2009-05-02: Aberdeen 1-3 Celtic, SPL

Match Pictures | Matches: 2008 – 2009 | 2008-2009 Pictures

Trivia

  • Good win coming from one nil down
  • Scott Brown begins his suspension.
  • Celtic go 4pts clear but Huns have one game in hand.
  • McManus off with an injury likely out for a while
  • Darren O'Dea was listed as a sub but injured his knee in the warm up, Ryan Conroy took his place on the bench.

Review

A poor first half was rectified by a far better second half. Lucky not to have been down after only the first few minutes, Aberdeen in fairnes got the lead they deserved and seemd to be on top. Recovery came form a bit of luck when an own goal put us back into the game to make it one each going into half-time.

Second half far better with only one team really in it, and some great play by Skippy McDonald brought us a 3-1 victory which could possibly have been more. An enjoyable but still far from perfect match.

Teams

Aberdeen:
Langfield, Foster, Severin, Considine, Mulgrew, Duff (Pawlett 78), Kerr, McDonald, Aluko, Wright (Paton 74), Maguire.
Subs Not Used: Bossu, Vidal, Mair, Stewart, Crawford
Booked: Pawlett
Goals: Maguire 22

Celtic: (4-4-2)
Boruc,
Hinkel, McManus (Loovens 50), Caldwell, Naylor,
Nakamura, Hartley, Crosas, McGeady (Maloney 90),
Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald.
Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Conroy, Flood, McCourt, Ferry.
Booked: McDonald
Goals: Caldwell 44, McDonald 72, 90

Att: 14,752
Ref: D McDonald.

Articles

Pictures

KStreet

MOTM Scott McDonald

Stats

ABERDEEN v CELTIC

Possession

49% 51%

Shots on target

4 9

Shots off target

3 5

Corners

5 8

Fouls

11 13

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood "I'm disappointed as I thought we dominated the first half, we had the best chances, went deservedly 1-0 ahead, and we could have gone three up.
"We gave away a sloppy free-kick – although I thought it was a strange decision by the referee – and they score with a minute to half-time.
"In the second half we weren't getting close to them and their good players started to play because we gave them time.
"Scott McDonald's always dangerous. But even their goals we've got to be disappointed as we didn't put pressure on them like we did in the first half.
"In one way I was pleased with the performance, especially with six players out who might have been in your starting line-up."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan: "Aberdeen were first to the bouncing ball and played the conditions well. It looks fantastic out here on the pitch, but you don't realise the swirling wind.
"They had a chance where Maguire lobbed it over and one at the back post in the first half.
"In the second half we got first to the bouncing ball and then played some good football.
"Scott McDonald's performance was as good a striking performance as you'll ever see.
"The first half when we weren't playing well he held the ball up, he came short, made chances.
"In the second half he was a constant threat, and as the longer the game went on his fitness level was phenomenal."

