The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Pittodrie drama Celtic leave it late to seal win over Aberdeen.
PITTODRIE: Lennon thrilled as league leaders come through test of mettle
ABERDEEN 1 CELTIC 2
Goals from Callum Mcgregor and Kristoffer Ajer saw leaders Celtic battle their way to victory over a resilient Aberdeen at Pittodrie yesterday.
Ash Taylor had levelled for the Dons on an afternoon which tested Celtic’s mettle but ended in the predicted outcome.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon praised the character and resilience of his side as they came out on top in the remnants of Storm Dennis.
He said: “I’m thrilled. It’s a massive win in treacherously difficult conditions to play football.
“All credit to the players who dug out a marvellous result for us.
“You can’t always play slick, quick football and we had to grind it out today. We didn’t want to drop points obviously, but it was perhaps looking like we would.
“A point a Pittodrie is sometimes a decent result and in these conditions the game could have gone either way.
“We’ve a bit of character and resilience. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, there’s a lot of football yet to play but in the context of the run that we’re on it’s a big win.”
Dons manager Derek Mcinnes felt his side were the better team, but is focusing on the positives of the performance.
He said: “When you play against a team like Celtic with so many good players, it has to start in the head with the mindset to make the game go our way.
“I thought we were the better team, and we spoke at half-time about the mentality of the Celtic players and how they wouldn’t accept not winning, and we asked our players to go out with the same mindset.
“It was exactly how my team needed to play against a good Celtic team and I felt the performance merited something from the game, but you don’t get points for a performance.”
The home side had forced much of the early pressure, but Celtic hit the hosts with a sucker-punch after 10 minutes.
Leigh Griffiths nudged Scott Mckenna as the defender looked to clear an aerial ball, and the visitors worked the ball across to James Forrest.
His shot was well saved by Joe Lewis, but the rebound fell to Mcgregor who found the bottom corner.
Celtic were forced into an early change as Greg Taylor was forced off with a hamstring injury 25 minutes in and a minute later Aberdeen were level.
Connor Mclennan delivered from the right after the Dons recycled a Niall Mcginn free-kick, and his cross was nudged on by Matty Kennedy for the unlikely figure of Taylor, who took a touch on his chest before firing past Fraser Forster.
That spurred on the hosts, and while it would be difficult to say they dominated, they certainly had the better openings.
Funso Ojo saw a long-range effort beaten away by Forster, with Mcginn heading the loose ball into the sidenetting.
Mclennan picked up a booking for a dive as he went down in the presence of Christopher Jullien. The Celtic defender was perhaps fortunate to escape unpunished for a clumsy challenge on Curtis Main a minute from the interval.
Though clear-cut chances were few and far between, this was a lively contest that neither side was willing to give up without a fight and that perhaps suited the home side more after their torrid recent run.
However Jonny Hayes, the former Aberdeen winger, could have put Celtic in front after 74 minutes as he raced in on goal, only to be denied by the onrushing Lewis.
It fell then to Ajer to net the decider, but it was Odsonne Edouard’s backheel in the build-up that set everything in motion.
He found Mcgregor who passed the ball on to a subdued Forrest. The winger suddenly came to life, though, and picked out the unmarked Norwegian at the back post, and he stroked the ball high past Lewis from 10 yards.
Edouard should have put the outcome beyond doubt when Forrest’s cross from the right found him a yard out. With Lewis on the ground, the Frenchman somehow contrived to shoot straight at the keeper and the chance was gone.