Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026
Trivia
- KO: 12:00; Sunday; Sky Sports
- Dundee beat Celtic at Dens Park for the first time since 1988 thanks to a Clark Robertson header and a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal
- Celtic five points behind league leaders Hearts after eight Premiership games! Shambles. Sevco 8pts behind they catch up by 1pt after drawing with DUtd yesterday.
- Sixth time in the last 11 games Celtic haven’t managed to score a goal.
- Back after the international break! Scotland 3-1 v Greece; Scotland 2-1 Belarus, so Scotland will make at least the playoffs for the World Cup. Albeit Scotland were woeful in both these matches!
- Celtic’s second largest shareholder, billionaire firm Lindsell Train Limited, reduced its shareholding in the club.
- Daizen Maeda ruled out with a hamstring injury; missed Japan’s match against Paraguay with discomfort in his left foot, said it was his decision to stay with the Celtic this summer.
- Protests: Celtic supporters groups held a major meeting with the board on 6th October, feedback was not positive! Board came over as overly defensive and obstructive. So things still in the red.
- Celtic Fans Collective Start “Not Another Penny” campaign calling for boycott of Celtic merchandise etc but not Celtic matches as a protest until Feb.
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Celtic fan protest halts beginning of game as board comes under increasing pressure. Throwing lots of balls onto the pitch. This was heavily criticised by many in the support who felt it was counterproductive.
- Scottish football clubs paid nearly £9m for matchday policing over the past four seasons, with Rangers paying most – £1.6m – and Celtic £1.5m.
- Celtic youth player Rhys Dargie who signed his first professional deal in 2023, signed extension to summer of 2028.
- Anthony Ralston insists Celtic have “got levels to go” after a slow start to the season and the full-back is sure the champions will soon be “suffocating” opponents.
- Ex-Celt Chris Sutton yet to be convinced by any of the summer signings at Celtic and thinks Japanese duo Reo Hatate and Daize Maeda have been “miles off it” so far this season.
- Ex-Celtic manager Postecoglou sacked after Forest defeat by Chelsea, only 39 days in charge.
- Atlanta United have fired head coach (ex-Celtic manager) Ronny Deila, per sources.
- Reports: Manchester City have NO plans to recall Jahmai Simpson-Pusey from his Celtic loan deal in January. He finally made his Celtic debut but the B team lost their third consecutive match in the SPFL Challenge Trophy, 5-3 to East Fife. Big question marks over the state of the reserve sides.
- Long-term Celtic target Sondre Orjasaeter revealed Celtic failed to agree a fee for his transfer with Sarpsborg 08 this summer before he joined Twente, but the 21-year-old winger would not have signed for Celtic anyway because he believes he is not suited to Scottish football.
- Celtic set to sign former Liverpool wonderkid Bobby Clark for £6m (The Times).Brendan Rodgers says he has “no clue” where reports of interest in the Salzburg midfielder have come from.
- Leeds United are likely to block a request from Celtic to sign Illan Meslier on a free transfer in January window, but a deal could be done for the goalkeeper who will be out of contract at the end of the season.
- Brendan Rodgers is expected to be sounded out by Nottingham Forest as they weigh up the contenders to replace Ange Postecoglou.
Summary
joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki:
If any match likely will have broken Celtic’s season then it’s likely this one. A shambles of a performance with Dundee potentially unfortunate not to have won by three. Celtic were poor, and really looked incapable of scoring despite having the vast majority of the possession and territory. Hard to single out any one player as all were poor. The tactics were non-existant and there was little pushback from the players. VaR overturned a penalty decision but that could be little used to counter the poor form of the Celtic players today. Watching Tierney’s decline, as he seems to struggle with any pace, is painful to watch. A shadow of the talent he could be. Siracchi needs to be played ahead of Tierney.
Little of note today with Dundee deserving of the congratulations for the victory today.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tells BBC Scotland: “The result and performance are bitterly disappointing. Give credit to Dundee, they defended very well when they got in front.
