CELTIC 3 ABERDEEN 1
OLD FAVOURITES Kieran Tierney and James Forrest threw a lifeline to under-fire manager Wilfried Nancy as they struck late to overcome Aberdeen in a drama-laden afternoon at Parkhead.
The pair struck twice in the fading moments and, in doing so, they delivered the first win for the under-fire Frenchman at the FIFTH attempt.
Following four consecutive defeats, it was imperative the new boss stopped the rot as the pressure continued to build. It was great to see him smiling at the final whistle for a change.
Benjamin Nygren had scored the opener in the first-half, but the stadium was stunned into silence when the 10-man Dons levelled after surviving a siege at the other end.
It looked as though the champions were about to slip further behind Hearts who had beaten Danny Rohl’s Ibrox outfit 2-1 earlier in the day with goals from former Hoops defender Stuart Findlay and Lawrence Shankland.
The Hoops are now six points adrift with a game in hand.
It was an amazing encounter in the east end of Glasgow with Celtic hitting the woodwork FOUR times in the second-half as well as having 33 attempts at goal throughout a rousing confrontation.
In the sixth minute, Johnny Kenny had an atrocious miss after Nygren had sent Daizen Maeda clear on the left and the Japanese speedster whipped over a superb low ball into the tracks of the young Irishman just six yards out.
The striker, who squandered a succession of first-half opportunities in the 2-1 loss to Dundee United in midweek, was woeful with a sclaffed attempt smack in front of goal yet again and the ball bounced clear.
EAR WE GO…Benjamin Nygren in goal celebration.
Ex-Celt Stuart Armstrong was the first booking of the encounter following a scything challenge on Nygren in the 17th minute.
Ten minutes later, Maeda fired one past the post from six yards after keeper Dimitar Mitov mishandled a left-wing corner-kick from Arne Engels.
The pacy attacker snatched at the chance and thumped it wide.
The Dons, like Jim Goodwin’s Tayside outfit in midweek, were not being punished by the champions who had the bulk of possession without emphasising their superiority with goals.
Nygren also worked another opening, but his angled drive smacked off Mitov and ricocheted past for a corner-kick on the left which was ultimately wasted.
In the 35th minute, Kenny produced another dreadful finish after Callum McGregor and Nygren had combined to set up the frontman from 12 yards.
Unfortunately, the misfiring frontman weakly rolled the ball wide of the target.
Four minutes later, the Hoops at last claimed the breakthrough strike after a superb build-up with Yang Hyun-jun and Luke McCowan involved before Maeda was released on the left.
He swiftly fired in a low cross for Nygren and the Swede finished crisply from eight yards with a first-time drive that unerringly flew past Mitov.
THE WAY AHEAD…Callum McGregor was denied a goal by a super save from Dimitar Mitov.
The Dons, though, were still dangerous on the break and Kasper Schmeichel displayed some lightning reflexes to push away an angled effort from Topi Keskinen into the sidenet.
At the other end, Mitov leapt athletically to punch a vicious drive from McCowan over the bar.
The keeper, though, blundered with a slack pass out of defence in first-half stoppage-time that forced defender Dylan Lobban to flatten Maeda as he pounced to race onto the clearance.
Referee David Dickinson had no alternative but to produce the red card to leave the visitors with 10 men for the rest of the game.
Within a couple of minutes of the restart, Mitov atoned for his error with two brilliant saves from Auston Trusty and McGregor.
The first was a flying leap to his right to push away a netbound header from the American central defender and the second was even more impressive when he dived to his left to divert a scorching drive from McGregor that looked a goal all the way as soon as it left the skipper’s left foot from 12 yards.
The keeper was rescued twice by his his left-hand post when Nygren and Arne Engels both delivered efforts from the left that saw the ball thump off the inside of the upright on both occasions as the Dons’ goal enjoyed a charmed life.
In between, Mitov had an excellent sprawling save to his right to push away a rasping first-time 25-yard shot from Anthony Ralston.
Celtic were swarming all over their opponents and the only thing that was missing was another goal that would have eased the tension around the park.
BEWILDERED…Arne Engels was denied twice by the woodwork.
Just after the hour mark, the Hoops struck the woodwork for a THIRD time.
Tierney curled over an inviting cross from the left and Engels threw himself full-length to power an effort past the stranded Mitov, but this time the right-hand post shuddered and the visitors escaped yet again.
In the 70th minute, Nancy made a triple substitution when he sent on Liam Scales, Forrest and Shin Yamada for McCowan, Yang and Kenny.
Within minutes of his appearance, Forrest was denied by Mitov who reacted swiftly to a low shot to his left to push the ball away.
Astoundingly, the Dons levelled in the 74th minute when a through ball eliminated Trusty and substitute Kenan Bilalovic raced through to plant the ball behind Schmeichel.
The 10 men had been on the ropes, but the hosts just could not deliver the knock-out punch.
In the 82nd minute, Colby Donovan was thrown on for Ralston.
Six minutes later, Tierney headed in the second goal after some neat work from Donovan on the right as he fashioned an opening to throw in a teasing ball.
Yamada and Maeda both misread the flight of the ball, but the Scotland international defender was following up to nod in the points-clincher at the far post.
The goal was welcomed more in relief than joy by the Celtic fans.
And a minute into stoppage-time, the result was assured when Nygren slipped in McGregor who sent a cross into the box.
Forrest seized the chance to sidefoot the ball beyond the diving Mitov to maintain his extrairdinary record of scoring in 17 successive seasons at the club.
With almost the last touch of the game, Yamada struck the crossbar.
No-one could complain about the outcome.
Nancy now has a platform from which to launch a bid for the champions’ fifth successive title.
But he will know a proven striker is required with the utmost urgency in next month’s tranfer window.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Ralston (sub: Donovan 82), Trusty, Tierney; McCowan (sub: Scales 70), Engels, McGregor, Nygren; Yang (sub: Forrest 70), Kenny (sub: Yamada 70), Maeda.
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