CELTS’ KIERAN TERRIER
Tierney continues to impress as he is at the centre of Hoops Pittodrie stroll
IF it’s going to happen anywhere then it will probably happen here, they said. We’re certainly not afraid of them, they said. Not us. Not a chance.
But no sooner had the trash talking stopped last night at Pittodrie than Aberdeen’s bullish promises were being shown up for exactly what they were – another load of false Dons.
It wasn’t their fault. Not really. Aberdeen were simply outclassed and outgunned by a Celtic side which arrived in the north east determined to lay down yet another marker.
From the moment Kieran Tierney smashed home a stunning opener this main event became as one-sided a contest as this pair have served up since last season’s League Cup Final.
And a double either side of the break from Moussa Dembele sealed match No.61 without defeat for a Celtic side able to leave give one or two of its star turns a night off on the sidelines. As if just to prove a point.
As Celtic opened up looking strangely hesitant, twice Graeme came pounding forward, rocking the champions on to the back foot with two blistering drives from distance.
Celtic keeper Craig Gordon dealt well with both but this was a positive start.
But it would not last long. Less than 13 minutes in, Celtic found their passing groove for the first time and with one, slick surge they stormed into the lead.
Tom Rogic spotted Dembele darting off into his peripheral vision – and with a deftness of touch flicked it into his path with his left boot.
Dembele was off, scorching past Kari Arnason and driving the ball across the face of the goal.
Mcgregor couldn’t reach it in time but that merely allowed Tierney to meet it at full throttle and the full-back did not break stride as he thundered a first time drive in off the underside of Joe Lewis’s bar.
And it rattled the life out of the home side who seemed not to know how to respond. Lewis had to save one snapshinnie shot from Rogic and Stuart Armstrong came close with a free-kick but before Derek Mcinnes could get his men inside for a pep talk they were two down after more superb work from Tierney.
This time he tricked his way around Shay Logan before fizzing a magnificent ball across the face for Dembele to provide the killer, finishing touch.
Within seconds of the restart Armstrong had the chance to kill it stone dead but carelessly shot straight at Lewis after being teed up cleverly by Dembele on the edge of the box.
If anything, they were even more vulnerable to Celtic’s rapid counters. Rogic should have finished one of those raids off but shot across the face of goal.
Aberdeen were in danger of being cut to shreds and when Mcinnes reacted by sacrificing Rooney for Scott Wright it looked like an attempt at damage limitation.
It didn’t work. With 63 minutes gone Armstrong floated a free-kick to the back post where Boyata was running around a cluster of bodies to head back across goal for Dembele to nod home from close range. Game over.