Aberdeen 3 – 3 Celtic
SPL
25/10/20
Lewis Ferguson kept his cool to convert a penalty and equalise for Aberdeen two minutes into injury-time in the SPL at Pittodrie.
The game lived up to its billing, Aberdeen the up-coming challengers and Celtic the wounded champs trying to put right their last two defeats.
Goals from Lewis Ferguson (two) and Ryan Hedges for Aberdeen, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie and Leigh Griffiths for Celtic, all complimented a frantic game.
There was much riding on the match for both sides with Aberdeen wanting to stay in touch with the top three after Hibs beat Kilmarnock yesterday.
The Dons had a returning Sam Cosgrove to thank for much of what was a hard earned point against a dominant Celtic side.
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For Celtic, they look to be stuck in a malaise after two points dropped at Pittodrie and defeats to Rangers and AC Milan, both at Parkhead, have put Lennon in a difficult spot early on in the campaign.
Celtic looked confused and wounded, the club struggling with new formations and seemingly entering a transition phase as Leigh Griffiths and club captain Scott Brown dropped to the bench.
First half Dons lead
Aberdeen would bring the hurly burly to a wounded Celtic side early on, and while the Hoops did eventually exert their superiority, what Aberdeen have now, which is different to the past four defeats against Neil Lennon’s side, is a forward line that seems to have real teeth.
When the Dons did get the ball to Edmundson, Hedges and Watkins they looked threatening.
This was a different Aberdeen side to the tame and rather unsure animal that met Rangers at the start of the season.
Confidence gained from winning four on the bounce, this time against the Firm Aberdeen would hustle and harry.
This is precisely the job Watkins did on a floundering Jeremie Frimpong on twelve minutes, getting the ball and turning the defender inside out before delivering a good cross in to the back post which McCrorie attacked, however the midfielder’s header was blocked by Laxalt.
No team in Scottish football should be more underestimated than Celtic and the Hoops, hungry for victory after two defeats on the bounce, sniffed weakness when Ash Taylor slipped inside his own half and Christie nipped in to drive at the Aberdeen goal. Fellow Scottish international McCrorie received the first yellow card of the game as he took the Celtic forward out on the edge of the area.
As the half wore on Aberdeen struggled to keep up their early exertions and the Dons began to sit deeper and deeper inviting Celtic on.
It looked as though the same tale of woe against the Glasgow giants would emerge until a clumsy challenge by Olivier Ntcham gave the Dons the chance to go one-up at the break.
Watkins threaded a pass through to Ferguson who found himself with space in the box, and Ntcham, trying to make up ground, clumsily bundled into the back of the Dons’ midfielder.
Ferguson has been perfect from the spot this season and he continued his impressive scoring vein, finishing high in the net.
Second half: battle not lost or won
The goal seemed to make Celtic crazy, who came out the second half wired to make amends.
As much of a rut as they are in, it doesn’t seem the players have lost faith in the manager or the cause for the fabled ten in a row.
In particular Ryan Christie looked up for it, the forward speeding around the park as though he had drunk a crate of Red Bull at half-time.
Inevitably Celtic did respond, although what was not inevitable was their victory – Aberdeen only losing once after going ahead in league matches since 2014.
Celtic’s equaliser came in a flurry of activity. McCrorie received a yellow for scything down Frimpong. From the free-kick Celtic got a throw-in in the final third and McGregor did superb, playing an excellent one-two with Tom Rogic, skipping a couple challenges and finishing low past Lewis.
Watkins, whose legs looked to have gone, was replaced by Wright and Edmondson picked up trouble after being barged into the hoarding by Shane Duffy.
The Leeds loanee was replaced by the returning Sam Cosgrove.
Any team in the league would be relieved to have a weapon like Cosgrove back in their armoury and the Dons forward instantly made his mark when, on sixty-five minutes, he expertly controlled a cross from Scott Wright after a mistake by Duffy. Cosgrove got his shot away which was blocked but Hedges steamed in to tap-in Aberdeen’s second.
With twenty minutes to go Lennon turned to old hats Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths, the latter making the biggest impact, scoring the equaliser with a great finish in the box after managing to stay onside, and after Rogic threaded a pass through the eye of a needle.
Two minutes later Celtic were ahead through a soft penalty. Hoban tried to clear a cross as Mohamed Elyounoussi made a run into the box. The Southampton loanee went down rather easily against a weak challenge and William Collum pointed to the spot. Christie put the Hoops back in front.
Aberdeen hauled things back to level terms in extra time through another Ferguson pen.
The Dons swarmed the Celtic box and Hedges lay-off was met by McLennan who turned McGregor and received a kick on the shin for his efforts.
William Collum pointed to the spot for the third time in the afternoon and Ferguson stepped up to score his second pen of the match and his eighth goal in eleven league games this season.
Man of the match: Ryan Hedges
The blonde haired bombshell worked his socks off, constantly putting Celtic’s backline under pressure. When he ran forward with the ball he looked dangerous and, although not a collector’s item, he got a deserved goal midway through the second half.
Cosgrove’s return
Being out for so long you forget the presence the man holds up-front. Cosgrove’s touch looked in good nick as he brought down Wright’s cross with aplomb to help give Aberdeen the lead. He caused headaches for Laxalt and particularly Duffy, shrugging the defenders off the ball and carving chances in the box. Short of match fitness, once the Dons get Cosgrove going it will be interesting to see how McInnes fits him in with Wright, Edmondson, Hedges and Watkins.
Aberdeen, 3-4-2-1: Lewis (c), Hoban, Considine, Taylor, Hedges, Hayes, Ferguson, Edmondson, McGeouch, McCrorie, Watkins
Subs: Woods, Logan, Ojo, McLennan, McGinn, Cosgrove, Leigh, Wright, Kennedy
Celtic, 4-2-3-1: Bain, Duffy, Ajeti, Christie, Rogic, Ntcham, Elyounossi, Frimpong, Ajer, McGregor (c), Laxalt
Subs: Hazard, Taylor, Brown, Griffiths, Klimala, Soro, Turnbull, Ralston, Welsh
Goals: Ferguson (pen) 43′ (pen) 90’+1′, McGregor 52′, Hedges 65′, Griffiths 76′, Christie (pen) 78′
Up next: Scottish Cup semi-final v Celtic
This time next week these two giants of Scottish football meet again, at Hampden, looking to complete last season’s covid interrupted Scottish Cup. Semi-final, Sunday 1st November, KO 1430.
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 