IT was billed as one of the bouts in heavyweight week. In the end, it was a no contest.

Shot by shot, blow by blow, Celtic inflicted more damage on Rangers. It went the distance, but it could have been stopped at any time.

The sixth and final Old Firm game of the campaign took its place on the television schedule alongside Real Madrid v Barcelona, City v United and Joshua v Klitschko but this was a mismatch of a grudge match. For Rangers, it wasn’t pleasant viewing.

In truth, it wasn’t entirely unexpected either, and that is perhaps the most worrying thing for the Light Blue legions, boss Pedro Caixinha and the Ibrox board.

Better teams than this one have lost heavily to Celtic but few have done it twice in the one season and given supporters almost no hope that they have it in them to turn it around.

Many thought it couldn’t get much more despairing than the Scottish Cup defeat to Brendan Rodgers’ side at Hampden. On Saturday, it did.

A squad that has underperformed and underachieved throughout the season had one final chance to show what they were made of, one last big game occasion to prove that they deserve to pull on the blue jersey next term. They failed.

Caixinha may have put a bit of passion into his players but he couldn’t get a performance out of them. By the time the final whistle went, Rangers were battered and bruised as they secured their own unwanted place in the history books.

This 5-1 defeat was the heaviest Old Firm loss that the Gers have suffered on home soil and it says it all about how abject Caixinha’s side were that they were lucky it wasn’t worse.

When Rangers were humiliated at Parkhead in September, Mark Warburton was mocked for his suggestion that it wasn’t really a 5-1 game. The same could be said here, because Celtic could and should have won by more.

From the moment that Myles Beerman inexplicably lunged in at the feet of Patrick Roberts, the writing was on the wall for Rangers. It was going to be one of those days.

The young left-back can be pardoned for freezing on the Old Firm stage and it was a harsh lesson from which he must learn if he is to establish himself under Caixinha next term.

But the same excuse cannot be used by his team-mates, many of whom will surely now not get another crack at the Premiership as Rangers gear up for a crucial summer of ins and outs.

Caixinha claimed full responsibility for the defeat and it will be the manager that ultimately carries the can but the finger of blame is pointing at his players. For many fans, Saturday would have been the final straw and there is no way back for this group.

The switches that Caixinha made in terms of shape and personnel failed to have the desired impact but the blueprint counts for nothing when the same mistakes are made time and time again by those that are trusted with a jersey.

Caixinha can’t account or prepare for players failing to track runners or make tackles or being unable to complete passes or get shots on target.

Having seen first-hand how Graeme Murty’s side went about their business at Parkhead, Caixinha, it seemed, had something to build on. He has now had two bouts with Celtic and failed to land a blow, though, and the last week has done nothing to dispel the doubters both inside and outside of Ibrox.

But the Portuguese won’t be permanently wounded by these back-to-back defeats. There is an understanding amongst a disheartened support that his hands are in many ways tied while he works with a group he inherited rather than assembled.

Caixinha has made mistakes in both games but it has been the lapses by his players that have cost Rangers a Scottish Cup final berth and a consolation derby victory.

Once again, Rangers were porous at the back and powderpuff in midfield. On the few occasions they did get into the final third, the difference in quality between them and Celtic was there for all to see.

As Celtic swarmed forward with pace and precision, Rangers had no answers. They were outfought, outthought and outplayed in the middle of the park, while the back four was pulled from pillar to post, unable to cope whether the ball was on the ground or in the air.

The individual errors were glaring, the collective failings all too familiar and the gap in the Premiership now stands at 36 points.

It is just over a year since what is mostly the same group of players recorded the biggest win of their Ibrox careers and beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup. In the six Old Firm fixtures since, Rangers have never looked like repeating that feat.

Having failed so miserably, having gone down without a fight in front of their own fans, only time will tell how many have another derby day in them.

Caixinha’s first Celtic clashes have been wounding encounters and now he must avoid further damage in the Premiership in the coming weeks and ensure his side hold off St Johnstone to finish fourth. Failure to achieve that objective would be the final humiliation in what has been a forgettable and wretched campaign.

The final whistle can’t come quick enough for Rangers. It will be a chance to regroup and rebuild but the road ahead is a long and fraught one.

Rangers must still keep their eyes on the prize and strive for title glory even though it is presently outwith their reach. First, they must pick themselves up off the canvas.