Graeme Shinnie cracked a priceless equaliser as Aberdeen stunned Celtic with a dramatic second-half fightback.
The Pittodrie skipper’s deflected effort added to a goal from Ester Sokler to halt the champions in their tracks, Jimmy Thelin’s boys looked to be sunk as they trailed 2-0 at the interval to Brendan Rodgers’ men. Reo Hatate may not have been deemed good enough to get minutes for his Japan national-team during the last international break, but he returned to Celtic in style to sweep the hosts’ opener.
Countryman Kyogo Furuhashi doubled Aberdeen’s pain with his fourth goal in five games as the champions soared clear before the interval. At that stage, it looked a long shot for the Reds, but the Swede’s side had proper character and scrapped their way back to all-square by the hour.
Sub Sokler surged clear of the home backline to slot home for a lifeline and skipper Shinnie’s subsequent deflected effort sent the visiting fans wild. The turnaround was remarkable and, with 20 minutes to go, Thelin’s team thought they had gone in front when sub Duk’s effort went over the line, only to be chalked off for a handball.
In the end, it was a point each and far more enjoyable one for Aberdeen. Heading into the game with a stunning 13-game winning streak, many felt Glasgow’s East End would be a bridge too far for Thelin’s men.
But they showed themselves superbly and left Celtic to ponder a strange and disappointing afternoon where their own 100 per cent domestic record was ended. From a position of comfort engineered by Hatate and Kyogo, it was a stunner that they were hauled back.
Now it’s onto Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Atalanta and that is going to be a huge challenge if they repeat this second period. It was an all-action encounter which swung one way before the break and right back the other before the conclusion.
Celtic were first to fire. Away No.1 Dimitar Mitov was too casual and robbed by Arne Engels and the Belgian’s outrageous effort from almost the corner flag curled against the top of the crossbar Engels was dangerous and, from Alex Valle’s pullback to the edge of the box, he choked a decent chance wide.
Hatate had a shot blocked and Callum McGregor struck over as the hosts gathered momentum. Slobodan Rubezic, bravely getting in the way of the effort from the Japanese, soon needed treatment as he seemed dazed.
Celtic’s next move had the Dons in an even-bigger spin as they took the lead from a rapid counter. Engels sent Kyogo springing down the right channel and he took his time before picking a pass into the area.
Hatate had backed-up play superbly and crashed a left-foot strike first-time beyond Mitov. The pair were soon involved again as it quickly went to two.
McGregor sent Daizen Maeda scampering clear and his centre was messed up by Gavin Molloy who dropped it straight to Hatate. His shot was blocked, but Kyogo was onto the loose ball and slotted into the corner.
Aberdeen first tried to hit back and Leighton Clarkson had a one-on-one which beat Kasper Schmeichel only to be knocked behind for a corner by the alert Valle. Nicolas Kuhn could have finished it before the interval and wasted another chance almost straight from the restart.
That would prove very costly for the home side as the Dons first hit back through Sokler after he burst away from Liam Scales and into a through pass from Jamie McGrath. The Slovenian, on for Kevin Nisbet, stayed ice-cool and rolled a finish beyond Schmeichel. Suddenly, it was game on.
Thelin’s men sensed something and, when Valle, slipped over, Scales did superbly to get back and block from Keskinen. It was a short lived reprieve for the hosts as Shinnie’s deflected shot hauled the Reds level on the hour mark.
Maeda made a big mistake giving the ball away in his own half and, as Aberdeen shuttled forward, the ball was laid for the midfielder by McGrath to hammer one which flicked up and left Schmeichel stranded as it sailed into the net.
There was more Dons jubilation when Duk’s effort dribbled over the line, but it was brief as VAR spotted the handball. Rubezic’s header hit the elbow of the Portuguese before it went over Schmeichel’s line.
Celtic tried to hit back and win it with sub James Forrest twice coming close in the closing stages. But, despite 10 minutes of stoppage time and an incredible finale, Celtic could not get the winner.
Mitov made a fabulous save from a header by Adam Idah, who also had one ruled out for Alistair’s Johnston nudge on the keeper. A follow-up strike by the Irishman was blocked right on the line by Duk.
VAR checked if there was a handball, but there wasn’t and it finished even.
A different proposition
Jimmy Thelin’s side were going to get the acid test at the home of the champions and so it proved. Not only was Brendan Rodgers side so strong, but they also raced into a 2-0 half-time lead. In recent times, that would have been game over, but not so now. The Swede had a bench from which to call on excellent subs and they helped charge the Dons back into the contest. It was a sign of both their belief and their courage that they managed to get a point from such a treacherous position and a message to those who questioned their ability to go toe-to-toe with the biggest guns. Their celebrations at the final whistle told you how big a day this was for them.
CCV is the big one
Celtic boss Rodgers confirmed prior to the match that the American defender was back in training after his toe issue, but he didn’t make the contest and he was missed. Liam Scales battled manfully to hold the fort after the restart, but the fact his side were unable to hang onto a two-goal advantage of their own patch was a shock. Auston Trusty has filled in for the compatriot, but Carter-Vickers has a presence and a calm which his team could have done with as the away side launched their fightback. Rodgers needs him back in his backline as soon as possible. Bergamo on Wednesday night for the Champions League game against Atalanta would be a perfect place.
The real test for Valle
Celtic’s Spaniard faced a ball inside him straight from kick-off and was quickly crunched by Graeme Shinnie. Right there and then, it was obvious he was going to be tested deputising again for the absent Greg Taylor. The Barcelona kid had to be alert against Topi Keskinen and got back brilliantly to usher a weak Leighton Clarkson shot away from the target. Not 100 per cent sure of the times to come inside and stay wide when his team had the ball and thoroughly examined. He slipped at one point to gift a chance, but kept going right until the end and made up for that with one saving intervention near the finale.