Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin paid a reluctant tribute to Callum McGregor’s ‘fantastic’ late striker as Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to nine points at Pittodrie, speaking to the Dons’ official website.
With domestic football returning for the first time since the World Cup break, there were dramatic victories on both sides of the Old Firm divide.
But while Rangers showcased both their strengths and their weaknesses during a topsy-turvy 3-2 win at home to Hibernian, Celtic’s most hard-fought of triumphs in the North East owed more to patience and perseverance.
Ange Postecoglou’s side monopolised 81 per cent of the possession, and mustered a staggering 33 shots to the hosts two. And it was fitting that McGregor – who completed 51 more passes at Pittodrie than the entire home team put together – eventually proved to be the difference, battering home a fierce left-footed strike from outside the box in the 87th minute.
Celtic had spent all afternoon trying to pick the lock. In the end, McGregor simply barged the door down.
Callum McGregor stunner helps Celtic beat Aberdeen 1-0
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow,” sighs Goodwin, Aberdeen’s defensive efforts going unrewarded. “Because the boys have put a hell of a lot into it. We’re extremely disappointed because with the effort, the commitment and the quality of our defending, we felt we could have taken something from it.
“If we’d seen it through, I’d have been satisfied with that. But unfortunately, we’ve got nothing to show for our efforts.
“The players were very committed, very organised, they put a lot into the game defensively. They produced bags of concentration to get the game to a point where we thought we might keep a clean sheet. Which no team has managed to do against Celtic in the league this season.
“They are the best team in the country. They score a lot of goals. And we knew we had to be at our best defensively. But the goal that comes three minutes from the end is a fantastic strike. And it needed to be to unlock our defence.”
McGregor, returning after three months out with a knee injury, produced a captain’s goal at a captain’s moment; his first in the league during 2022/23.
Celtic now head into a hectic run of four games in less than two weeks. Livingston and St Johnston will travel Parkhead before Christmas Day.
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