Self-belief to the fore at Pittodrie as McDonald keeps Celtic in front

04 May 2009

Provided by: The Scotsman

Aberdeen 1 Celtic 3
THIS was a Celtic victory sculpted from the rock of self-belief. Although the SPL champions were some way short of their best, a combination of resolve and opportunism turned out to be more than enough to end Aberdeen's hitherto impressive unbeaten home league run dating back to the beginning of October.
Just as the mere presence of Tiger Woods can unnerve many of his rivals over the back nine of golf's most pressurised championships, so Celtic relish the knack of forcing harmful mistakes from their opponents at the business end of the domestic Scottish season.
This was Gordon Strachan's 200th match in charge of the Parkhead club and, significantly, he's only lost 34 of all those games. Seeking a fourth consecutive league title, both Strachan and his players were cocooned by the winning habit at Pittodrie. Even when much of their football was humdrum – the manager himself conceded the first-half display was both "insipid" and "lax" – Celtic never shirked from punishing the failings of their opponents.
Andreas Hinkel, the German full-back who set up Scott McDonald for Celtic's second goal, later made it clear he understands the mentality which separates the wheat from the chaff in those football nations where a small elite monopolise the prizes.
"If you play for Celtic, or Rangers, the biggest teams always have to think about the championship," said Hinkel.
"When you come to a club like Celtic, you have to change your mentality, because every game is about winning. That's true for all the big clubs, Bayern Munich [in Germany] or Barcelona and Real Madrid [in Spain]. Here, for Celtic and Rangers, a draw is not enough."
Missing the drive which the suspended Scott Brown usually supplies in midfield, Celtic were second best in this area before half-time.
Aberdeen were more alert and expansive in the early stages, and Jimmy Calderwood's men went ahead on 22 minutes.
Having conceded a free kick in front of the main stand, Celtic's defenders would later justify themselves at being caught out by Charlie Mulgrew's cross with the rationalisation that they expected the wind to carry the ball further than the near post. It didn't, and Chris Maguire was able to steal in front of the centre-backs and beat Artur Boruc with a glancing header.
Aberdeen were much the better side in the first half. Scott Severin might have increased their advantage at the back post from Mulgrew's corner if he'd shown more composure, while the movement of Maguire and Sone Aluko caused Stephen McManus, who picked up a knee injury before limping off, and Gary Caldwell moments of duress.
There was no doubt the outcome of the match hinged on an incident before half-time when referee Dougie McDonald awarded Celtic a soft free kick for what looked like a fair shoulder charge after Richard Foster clashed with Aiden McGeady. From the set-piece, Severin managed a clearing header as far as Caldwell, who nodded it back in to the six-yard box where Andrew Considine flummoxed Jamie Langfield with a miscued header into his own net. "I'd given him a shout but it's the defender's instinct to go for the ball and, unfortunately, it's gone over my head," recalled the Aberdeen goalkeeper.
After being handed this free pass out of jail, Celtic produced a much improved performance after the interval. They got their noses in front thanks to a decent cross from Hinkel which enabled McDonald to steal a march on Considine at the front post. Perhaps Langfield shouldn't have been beaten at his near post, but the speed of McDonald's thinking and the quality of the instant execution were both notable.
Since Aberdeen had run out of ideas by this stage – their threat ended after Tommy Wright failed to exploit a clever ball over the top from Mulgrew – McDonald's second goal only served to gild the lily for the champions.
The lack of understanding between Langfield and Considine was again exposed when the goalkeeper and the centre-back got their wires crossed.
Considine looked naïve to back off when McDonald beat him to the chase for a ball played through the inside-right channel by Shunsuke Nakamura. The Celtic striker chested the ball down and, from a tight angle, fired
a low right-foot shot through the goalkeeper's legs. It was his 50th goal since joining Celtic from Motherwell and his sixth of the season against Aberdeen.
In a game where Celtic rarely moved out of third gear, it was McDonald's individual opportunism as well as the team's collective will which ensured Strachan's men will travel to Ibrox on Saturday for the Old Firm derby as league leaders. And true believers.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Scott McDonald (Celtic)
In a game in which the chain of supply was disrupted and opportunities in front of goal were scarce, the Australian was presented with just two chances. The reason Celtic took all three points was because he buried both.
(c) 2009
The Scotsman

Aberdeen 1-3 Celtic

By David McDaid

BBC

Scott McDonald scored a brace as Celtic came from behind to win at Aberdeen and move four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League.

Chris Maguire gave the home side the lead on 22 minutes with a header from Charlie Mulgrew's free-kick.

With seconds remaining of the first half, Andy Considine headed into his own net to level for Celtic.

And, with 20 minutes left, McDonald fired in a fine first-time shot before sealing the win in injury time.

When the top six was decided, Celtic must have been disappointed that another trip to Pittodrie beckoned given the Dons' undefeated record at home since October.

Aberdeen's team-sheet, minus their regular forward pair of Lee Millar and Darren Mackie, may have given Gordon Strachan's side encouragement, but Chris Maguire proved to be a more-than-ample deputy.