“All the statistics in the game show we dominated the ball, but we didn’t do enough with it. We had some opportunities in the first half, got into some areas. Second half likewise.
“But we’ve seen that before in a number of games this season, six games we haven’t scored in. We’re just lacking that bit of finesse and quality in the final third of the pitch. If you can’t break down teams that are [sitting] low, you’re going to suffer.
“It was a disappointing day for us.”
“We had 90-odd minutes afterwards to be better,” he said. “The protest has nothing to do with defending a corner or giving the ball away and losing the ball on the counter.
“We have to be better and ultimately, we have to look on the pitch first and foremost.
“We’re trying to find [the solutions], that’s the key thing. What we have in the building is what we have through until January. It’s a real challenge for us, in all the games that we have, and we have to stand up to that challenge. It’s my responsibility to try and find [those solutions].”
“Proud is the word,” Dundee head coach Steven Pressley tells BBC Scotland.
“We worked exceptionally hard over the last couple of weeks. There was a lot of suffering [after losing to Aberdeen] but we’ve reacted in the best possible manner. You can work on certain aspects but the execution of it is down to the players. I thought to a man they were brilliant today.
“We need to be more aggressive as a team, aggressive in our duels. We asked more questions of Celtic than we have in previous games. We crossed more, we countered with more intent. When you see that coming together you’re exceptionally proud.
“Playing against a Brendan Rodgers team you need a bit of luck and we had luck on our side and resilience.
“An outstanding performance from a young player [Cam Congreve]. He’s come in, settled into the group extremely well. He’s a player that can make the difference.
“We have to enjoy the win. For where we are, for the transition of the club, survival for us would be an achievement. Many of the pundits have tipped us for relegation and I understand why. But for us it’s about taking small steps, not big steps, and today was a small step in the right direction.
“Football management is not easy. I have spoken a number of times, saying that I do not enjoy the job at times but the one comfort I have is a terrific group of players and that gets me out of bed in the morning.”
“I think it’s pretty clear why [we couldn’t break Dundee down]. It’s also something I have to try and fix, be it different profile of player. Ultimately, we have to be better. It’s the responsibility of everyone, whether it’s centre-halves, full-backs, central midfield players or strikers, to score goals.
“We have enough pressure, create enough opportunities from set-pieces. We have enough of the ball in open play. But we have to have more craft and cleverness to break teams down. Today, we got into good areas, but we’re not really battering the door down.”
“We had 90-odd minutes afterwards to be better,” he said. “The protest has nothing to do with defending a corner or giving the ball away and losing the ball on the counter.
“We have to be better and ultimately, we have to look on the pitch first and foremost.
“We’re trying to find [the solutions], that’s the key thing. What we have in the building is what we have through until January. It’s a real challenge for us, in all the games that we have, and we have to stand up to that challenge. It’s my responsibility to try and find [those solutions].”
The Cynic @90minutecynic.bsky.social · 38m Full Time – Dundee 2-0 Celtic Out fought and out thought. Celtic were dreadful and not for the first time this season. The manager needs to spend less time fixing his image down south on the BBC and more time on the training pitch. Something has to change and NOW.
JAZ! @jazzo.bsky.social · 2h Understand the Supporters frustrations as that Board completely cut off from the reality of what’s happening on and off the park and evidence to the detriment of the Team and manager, whom himself has to face the music on lacklustre performances from a team that can’t rise to the expectations again
Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland · 3h Celtic have been absolutely abysmal throughout 2025. Faced 3 Rangers managers, haven’t managed to beat one, couldn’t score a goal against Kairat, only mustered an OG in a Cup Final, slapped about by an average Braga side & bullied by Dundee, a team favourites for relegation. Tierney has been such a monumental downgrade on Greg Taylor so far, Celtic have had to change their whole style of play to accommodate a more orthodox left back, and his performances and fitness levels have been nowhere near the standard required, just one of many massive issues. It’s not Rodgers fault how abysmal this Celtic squad is, that’s on the board, it is Rodgers fault that he’s created a system where the worst footballer at the club Liam Scales gets more touches of the ball than anyone else, and playing Ralston & Yang together is incomprehensible. If Rodgers isn’t going to sign a new contract, and I think that’s been evident since the Summer, then Celtic should let him go & bring in a manager who can have the final say on transfer targets in January, they desperately need them, so may as well let a new manager pick them.
