2023-12-26: Dundee 0-3 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2023 – 2024

Trivia

KO:15:00, Tuesday, St Stephens Day, Boxing Day, Celtic TV, league game 20
Over 20 corners. 30 shots. Some sitters missed 1st half.
Dundee have revealed revised plans for a new stadium in 2025 – which means ending a long winless run against Celtic at Dens has taken on new urgency.
Two unlikely heroes today: Bernardo scores his first goal for Celtic, in a game he has finally made a bit more of a mark in, good commitment from him. Mikey Johnstone scores twice coming off the bench, his first goals for Celtic in 4 years.
Celtic Park opened its doors and hosted a very special Christmas Day #ParadisePitStop for 200 people who are in need. Much respect to all for this.
Reports: Matt O’Riley happy to stay at Celtic despite transfer speculation.

Summary

Chris Sutton @chris_sutton73 · A performance of real authority from Celtic. Totally dominant but should have been more ruthless. Good for Mikey Johnston his goals. Huge blow Carter-Vickers hobbling off…

Brendan “Could have been in front at HT. Created many chances in the game. Kept a clean sheet. The team have had some harsh lessons in recent weeks. Also a very young team. Weren’t decisive enough at times but I’m very happy for the players as they deserved it”

Brendan “CCV felt a little bit tight on the hamstring. We told him recently if he feels any tightness to let us know and we’ll manage it. He felt a little tightness so we immediately took him off”#

ElTorq of KDS: We played some really slick, nice stuff but continue to be wasteful. Bernardo adds some steel in midfield and will play against the huns. We have upped the tempo in the past two games and it’s paying off. Our set pieces continue to be a disgrace.The decline in Maeda’s and Kyogo’s form is jaw-dropping but they will play on Saturday and will come good! (Hmmm!) Looks like CCTV going off was a precaution but we’ll see. That was a good three points from a game more than a few on here were worried about.

ETIMS: FT Dundee 0 #Celtic 3 0-0 at HT will always cause some nerves but that was as good a 90 mins as we’ve played in some time. Over 20 corners. 30 shots. Some sitters missed 1st half. Kept going & got goals the dominant performance merited

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tells Sky Sports: “The attitude and mentality in the game was very good. When you come here on Christmas night and you come away from your family… from the first whistle the mentality was fantastic.

“We could’ve been in front by half-time and anything Dundee had was us being loose. Overall, the performance, we created many opportunities and kept the clean sheet. The attitude and energy was very good.

“The team have had some harsh lessons in the last few weeks. It’s a young group of players. Paolo Bernardo getting his first goal, Mikey Johnston affecting the game, but overall our structure was good. The pitch was tricky, but how we passed and speed was excellent. We got into good areas but couldn’t be decisive enough at times. Overall, I’m so happy because they thoroughly deserved that.

“We said at half time, we arrived into the areas we wanted to and, instead of making extra pass, we were looking to get shot off and finish move too quick. Second half we showed patience.”

Asked about the Celtic youth product’s substitute performance, manager Brendan Rodgers tells BBC Sportsound: “I think it’s what he does really well and has done that a number times for us this season coming into the game.

“The challenge for Mikey was when he was playing consistently. He’s very rarely had four, five games on the spin. I certainly know he’s a player who can come off the bench and play well.”

As for whether the 24-year-old has played his way into his thoughts for a start against Rangers on Saturday, Rodgers replies: “If he did, I wouldn’t be telling you!”

Teams

Celtic

Formation 4-3-3

1Hart
2Johnston
20Carter-Vickers Substituted for Welshat 55′minutes
5ScalesBooked at 13mins
3Taylor
33O’Riley
42McGregor
28Gonçalves Bernardo
38Maeda Substituted for Yang at 66′minutes
8Furuhashi Substituted for Oh at 66′minutes
7Palma Substituted for Johnston at 79′minutes

Substitutes

13Yang
14Turnbull
19Oh
22Kwon
29Bain
49Forrest
56Ralston
57Welsh
90Johnston

Goals:

Gonçalves Bernardo (52′ minutes),
Johnston (83′ minutes, 90’+1 minutes)

Assists:

Palma (52′ minutes),
Scales (83′ minutes)

