A NEW LEADER AS DONS TAKE POWER Reds make resounding statement as they cut down the champions
ON the day when Labour lurched back to their left-wing roots, Aberdeen established a new order under the red flags that flew proud at Pittodrie.
Claiming league leadership with the statement victory Derek McInnes has campaigned for since early spring and the pain of a fourth defeat to the champions last season, the Dons ascended to a position of power with 10 men.
Paul Quinn stole the winner four minutes from the end of a compelling and controversial second half, setting the scene for an intriguing exchange of blows between the pair throughout the winter.
First blood to the men in red, whose fans deserved to lustily celebrate going two points clear and excitedly look ahead to extending that lead with a spare game to play against Hamilton on Tuesday.
On the subject of leadership, where did Celtic’s go? Minus the organisation of Virgil van Dijk, their inability to deal with a ball landing deep into their area was poor.
The substitutions made by Ronny Deila to bring Nadir Ciftci and James Forrest on, while Kris Commons remained on the bench, failed to fire Celtic to cash in on their personnel advantage.
The visitors should have been aided by a harsh red card for Jonny Hayes midway through the second half. It could have been a momentum killer for the Dons. The 10 men refused to let that happen.
This McInnes unit has answered the few lingering questions which hung over them. They handled the pressure here alright and it is they who have planted a psychological sickener in Celtic’s camp.
As Aberdeen continue on the domestic beat, Deila’s attention has to shift to seeking a confidence booster in the Amsterdam Arena against Ajax on Thursday.
Of all the losses to Celtic, it was that van Dijk-inspired November win that stuck in the gut of all at Aberdeen.
That last-minute victory gave birth to the Ronny Roar as the Celtic manager won over his public. Such rabble-rousing on north-east turf did not go down well in the home dressing room.
After scoring his first win over the Norwegian, McInnes made straight for the tunnel and let his players take the acclaim of a pounding Pittodrie.
This was the day the planets aligned to serve Aberdeen their best chance of laying down a real marker and stirring a title race.
Celtic’s players were returning from internationals complete with a rejigged defence, featuring Manchester United loanee Tyler Blackett at left-back.
Aberdeen took advantage of those little edges but did it the hard way by going behind and suffering the red card to Hayes.
First-half fall guy Andrew Considine actually betrayed signs of nerves within two minutes. From his loose back pass, Danny Ward was called upon to prevent Tom Rogic puncturing the best-laid plans of the hosts.
The defender showed up in the right places in Craig Gordon’s penalty area, however, and was frustrated when a free header direct from a corner flew over.
Considine then failed to conjure an effort on goal, the ball getting clogged up under his feet at his back-post arrival to meet a terrific Kenny McLean delivery.
Aberdeen were alert to the distribution issues afflicting their opponents bringing the ball out of defence and hassled all day long.
McInnes begged for maximum concentration yet all that early promise was undone by a brief lapse to a stunning Celtic connection.
Considine was caught in a few compromising positions in a comedy stag-do pop video that became public over the summer. A pass made by Charlie Mulgrew left the defender scrambling to save face here in a manoeuvre that screamed penalty.
It was a superb ball from Mulgrew that found Griffiths, as ever, darting in behind a defender to range in on goal. As he did so from the right, Considine had a tug then a hook at the striker. Either offence would have sufficed for Craig Thomson to signal to the spot.
Considine escaped with a yellow card and Griffiths compensated for his Scotland frustrations by slamming his left-foot kick low and hard beyond Danny Ward.
Griffiths returned after international duty disappointment to the ignominious occasion of his admonishment in court for singing an offensive song about former Hearts player Rudi Skacel.
But none of the striker’s scrapes with off-field trouble throughout his career have ever impinged on his ability to focus on scoring goals.
Celtic are no different in being able to bank on his blinkers going on when it comes to match day — and making opposing defences suffer. The 25-year-old has now scored in each of his last five Ladbrokes Premiership games.
He had clipped the crossbar earlier with a free-kick from 20 yards after Stefan Johansen was tripped on the edge of the area by Quinn.
When it came to on-field controversy, the second half satisfied without delay. McLean’s kick through a floored Mikael Lustig as he made a forceful attempt to find the ball sparked an exchange near the dugout but, surprisingly, no
sanction. McLean might hear more about this from Hampden.
Mulgrew then escaped a penalty claim as his hand helped him deal with a Shay Logan delivery.
Aberdeen did not have much longer to wait for their 12-yard try at a leveller, their sense of grievance nursed. Graeme Shinnie was going nowhere fast with his back to goal when he was dunted to the turf by Dedryck Boyata.
This time, Thomson favoured the Dons’ calls for a penalty and Adam Rooney sent Gordon the wrong way, converting his third spot-kick of the campaign.
This was more like it with the division’s big two in full-blooded action with plenty of needle. What a shame, then, that when red was flashed there was no need.
Thomson must have caught a bad angle of Lustig and Hayes sliding in committed to challenge for the ball.
The Swede limped back on to commiserate with his distraught opponent before the winger’s sorry exit up the tunnel informed that the Celtic defender knew there was no malice intended, nor damage done.
With Efe Ambrose on for Lustig, Celtic were weaker to what the 10 men still had to throw at them.
Ambrose tripped Niall McGinn wide on the left and the latter sized up another chance to place the suspect heart of the Celtic defence under pressure. This one worked a treat. Deep into the six-yard box went the delivery and it was allowed to drop kindly at the feet of Quinn, who poked the winner over the line.
The scorer almost saw his dream day as a Don turn in the dramatic closing minutes. Griffiths stole in to latch on to his misguided header back to Ward and looked like providing a typical deadly touch as he went round the keeper.
Considine, the man who could have seen red in the first half, hoofed the ball off the line.
That’s a sixth league win to start the season for Aberdeen, beating the record from the 1984/85 title-winning campaign. This was a huge step towards establishing a serious challenge at their first championship since then.