Do we have title race this season? No, but Michael Beale is doing his best to ensure there might be one next season with Rangers and Celtic

Michael Beale later used an interesting image while attempting to place the match in a wider perspective. The new Rangers manager said he wanted to “put a coat hanger” back into the club. What he meant wasn’t immediately apparent. Could he be referring to the suits which he had quickly demanded were reintroduced as matchday attire, one of the first changes he made after being confirmed as Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's successor in December? One would have imagined that coat hangers were already in plentiful supply at Ibrox.

Further analysis of his comments suggested he was speaking more figuratively. It had little to do with Moss Bros and everything to do with attitude. It's likely he also meant he wanted to bring some shape and form back to the club. Some discipline, too, perhaps. It might even have been a colourful way of illustrating the need for broad shoulders. He is learning who has them and who hasn’t.

Do we have a title race this season? No, but Beale is doing his best to ensure there might be one next season.

Kyogo Furuhashi's late equaliser is a long way from a title-winning strike – it’s only the first week in January, after all – but it was still viewed as having effectively sealed Celtic’s eleventh championship in 12 seasons. Beale accepted this reading of the situation afterwards when admitting the title was now Celtic's "to throw away". While this was arguably an attempt to put some psychological pressure on the leaders, Beale would probably accept that it's gone beyond even that now.

Rangers, of course, must still be ready to capitalise on a collapse on the part of their rivals, who host Kilmarnock on Saturday with the chance to go 12 points clear. Beale’s side, meanwhile, travel to face Dundee United on Sunday. There’s always hope of course. But the fact Celtic have already re-strengthened – and, indeed, were able to pitch a new recruit into their team in Sunday’s game – while Beale is only now talking of needing “two, perhaps three” new signings, does not provide much basis on which to construct an argument for the two teams switching places come May. Beale is more interested in putting building blocks in place.

It’s notable that in his programme notes on Saturday he stressed the importance of putting in a “big performance this afternoon”. He didn’t say it was imperative to win, which was understandable given Rangers were playing a team who have seemingly forgotten how to lose. He didn’t wish to make himself a hostage to fortune a matter of weeks into the job. What he did wish to see was evidence of improvement. He was provided with that in the way Rangers managed to overturn Celtic’s early lead.

After 15 minutes another three or four-goal win for Celtic looked very possible. Rangers steadied themselves. Players who Beale later said he may or may not still want come the end of the season stopped treating the ball like it was an unwanted Christmas present they were keen to give away.

There's a lot of work to do but Beale is doing more than just talking a good game. He addressed the question marks over his own performance. Were his subs the right ones? Did they arrive too late or indeed, too early? Why was Scott Arfield not introduced?

Some queried the decision to send on James Sands to add some ballast to the midfield. Had Rangers prevailed, it would have been deemed an eminently sensible change. There was also a suggestion Beale might have brought some fresh legs on in attack in a bid to establish a greater lead than the one-goal advantage held until two minutes before the end. The manager explained that Kemar Roofe and Antonio Colak, both of whom are still recovering from injury, had been there "in mind, body and spirit" but he wasn't prepared to risk them from the bench unless the situation had become desperate. "If we were 2-1 down with ten minutes to go they would both have been on the pitch, but we weren’t," he said.

Again, such a comment suggested that making sure Rangers did not suffer a defeat was perhaps the principal aim. Beale knows he needs the fans onside. After five largely promising outings, they very much are.

Rangers have displayed resilience to come back on three occasions from losing positions, securing seven points in the process, including one against Celtic, even if that was ultimately a case of two points lost.

He has seen an improvement in attitude in certain players, with one, Alfredo Morelos, at least knuckling down after his casual, misplaced pass in midfield helped gift Celtic the lead on Sunday.

The striker did, though, miss two very good chances to help harden the contention that a parting of ways between him and Rangers might be best for both parties when his contract expires at the end of this campaign. Beale will have to reach a decision on him and others over the coming weeks while at the same trying to maintain Rangers’ upward trajectory in the slim hope the coat hanger slips out of Celtic's season.