack Butland's net, sealed a crucial comeback victory for the defending champions.

It also tightens up an epic title race, with Celtic a point behind Hearts with two games to play and the sides meeting in Glasgow in the final game of the season next Saturday.

And it confirms both Celtic and Hearts will be in the Champions League qualifiers next season.

Martin O'Neill's side trailed to Mikey Moore's early opener here but were level by the break when a fine move enabled Hyun-Jun Yang to equalise.

If the first period was evenly contested, the second was an altogether different story with Maeda the difference-maker.

His first telling involvement was to turn in an excellent Kieran Tierney cross to put Celtic ahead for the first time.

If the noise which greeted that was deafening, the reaction to Maeda's second was off the decibel chart. Time seemed momentarily suspended as the Japan striker's overhead effort arced inexorably beyond Butland's flailing left hand.

It was a moment of outstanding quality which put the game beyond a dispirited-looking Rangers, who have now lost three league matches in a row for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.

At the other end of the scale, it's six wins in a row for O'Neill's Celtic in all competitions.

They know victory in their final two matches of the league season will secure an unlikely 14th Premiership crown in the last 15 seasons.

And with Hearts hosting Falkirk on Wednesday, while Celtic travel to Motherwell, it could all be decided by a winner-takes-all confrontation at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Nothing tests your mettle more in a title race than going a goal down at home to your bitter rivals.

The way Rangers flew into this one, with wide men doubling up on Celtic down the flanks, could have unsettled the home side completely.

How would they recover from the loss of an early goal? They were level by half-time and two ahead midway through the next period. O'Neill will have asked his troops to up their game and they duly delivered.

A moment of genuine, world-class quality always helps of course.

Maeda's overhead wonder goal will be replayed over and over again. It was the physical manifestation of the control Celtic had wrested in the contest overall.

It was his second of the game. He could, and should, have had a hat-trick.

He's saved his very best form for these crucial end of season matches. Hearts will have to take note, should things come to the crunch at Celtic Park in six days' time.

It should be added, all of Celtic's goals were good. Maeda's first was a smart finish from an excellent Tierney cross, and Yang's equaliser was built by Luke McCowan and Arne Engels and superbly dispatched by the South Korean.

Where do you start? Three big post-split fixtures, three defeats.

Manager Danny Rohl had labelled them all as 'cup finals' but they lost them all, against Motherwell, Hearts and now Celtic.

Questions have been asked of his side's mentality. They have not come up with many answers.

Rangers were top of the league on goal difference not so long ago, while Hearts played the next day. They're now condemned to finish in third place, a long way off the pace.

They went close in the final moments when substitute Bojan Miovski rattled the woodwork with a header.

It sums up their whole season - close but not good enough. Yet another summer of introspection lies ahead at Ibrox.

Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill: "It was a big win for us and I thought we were terrific in the second half, coming from behind against big rivals.

"I couldn't be more delighted. Certain individuals were magnificent. The captain was magnificent and Daizen [Maeda] has pulled it through again.

"The midweek game is going to be extremely difficult - Motherwell are a fine team. We might fall short at the end of it all, who knows?

"But it's been a fabulous effort and we are roared on here by a raucous crowd who I believe have carried us through a few times."

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl: "It is a very disappointing result. We started well, but then it's football and to take something everything has to be perfect and in some moments we made some wrong decisions.

"We had a great position before the split and this is hard to take and we have to improve and develop quick. We have to learn in these key moments to be clinical and play without mistakes. We will learn from this.

"I will take a lot from the last three games to be prepared the best way possible. I will lead this group and I am clear about what we have to improve."

Celtic go to Fir Park on Wednesday knowing a win against Motherwell (20:00 BST) would force a final-day decider at Celtic Park on Saturday against Hearts (12:30).

Rangers host Hibs at the same time with nothing at stake other than pride, given they can no longer finish higher than third.