BHOYS EYE UP RECORD

CELTIC continue to race towards another landmark that will secure their status as the invincible history Bhoys.

On Saturday, Brendan Rodgers’ pace setters showed no sign of slowing down as they motored all the way up to 60 games unbeaten.

Arriving at Pittodrie last night, Celtic’s juggernaut knew they were just two results away from another big achievement under the Northern Irishman.

Prior to kick-off, the Glasgow club were a brace of domestic games off equalling the British record of unbeaten matches, a title held by Celtic dating back to 1915-1917.

Here, many thought Aberdeen – unbeaten themselves in the league this term and sitting joint-top before proceedings, would be the ones to put the brakes on the class of 2017 as they look to at least keep the pace with Celtic this campaign.

In the Granite City, those claims quickly crumbled as Celtic put the pedal to the metal again to move within one of that landmark figure, leaving Aberdeen trailing in their rearview mirror.

First-half goals from Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele silenced a sold-out Pittodrie to put Celtic into an unassailable lead. By the time the half-time boos subsided and the players re-emerged, there was still enough time for Dembele to grab his second and Celtic’s third on a surprisingly comfortable night in the North East.

The team may look different with the expectation even higher at Aberdeen, but it was the same old feeling for the Dons.

Level on points before the game, the gulf between the two teams was huge for the most part in front of a frustrated home crowd. In midfield Aberdeen could not get close to Celtic, while up front Adam Rooney and Stevie May were out-muscled and outnumbered by a dominant Hoops defence.

Aberdeen made one change from the team that defeated Hibs 1-0 at Easter Road as Andrew Considine replaced Celtic loanee Ryan Christie.

Rodgers made three, as Dembele, James Forrest and Tom Rogic replaced Patrick Roberts, Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths.

The hosts arguably started the brighter. Two efforts from 30 yards from Graeme Shinnie were booted towards goal, but Craig Gordon dealt with them without too much fuss.

For all Aberdeen’s early gusto, though, it would be Celtic that would smash their way into an early lead on 13 minutes.

Nir Bitton’s flick in the middle of the park sent Dembele beyond Kari Arnason and marauding into the box.

The Frenchman’s bulleted ball across the face of goal was missed by Callum McGregor, but not by the in-rushing Tierney at the back post who thundered an incredible shot in off the underside of the cross bar.

THAT was Celtic’s first real effort of the game but it woke them from their slumber.

Just moments later Rogic forced Joe Lewis into a flying punch to halt a goal-bound effort from 20 yards, while the Aussie would send an almost identical effort whizzing over the bar seconds later.

On a bitterly cold North East night, things began to heat up further. Dembele had a penalty claim rightly waved away when he collapsed in the box, before Arnason went into the book for upending Rogic at the edge of the box on the breakaway.

Stuart Armstrong stepped up to send the resulting free-kick a foot wide of the keeper’s righthand post.

Aberdeen’s attacking threat had disintegrated by this point

as Celtic were content to hold the ball, take the sting out of the match and hit quickly going forward.

With seven minutes left to go before the break, they executed this tactic with devastating effect to kill off the game as any sort of contest.

Tierney this time turned provider with a surging run down the left from his own half. Firstly he skinned Shay Logan with ease, then he swung in an inchperfect bending ball that arced across the six-yard boss.

Scott McKenna was helpless Moussa Dembele pounces for his first goal after a fine cross from Kieran Tierney (top left), who had scored Celtic’s first (top right) in his failed bit to intercept, allowing Dembele the chance to slide in at the back post for his third goal in five days.

Derek McInnes would have been far from happy at how his Dons team coped with the expectation on them in the first half. However, his message didn’t conjure up an initial response.

Armstrong had a shot saved by Lewis early on with Rogic slicing wide from the edge of the box, but Celtic should have had the game buried after 58 minutes.

FORREST burst in from the right side behind a high Aberdeen line to go one-on-one with Lewis.

The Aberdeen keeper did well to parry the ball six yards out, and with the goal gaping a combination of McGregor and Dembele saw their effort hacked off the line by Arnason.

The travelling thousands didn’t have to wait long for the third goal to come. On the hour McKenna was booked as he crashed through Dembele on the far touchline 35 yards from goal.

When Armstrong eventually swung in the free-kick to the back post, Dedryck Boyata guided a head down into the six-yard box where Dembele had the easy task of nodding the ball into the net unmarked.

“We are the invincibles” was the chant from the Celtic crowd as another game was safely navigated unscathed.