E-Tims @ETimsNet · 3h FT Dundee 2 #Celtic 0 Better team won today. They wanted it far more and looked dangerous every time they attacked. We on the other hand are blunt and create little. Slow as a week in jail…as it’s been all season. Manager & players need to do FAR better. As for Hearts game next weekend. Let’s be blunt. If we play as we have been this season they will never have a better chance to beat us and beat us convincingly. We are a very poor team now. This is not just ‘one of those days’v. Its same old same old. There is not one hopeful thing to cling onto here. No signs of any progression, if anything its getting worse all over. Hoping AJ and Jota could save us is no longer enough.
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
01 K. Schmeichel 89′, Yellow Card at 89mins
63 K. Tierney
05 L. Scales 87′, Yellow Card at 87mins
20 C. Carter-Vickers
56 A. Ralston, subbed for J. Kenny at 46mins
41 R. Hatate, subbed for A. Engels at 82mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain
08 B. Nygren, subbed for M. Balikwisha at 64mins
23 S. Tounekti, subbed for L. McCowan at 64mins
17 K. Ịheanachọ
13 Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for J. Forrest at 46mins
Subs:
10 M. Balikwisha
51 C. Donovan
27 A. Engels
49 J. Forrest
24 J. Kenny
14 L. McCowan
47 D. Murray
36 M. Saracchi
12 V. Sinisalo
Goals:
Assists:
Dundee
Manager: Steven Pressley
Formation: 3 – 4 – 3
01 J. McCracken 37′, Yellow Card at 37mins
22 L. Graham
03 C. Robertson
04 R. Astley
12 I. Samuels
48 E. Hamilton 80′, Yellow Card at 80mins
08 P. Digby
07 D. Wright, subbed for E. Ingram at 86mins
19 J. Westley, subbed for F. Robertson at 75mins
15 S. Murray (c), Captain, subbed for A. Hay at 57mins
20 C. Congreve
Subs:
09 E. Acquah
21 Y. Dhanda
06 A. Donnelly
11 A. Hay
02 E. Ingram
28 C. Jones
13 K. O’Hara
10 F. Robertson
17 T. Yogane
Goals:
C. Robertson (18′)
C. Carter-Vickers (45′-1 og)
Assists:C. Congreve (18′)
Referee Matthew MacDermid
Video Assistant Referee Gavin Duncan
Assistant Referee 1 Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee 2 Chris Rae
Fourth Official Euan Anderson
Assistant VAR Official Duncan Nicolson
Att:
Venue:Dens Park
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
- Prior
- Match
- Post
- MoTM
Stats
Overall possession
Dundee 17.9% Celtic 82.1%
Shots
Dundee 10 Celtic 23
Shots on target
Dundee 2 Celtic 3
Total touches inside the opposition box
Dundee 15 Celtic 48
Goalkeeper saves
Dundee 2 Celtic 1
Fouls committed
Dundee 6 Celtic 12
Corners
Dundee 2 Celtic 12
In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Dundee 10 Celtic 23
Shots on target
Dundee 2 Celtic 3
Shots off target
Dundee 7 Celtic 13
Attempts out of box
Dundee 4 Celtic 9
Hit woodwork
Dundee 0 Celtic 1
Distribution
Total passes
Dundee 151 Celtic 700
Pass accuracy %
Dundee 55 Celtic 88.9
Backward passes
Dundee 17 Celtic 85
Forward passes
Dundee 98 Celtic 199
Total long balls
Dundee 61 Celtic 33
Successful final third passes
Dundee 30 Celtic 236
Total crosses
Dundee 10 Celtic 34
Defence
Total tackles
Dundee 9 Celtic 10
Won tackle %
Dundee 55.6 Celtic 70
Fouls committed
Dundee 6 Celtic 12
Total yellow cards
Dundee 2 Celtic 2
Total clearances
Dundee 53 Celtic 23
Clearances off the line
Dundee 1 Celtic 0
Pre Match Facts
Dundee are winless in their last 46 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D7 L39) since a 2-0 victory in May 2001 under Ivano Bonetti. Indeed, Celtic have only ever had longer unbeaten streaks against two sides in their history: Partick Thistle (50 from Dec 1897 to Apr 1923) and Dumbarton (50 from Oct 1892 to Jan 2007).