The striker's energy and movement caused problems for the visitors and he was presented with a wonderful opportunity to give the Dons the lead with less than five minutes played.

Celtic's captain Stephen McManus was caught out by Charlie Mulgrew's chip, but Maguire could only lob the ball wide with Artur Boruc advancing from his goal.

Marc Crosas was at the heart of the most of the visitors' early play and it was the Spaniard who began a move culminating in Aiden McGeady curling an effort just past the post with the outside of his boot.

As play swung from end to end, Boruc palmed away a tricky Sone Aluko strike then, after the ball was launched high up the field, Jamie Langfield had to block at the feet of McDonald.

MY SPORT: DEBATE
Give your reaction to Celtic's win at Pittodrie

Celtic, with a zonal-marking system that has been vulnerable at set-pieces all season, failed to attack Mulgrew's free-kick in the 22nd minute and Maguire took advantage to head the Dons in front from six yards.

Seconds after the restart, Maguire again forced Boruc to save, before Scott Severin blasted wide from the resultant corner in acres of space at the back post.

With half an hour played, Langfield, who was excellent throughout, produced a fantastic one-handed save to claw Paul Hartley's net-bound strike away to safety, before again blocking from McDonald as Celtic tried to get back on level terms.

And, just as it looked like the Dons would take a lead into the break, the Dons' keeper was beaten by a cruel deflection, as Considine flicked Gary Caldwell's header into the net with seconds of the half remaining.

Early in the second period, Boruc was relieved to watch a clearance deflect wide off Maguire after the Pole had raced out of his box.

At the other end, Langfield tipped first Lee Naylor's deflected strike then Hartley's header over the bar.

The Aberdeen forwards were finding space in behind the Celtic back line and, had Tommy Wright pulled the trigger sooner, he might have reclaimed the lead for the home team, but his hesitancy allowed Caldwell time to recover and clear.

The Dons were left ruing missed opportunities on 72 minutes, when Hinkel fed McDonald and the Australian's accurate first-time shot squeezed inside Langfield's near post.

And, in injury time, McDonald struck again with a low drive when he latched on to Shunsuke Nakamura's through-ball with Dons defence napping.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood:

"I'm disappointed as I thought we dominated the first half, we had the best chances, went deservedly 1-0 ahead, and we could have gone three up.

"We gave away a sloppy free-kick – although I thought it was a strange decision by the referee – and they score with a minute to half-time.

"In the second half we weren't getting close to them and their good players started to play because we gave them time.

"Scott McDonald's always dangerous. But even their goals we've got to be disappointed as we didn't put pressure on them like we did in the first half.

"In one way I was pleased with the performance, especially with six players out who might have been in your starting line-up."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan:

"Aberdeen were first to the bouncing ball and played the conditions well. It looks fantastic out here on the pitch, but you don't realise the swirling wind.

"They had a chance where Maguire lobbed it over and one at the back post in the first half.

"In the second half we got first to the bouncing ball and then played some good football.

"Scott McDonald's performance was as good a striking performance as you'll ever see.

"The first half when we weren't playing well he held the ball up, he came short, made chances.

"In the second half he was a constant threat, and as the longer the game went on his fitness level was phenomenal."

Aberdeen: Langfield, Foster, Severin, Considine, Mulgrew, Duff (Pawlett 78), Kerr, McDonald, Aluko, Wright (Paton 74), Maguire.
Subs Not Used: Bossu, Vidal, Mair, Stewart, Crawford.

Booked: Pawlett.

Goals: Maguire 22.

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, McManus (Loovens 50), Caldwell, Naylor, Nakamura, Hartley, Crosas, McGeady (Maloney 90), Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald.
Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, O'Dea, Flood, McCourt, Ferry.

Booked: McDonald.

Goals: Caldwell 44, McDonald 72, 90.

Att: 14,752

Ref: D McDonald.