Benjamin Nygren came off the bench to score the winner as Celtic moved up into second place in the Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The fixture had been rearranged after a waterlogged pitch in early February. A win in the Granite City saw Celtic leapfrog Old Firm rivals Rangers and move five points behind league leaders Hearts.
Celtic broke the deadlock after five minutes. Luke McCowan’s corner found Liam Scales, whose flick-on picked out Kieran Tierney to prod the ball into the net from close range. Aberdeen struggled to get out of their own half early, with Callum McGregor later seeing a stinging effort comfortably saved by Dimitar Mitov.
The hosts levelled from the spot after Scales was adjudged to have fouled Toyosi Olusanya in the box, referee Nick Walsh awarding a penalty. Kevin Nisbet coolly sent Viljami Sinisalo the wrong way to make it 1-1, his eighth of the season.
Celtic had chances to restore their lead before the break — Sebastian Tounekti drove just wide after cutting inside — and Aberdeen threatened early in the second half when Nisbet’s header from Mitchel Frame’s cross was tipped over by Sinisalo. Scales then nodded wide from a McCowan corner despite being unmarked.
Martin O’Neill made a number of changes as the game progressed and it was substitute Benjamin Nygren who put Celtic back in front. He poked home from close range following a James Forrest delivery across the six-yard box; VAR checked for offside but the goal stood.
Shortly after, Jack Milne slipped, allowing Daizen Maeda a run on goal, but his effort was mis-hit and Mitov was not troubled. Aberdeen pushed for an equaliser but Celtic nearly wrapped it up when Tounekti fed Marcelo Saracchi, who blasted over.
O’Neill on Sky Sports called it “a difficult evening” but welcomed the three points, saying: “We saw it through and won and that’s three points, very important for us and keeps us in the hunt, if nothing else… I thought Aberdeen played strongly today, caused us plenty of problems… There is still a long, long way to go.” He also praised late inclusion Benjamin Arthur after Dane Murray’s warm-up injury: “He has shown good attributes in training… I thought he did very well.”
Aberdeen interim manager Peter Leven was left to rue fine margins: “Frustrating. I thought we started okay and then obviously lose a goal from a set play… overall, we need to be a bit more streetwise… The boys never gave up and kept on going right to the end.”
Pundits questioned Celtic’s striker issues. Chris Sutton said: “Celtic have got to this stage in the title race without a centre forward. It’s unbelievable!” Kris Boyd commented on Maeda’s drought: “It’s someone going through lacking in confidence. You can’t fault his work rate… Last season he was outstanding, everything he hit went in. This season he’s probably back to the Maeda of the season before last.”
Celtic now sit second in the table, above Rangers and five points behind Hearts. Aberdeen, despite some positives, left Pittodrie with nothing. Both teams have upcoming fixtures in the Scottish Premiership and Celtic return to Ibrox this weekend for a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Rangers.