Celtic are unbeaten in their last 36 visits to Dundee in all competitions (W28 D8) since a 0-1 defeat in September 1988 under Billy McNeill – it’s their longest ever away unbeaten run against any side in their history.
Dundee have lost both of their last two league games by an aggregate score of 5-0, last losing three in a row without scoring in December last season.
Celtic haven’t conceded more than one goal in any of their last 10 away games in all competitions (5 goals conceded), their longest such run since going 11 without shipping twice from February to September 2022.
Dundee have both had the fewest shots (58) and faced the most shots (115) of any side in the Scottish Premiership this season. Celtic, meanwhile, have fired in the most shots (114) and faced the fewest (41).
Articles
Disappointment at Dens Park as Celts lose to Dundee
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/october/19/disappointment-at-dens-park-as-celts-lose-to-dundee/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
Share
19 Oct 2025, 2:09 pm
Scottish Premiership
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Dens Park, Dundee
DUNDEE…2
(Robertson 18, Carter-Vickers OG 45-2)
CELTIC…0
It was a disappointing day for Celtic who were defeated 2-0 by Dundee at Dens Park this afternoon (Sunday) after the home side netted two goals in the first half.
The hosts produced the first chance of the match 10 minutes in when a ball across the box was left by Simon Murray and landed at the feet of Joe Westley, but he made a mess of his shot from 12 years out and the chance was gone.
Kelechi Iheanacho looked like he had produced a bit of magic when he fired a shot towards goal from 30 yards out, leaving the keeper rooted to his line, but the ball cannoned off the outside of the post and went behind for a goal-kick.
Dundee took the lead from a corner with just under 20 minutes gone when Clark Roberston rose highest in the box and powered a header in to the bottom corner of the net beyond Kasper Schmeichel to make it 1-0 to the home side.
Celtic should have equalised almost immediately from the restart when Kieran Tierney was sent through on goal, but the left back dragged his effort from close range just wide of the post.
And Dundee doubled their lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half, with Cameron Congreve sending a dangerous looking cross in to the box which was touched on by Joe Westley.
The ball looked like it was destined to go wide, but a deflection off of Cameron Carter-Vickers took it in to the back of the net making it 2-0 to Dundee, capping off a frustrating and disappointing 45 minutes for Celtic.
18%
Possession
82%
10
Shots
23
2
Shots On Target
3
2
Corners
12
6
Fouls
12
2
0
Cards
2
0
Brendan Rodgers made a double change at half time, taking Yang and Anthony Ralston off and introducing James Forrest and Johnny Kenny to the action, also going to a back three.
Just like the early stages of first half, in the opening period of the second half Celtic looked to play their way in to the game, and create an opportunity.
Reo Hatate found himself with a shooting opportunity from outside the box with just under an hour gone, but the midfielder’s powerful effort drifted wide of the target.
Kelechi Iheanacho was the next Celtic player to find himself with a shooting chance when the ball landed at his in the box, but the Nigerian forward couldn’t seem to get his shot away and the Dundee defence were able to clear the danger.
