CELTIC 2 DUNDEE 1
LEIGH GRIFFITHS netted in a third consecutive game as Celtic restored their 11-point lead at the top of the Premiership with a 2-1 win over Dundee at Parkhead this afternoon
The 26-year-old striker notched his 12th of the season with a stunning free-kick just before the interval.
Midfielder Nir Bitton curled in number two for the dominant home side in the 56th minute before Marcus Haber reduced the deficit in the 68th minute.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have now gone 20 games unbeaten domestically – they have dropped only two points in the league – and have two games in hand over second-placed Comedy Club Sevco Rangers.
Rodgers was forced into one change with captain Scott Brown suspended, fellow-midfielder Stuart Armstrong taking the armband.
However, the Hoops made five changes in total with Ryan Christie making his second league start of the season and Cristian Gamboa, Emilio Izaguirre, Bitton and Gary Mackay-Steven also coming into the side.
In-form Griffiths was preferred to Moussa Dembele, who was a substitute, while winger Scott Sinclair was also on the bench after recovering from a hamstring complaint.
Griffiths almost broke the deadlock in the 10th minute when he played a one-two with Bitton following a well-worked corner with Christie which got him in behind the defence before sending a left-footed shot crashing off the post.
Dundee keeper Scott Bain then pushed away a 25-yard from Armstrong before Tom Rogic missed a great chance when slipped through by Christie, lifting the ball high over the bar from eight yards.
It looked like Dundee would go in at the break with their goal yet to be breached but captain Darren O’Dea clattered through Rogic 25 yards from goal, picking up a booking from Bobby Madden for his trouble, before Griffiths curled the free-kick past Bain.
Rogic had limped off and failed to appear after the break, his place taken by Callum McGregor who joined his team-mates in the second-half assault on the Dundee goal.
The champions netted again when Bitton curled a free-kick for his first goal of the season.
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