Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen: Callum McGregor's bizarre winner earns host vital win

Ex-Celtic winger Jonny Hayes' clearance thudded off Callum McGregor and into the Aberdeen net

Callum McGregor's bizarre winner earned Celtic victory over Aberdeen and ensured they remain four points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers.

Celtic stepped up the intensity in the second period and scored a fortuitous winner, with a clearance rebounding off McGregor into the net.

The defeat leaves Aberdeen eighth.

Boss Stephen Glass will feel aggrieved at losing in such circumstances after his team delivered a brave defensive display, but the harsh reality is the result extends their losing streak to three games and leaves them 10 points off the top four.

As for Celtic, it is a vital win for Ange Postecoglou's side as they put Thursday's Europa League exit behind them to ensure they did not fall further behind Rangers, who defeated Livingston 3-1 earlier on Sunday.

• Reaction & as it happened

Scott Brown's first visit back to Parkhead poignantly came on the first game played at Celtic Park since the passing of club legend Bertie Auld, with the ex-Celtic skipper laying a wreath along with current captain McGregor pre-match.

A banner stating "that's entertainment" - in tribute to one of Auld's many memorable quotes - was displayed in the centre circle prior to kick-off, and that is exactly what Postecoglou's side treated their home fans to with their opener.

David Turnbull's delightful chip found McGregor charging into the box and he slid a pass across to Jota to claim his fifth goal in as many games.

It took the hosts about 15 minutes to get going. An early clash between keeper Joe Hart and Christian Ramirez resulted in lengthy treatment for the home keeper, and that played a part in the game getting off to a slow start.

Apart from one piece of defence-splitting play, Aberdeen's backline were resolute - and they continued to be after Jota's opener, allowing Glass' men to feel their way back into the game.

In their first real effort on goal, Marley Watkins let fly from outside the box and had Hart at full stretch to tip the ball round the far post.

The resulting corner saw the Dons earn a spot-kick when Abada tripped Bates in the box. Ferguson confidently sent Hart the wrong way from 12 yards.

Celtic pushed to regain the lead before half-time, Turnbull again arching a stunning ball into the box only for Stephen Welsh to head over when leaving it for Kyogo was the better option.

Bates, who earlier denied Turnbull with a fantastic block, was then on hand to put his body in the way of a strike from McGregor. But for all Celtic's possession, there was a lack of urgency and intensity that is often in abundance with Postecoglou's outfit.

That was rectified in the second period, as both McGregor and Jota saw efforts bravely blocked before Josip Juranovic whistled an effort just wide of the near post.

McGregor's unorthodox winner soon followed, and while it came with a huge slice of luck, it was merited for the home side's pressure.

As the Celtic support were still euphoric at their captain restoring the lead, their ex-skipper Brown was departing the field through injury. He came off to a standing ovation, the first time he would have played in front of a Celtic crowd since March 2020.

The hosts could have settled the contest as Anthony Ralston had a header tipped over and Jota rattled the far post after more great work from the Portuguese winger.

But those missed opportunities left the door open for Aberdeen, who pushed for an equaliser and had a Ferguson header cleared off the line by Juranovic.

But Postecoglou's men held out, despite Kyogo passing up another chance with a near-post finish, meaning the gap at the summit remains at four points going into an intriguing midweek card.

Man of the match - Jota

The on-loan Benfica winger will need to knock up a new cabinet for his individual accolades this season after another starring performance

What did we learn?

When Jota clicks, Celtic click. Like the rest of his team, the Portuguese forward took until around 15 minutes in to get into his groove. But when the winger turned it on, he had a goal within five minutes of clicking his switch.

With each passing week, the option to buy the Benfica man should be turning into an unofficial obligation from Celtic's side. The Parkhead hierarchy cannot let this one slip by them.

While Jota's transfer looks astute business, the decision to recruit James McCarthy stills seems a head-scratcher.

Question marks were raised at the time due to the 31-year-old's age, injury record and four-year contract - and it cannot even be argued that the midfielder is producing during his time on the pitch.

The ex-Everton midfielder improved after the break, playing a part in McGregor's winning goal, but too many safe passes and a lack of urgency played a part in Celtic's below-par first-half display.

Aberdeen are still dealing with square pegs in round holes, with Brown being deployed at centre-back one of them. The injury of the captain adds to a lengthy list featuring the likes of Calvin Ramsay, Jack MacKenzie and Declan Gallagher.

With Glass' side needing to make up a 10-point deficit on the league's top four, he needs his key men on the park with a favourable run of fixtures on the horizon.

What did they say?

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "We started brightly and we had chances. After their penalty, it was tight, but we upped our tempo and pace at the right moments and I was confident that we would get the result.

"At the end, they were still sprinting about and trying to win the ball back, so I'm happy with the effort I got from the players."

Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass: "We didn't start well gave them the upper hand, they moved it around a lot and they had a lot opportunities.

"The overriding thing is getting beat by the deflection at the end really. You can try to keep it tight, but I don't think that works with the quality that Celtic have."

What's next?

Aberdeen return to action on Wednesday - hosting Livingston at Pittodrie (19:45 GMT) - while Celtic welcome Hearts the following evening (19:45).