With 20 minutes left, it looked like Celtic had a penalty and a route back in to the game when the ball appeared to strike Paul Digby’s outstretched arms in the penalty area from a Reo Hatate shot, but after a VAR review, the penalty was overturned as the ball as there was no handball offence committed by the Dundee man, with the ball having struck his face.
Hatate had another strike at goal less than 10 minutes later, a strike which looked destined for the back of the net, but a brave piece of defending from Luke Graham prevented the goal.
In the first minute of stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes, Michel-Ange Balikwisha drew a brilliant save from Jon McCracken when he curled a shot towards the top corner. And that effort was to be Celtic’s last chance of the match, which ended 2-0 to Dundee.
Brendan Rodgers’ men will aim to recover from today’s defeat quickly as they prepare to welcome Sturm Graz to Celtic Park in UEFA Europa League action on Thursday.
Dundee: McCracken, Astley, Clark Robertson, Graham, Wright (Ingram 86′), Digby, Hamilton, Samuels, Congreve, Murray (Hay 57′), Westley (Finlay Robertson 75′)
Subs: Ingram, Donnelly, Acquah, Finlay Robertson, Hay, O’Hara, Yogane, Dhanda, Jones
Celtic: Schmeichel, Ralston (Kenny 45′), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, Nygren (Balikwisha 64′), McGregor, Hatate (Engels 82′), Hyunjun Yang (Forrest 45′), Iheanacho, Tounekti (McCowan 64′)
Subs: Balikwisha, Sinisalo, McCowan, Kenny, Engels, Saracchi, Murray, Forrest, Donovan
Dundee 2-0 Celtic: Scottish champions stunned in first league defeat
Dundee 2-0 Celtic: Scottish champions stunned in first league defeat
SoccerNews in Scottish Premier League 19 Oct 2025 5 Views
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Celtic were left stunned following a 2-0 defeat away at Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday in a game that was delayed due to fan protests against the visitors’ board.
Kelechi Iheanacho rattled the woodwork after he lashed a speculative long-range effort against the post early on.
However, it was Dundee who seized the initiative inside 18 minutes as Clark Robertson latched onto a pinpoint Cameron Congreve corner to stun the visitors.
A flash counter-attack from the hosts in first-half stoppage time compounded Celtic’s frustrations. Congreve was involved again as his cross was met by Joe Westley, whose flick took a fortuitous deflection off Cameron Carter-Vickers before rolling into the back of the net to double Dundee’s advantage.
Celtic posted a whopping 87.1% possession after the break, but were unable to make it count as the hosts snuffed out any threat, restricting Brendan Rodgers’ side to just two shots on target from nine attempts.
Celtic were handed a lifeline in the 70th minute, as they were awarded a penalty after a handball call, only for VAR to overturn the decision on closer inspection.
The defending champions then thought they had halved the deficit in the 77th minute, but Reo Hatate’s attempt was cleared off the line by Luke Graham as Celtic fell to a defeat that leaves them five points behind leaders Hearts.
Brendan Rodgers addresses Celtic defeat, fan protest impact on team and ‘being handed keys to a Honda’
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/brendan-rodgers-addresses-celtic-defeat-fan-protest-impact-on-team-and-being-handed-keys-to-a-honda-5365760
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Deputy Sports Editor
Published 19th Oct 2025, 16:00 BST
Rodgers under spotlight as Celtic lose at Dundee for first since since 1988
Brendan Rodgers has accepted that the spotlight will fall on him after Celtic lost at Dens Park for the first time in 37 years to fall five points behind Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at full-time after the 2-0 defeat to Dundee at Dens Park. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at full-time after the 2-0 defeat to Dundee at Dens Park. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group
Sunday’s match was delayed by several minutes as Celtic fans continued their ongoing protest against the board by throwing dozens of balls onto the pitch straight after kick-off, but the boos were directed towards Rodgers and his players at full-time after a Clark Robertson header and a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal handed Dundee a first home victory over the Hoops since September 1988.
