Aberdeen dramatically cut Celtic’s lead at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership to three points with a 2-1 win over the Hoops, piling further pressure on Parkhead boss Ronny Deila.
Hopes of a domestic treble for the Glasgow club had ended with a League Cup semi-final defeat to Ross County at Hampden Park on Sunday but there was to be no redemption for the Norwegian in the league.
The visitors had looked in control of the match until the 31st minute when Dons wide-man Jonny Hayes, playing with a bandage on his hand after being bitten by a dog, scored with a thunderous drive from 25 yards before debutant Simon Church added a second before the break.
Aberdeen came out after the break fired up with confidence and could have added to their lead as the Hoops struggled unsuccessfully to get back in the game, with Leigh Griffiths’ injury-time strike a mere consolation.
We take a look at who were this evening’s top performers and who struggled in the big game at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen
- Scott Brown 7
- Shaleum Logan 7
- Graeme Shinnie 7
- Ashton Taylor 8
- Mark Reynolds 7
- Craig Storie 8
- Kenny McLean 7
- Jonny Hayes (86) 8
- Niall McGinn (72) 7
- Adam Rooney 7
- Simon Church (76) 7
Substitutes:
- Andrew Considine (72)
- Peter Pawlett (76)
- Cammy Smith (86)
Unused subs: Adam Collin, Scott McKenna, Barry Robson, Frank Ross.
Celtic
- Craig Gordon 6
- Dedryck Boyata 6
- Mikael Lustig (78) 5
- Erik Sviatchenko
- Kieran Tierney 6
- Nir Bitton 5
- Scott Brown 6
- Callum McGregor (68) 5
- Stuart Armstrong (46) 5
- Gary Mackay-Steven 5
- Leigh Griffiths 6
Substitutes
- Colin Kazim-Richards (46)
- James Forrest (68)
- Scott Allan (78)
Unused subs: Logan Bailly, Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose, Carlton Cole.
Man of the match
Jonny Hayes – A stunning strike to open the scoring and teased and tormented the Celtic defence at every opportunity.