Dundee

Formation 3-5-2

31Carson
6McGhee
5Shaughnessy
25Donnelly
2Kerr
10Cameron
Substituted forRobertsonat 73′minutes
23Boateng
Substituted forSyllaat 85′minutes
17McCowan
3BeckBooked at 86mins
9Bakayoko Substituted forRobinsonat 68′minutes

Substituted forHowleyat 84′minutes
20Rudden

Substituted forTiffoneyat 69′minutes

Substitutes

1Legzdins
7Tiffoney
11Pineda
14Ashcroft
15Mulligan
16Robinson
19Robertson
21Howley
28Sylla

Goals:
Assists:

Referee:Don Robertson

Attendance:9,144

Articles

Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Match Pictures

Match Links

Prior
Match
Post
MoTM

Stats

Dundee
Celtic

Possession: Home26%; Away74%

Shots: Home5; Away38

Shots on Target: Home1; Away7

Corners: Home1; Away23

Fouls: Home3; Away9

Articles

BBC

By Andy CampbellBBC Sport Scotland

Last updated on

14 minutes ago14 minutes ago.From the section Scottish Premiership
Mikey Johnston scores for Celtic against Dundee
Mikey Johnston (second from left) scored his first Celtic goal in four years before getting a Boxing Day double

Celtic overcame Dundee with three second-half goals to move five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Liam Scales, Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley and Luis Palma all went close for Brendan Rodgers’ side during a profligate first half.

Paulo Bernardo nicked the ball past Trevor Carson to give the visitors the lead – a first Celtic goal for the midfielder – and substitute Mikey Johnston’s late double made sure of victory.

Second-placed Rangers have two games in hand over Celtic and will play one of those matches before the second Old Firm derby of the season at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Dundee offered little in attack and remain seventh prior to Wednesday’s five top-flight fixtures.

Reaction & as it happened
Keep up to date with Dundee
The latest Celtic news

An early Cameron Carter-Vickers header then a Bernardo shot gave Dundee cause for concern and Palma pounced on a stray ball to curl an effort high and wide.

Scales went even closer when he nodded wide and Kyogo really should have broken the impasse when he ran on to O’Riley’s excellent long ball and clipped wide.

O’Riley tried himself moments later, his shot narrowly missing the post, and another Carter-Vickers headed bounced out. Palma tried again with a header but knocked wide.

The pattern continued after the break with Greg Taylor unable to bury a chance at a corner.

But the deadlock would be broken. Palma’s through ball sent Bernardo into the inside left channel and the slightest of touches took the ball between Trevor Carson’s legs into the net.

Dundee had to get more bodies forward and Celtic survived faint penalty appeals for handball after ricochets off Greg Taylor and Carter-Vickers’ replacement Stephen Welsh.

Luke McCowan was then unfortunate to see a shot deflect out.

Oh Hyeon-gyu tried to swerve a low shot into the right corner but the Celtic sub could not get the required bend.

However, any doubts over the outcome were extinguished when Johnston – on for Palma – struck from the left and Carson could not get enough of his body in the way.

Carson atoned for that somewhat moments later, tipping a fierce Johnston effort out for a corner, but he could do nothing as Johnston shot low from closer in on the left for Celtic’s third.

And the winger may have had a hat-trick, a swirling shot flashing wide deep into added time.
Player of the match – Luis Palma
Celtic players Luis Palma and Paulo Bernardo
Most of Celtic’s best moments came on Luis Palma’s side, the left, and it was his pass that created the opening goal for Paulo Bernardo (right)
Persistence pays off for Celtic – analysis

The amount of chances the visitors carved, particularly on the left, encouraged them to keep at it and their persistence paid off with the Bernardo goal.

However, a second-half injury to Carter-Vickers will be a frustration given Rangers’ impending visit.

Dundee’s counter-attacking game did not create too many openings, though a looping Zak Rudden header forced Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart to retreat and catch in the opening half.

Defensively, the Dark Blues were often effective in getting in blocks to repel both shots and crosses and it’s easy to see why Tony Docherty’s side find themselves in a comfortable mid-table position.
What the managers said

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “I thought we played very well. It was an outstanding team performance. The ambition of the players was great. We controlled the game, controlled the rhythm.

“Anything we had to do defensively – long throws, long balls – we dominated that moment and kept the clean sheet, which is also important.”
By Andy CampbellBBC Sport Scotland