Celtic now face two crucial upcoming fixtures with Sturm Graz next up in the Europa League at Parkhead on Thursday before a trip to Tynecastle on Sunday where a Hearts victory would put them eight points clear at the summit amid the prospect of becoming the first side outwith the Old Firm since Aberdeen in 1985 to win the title.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at full-time after the 2-0 defeat to Dundee at Dens Park. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at full-time after the 2-0 defeat to Dundee at Dens Park. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group
“Well, as you can imagine, bitterly disappointed with that,” Rodgers said. “We lose the goal and sometimes that can happen from a set-piece where you get blocked off, but we still get a lot of time left in the game and just didn’t really have the craft and the quality in the final third to break that team down.
“When you’re at a club like Celtic, [the spotlight] is always on you. It was on me when I first came back. We got through that. It’ll be on us now when we’re not at our best level and we’ll get through this as well. But ultimately, we need to be better. We’re not playing with the speed and influence that this team has done before. I have to find a way to get us back to that level.
“You’re trying to look at the different ways to set the team up and we change the structure at half-time and trying to find different solutions that way. I’ll always look at myself first and analyse myself and where I can be better. Like I said, it’s my responsibility to try and find a way to get what I can out of the players that we have in this moment. That’s always the first port of call.”
‘Players have to be a man’
Asked what his full-time message to his players was, Rodgers replied: “I just said [to the players] that this is where you really have to be a man, because playing for Celtic is great from the outside when you look in and you’re winning trophies and playing great football – but you’ve got to deal with pressure.
“Also, the result and performance today wasn’t good enough. It’s not acceptable for Celtic. I’ve come here a number of times, a number of years, and that today is not the level, so we have to find it.”
With Celtic scoring less and conceding more than they have been accustomed to under his watch, Rodgers admitted that he is as concerned as he has ever been over his two tenures as Celtic manager.
“Yes, there’s absolutely no doubt,” he added. “It’s been a struggle from the beginning of the season. However, we have to stay together and we have to find a way to get the results and get the confidence in the team.
“When we say the speed in the team, we’ve lost a lot of speed and a lot of goals out of the team, but it doesn’t matter now. I need to find a solution.
“It’s not even my thinking about Hearts. We’ve got to recover from today, we’ve got to analyse and see where we can be better and then we’ve got a massive game on Thursday.
“Clearly, we’re not at the levels that we’ve been in the past, but it’s such a long season. It’s such a long season, still very early. We haven’t performed today and we have to be honest about that. It’s nowhere near the level of what we’d expect.”
Rodgers refused to apportion any blame on his team’s performance to the ongoing off-field conflict between the supporters and the board after his Celtic players spent several minutes clearing balls from the pitch, with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel seen pleading for supporters to stop.
“It was right at the beginning of the game and we’ve still got a long, long way to go after that,” Rodgers said. “It doesn’t stop you giving the ball away and losing a goal on a counter-attack. It doesn’t stop you getting blocked off on the pitch.
“We can’t use that as an excuse. We really can’t. Of course, it’s been simmering all summer and into the beginning of the season. However, we can only focus on the pitch and we can be better on the pitch, for sure.
“Listen, I’m not going to tell the supporters what to do. They’re frustrated, of course. They are the heart of this club. As I said, we had still a long, long period of time to put a performance in. And we didn’t do that.
“The fans are the heart of this club. The passion is here. It’s their life. It’s their love. And they want to see the team doing well. We had enough time in the game and enough ball in the game to do better for them. And we didn’t do that. So it’s on us.”
Rodgers also used a car analogy to hint that the lack of quality summer signings – one of the main reasons behind the Celtic fans’ protests – has hindered him his season.
“Listen, it’s not all linear and all smooth right the way through the season,” he said. “I think the challenge from the summer, now leading into here, where we lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals out on the team.
“And there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, I want you to drive it like a Ferrari. It’s not going to happen. So until something changes, I have to find the solutions. Because like I said, goals, speed, everything has come out of the team. And we need to find a way to be better.
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cx2plxxvy4gt#Report
Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Beleaguered Dundee provided the shock of the Scottish Premiership season so far by beating Celtic at home for the first time in 37 years to leave Brendan Rodgers’ side five points off top spot.
After Celtic fans’ protest against the board delayed the start of the play as the pitch had to be cleared of balls, travelling supporters were only further angered by another flat showing.
Dundee enjoyed a fast start which was capped off by Clark Robertson’s goal with an angled header from a corner which flew past Kasper Schmeichel.
The hosts’ defending was heroic, and their threat on the counter started to grow. It was from that threat the second goal came.
Cameron Congreve turned Liam Scales inside and out before firing in a low cross that deflected off Cameron Carter-Vickers and in.
The door seemed to open for the visitors after the break when Matthew MacDermid pointed to the spot after Paul Digby seemingly blocked a Reo Hatate shot with his arm. Replays showed that, in fact, he’d been struck in the face and the referee soon ruled it out.
Although Celtic ramped up the pressure, Dundee held firm for a famous win – just their second in the league this season. It boosts them up to ninth, and relieves the pressure Steven Pressley had been under.
The same cannot be said for Rodgers and Celtic. They are five points off Hearts after eight games, and they travel to Tynecastle next week.
A loss would see them eight points behind, something unthinkable just a few weeks ago.
Analysis: Celtic rebuffed time and again by Dundee’s dogged determination
Pressley said pre-match that if Dundee’s performance was right, the result would take care of itself.
Little did we know that the oft-harangued head coach was, in fact, peering into a crystal ball.
The 1-1 draw with Rangers in August was mentioned as the high watermark of Dundee’s season. A repeat of that would be needed, Pressley acknowledged. Perhaps a little more, even.
That’s exactly what they got. While Celtic had 22 shots, Jon McCracken only had to make two saves.
That was down to the level of performance from the 10 men in front of them, who defended from back to front – and looked completely transformed from the side that lost convincingly to Aberdeen just a fortnight ago.
If you’d told any Dundee fans that weekend that they’d beat Celtic two weeks’ later – for the first time in 46 meetings – they’d have laughed at you.
But Pressley masterminded the perfect plan, and his players executed it to a tee. Ethan Hamilton in midfield was particularly impressive and he, along with all of his teammates, deserves huge plaudits.
Possession stats between Celtic and DundeeImage source, Opta
Image caption,
The possession stats showed Celtic’s dominance, but also Dundee’s resolve
But what about Celtic? What went wrong on such a dismal day in Dundee?
Their attacking threat was there, but it was blunt and lifeless. Iheanacho passed up a number of opportunities, and he wasn’t the only guilty party.
Of those 22 shots, just three were on target. There were 48 touches in the opposition box and 118 entries into the final third.
But there was no confidence that they could make the breakthrough, no belief that they could break down Dundee’s low block.
Yes, you’d expect Celtic to have more firepower from the bench than young Johnny Kenny, and there have to be questions about that.
But questions must also be asked of the players who produced such a flat performance against a side that many people tipped for relegation.
What they said
Dundee head coach Steven Pressley: “Proud is the word. We came into the game, we’ve worked exceptionally hard over the last couple of weeks.
“There was a lot of suffering [after Aberdeen result] but we’ve reacted in the best possible manner. You can work on certain aspects but the execution of it is down to the players. I thought to a man they were brilliant today.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “The result and performance are bitterly disappointing. Give credit to Dundee, they defended very well when they got in front.
“All the statistics in the game show we dominated the ball, but we didn’t do enough with it. We had some opportunities in the first half, got into some areas. Second half likewise.
“It was a disappointing day for us.”
What’s next?
Dundee travel to Falkirk next Saturday (15:00 BST) while Celtic have Europa League action midweek against Sturm Graz on Thursday (20:00) before that trip to Tynecastle next Sunday (12:00 GMT).