| Match Pictures | Matches: 2007 – 2008 | 2007-2008 Pictures |
Trivia
- Debut game for Barry Robson, who scored with his first touch(a free-kick from just outside the box)
- We still concede goals from home!!!!
Review
A great little display by Celtic which gives us two good games to watch in a row which is far more than we have had to endure in recent couple of months. Match stolen by a great performance by McGeady who capped it with a great goal for himself.
Will be remembered also for Robson's debut with which he scored with his first kick (a free-kick from just outside the box). A great day and game to watch.
"That was our best performance of the season away from home – our ability and attitude was first class," said the Celtic manager.
"Aiden McGeady dazzled throughout with his skills and you'll be hard placed to find a better individual performance"
Teams
Aberdeen team:-
Langfield, Maybury, Diamond (Considine 50), Bus, McNamara, Nicholson (Foster 17), Walker, Severin, Young, Mackie, Miller, Foster (Maguire 63).
Subs Not Used:- Soutar, Lovell, Duff, Aluko.
Booked:- Walker, Young.
Scorer:- Miller 62.
Celtic team:-
Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura (Robson 73), Hartley, Scott Brown, McGeady, McDonald (Samaras 61), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Killen 85)
Subs Not Used:- Mark Brown, O'Dea, Sno, Caddis.
Booked:- McGeady
Scorers:- Nakamura 17, McGeady 34, McDonald 44 pen, 48, Robson 74
Att:- 14,651
Ref: C Thomson
Articles
Pictures
KStreet
- Pre-match
- Match & Post-match
- MoTM – McGeady (Link to MOTM Winners)
Stats
ABERDEEN CELTIC
Possession
| 41% | 59% |
Shots on target
| 2 | 7 |
Shots off target
| 10 | 8 |
Corners
| 4 | 9 |
Fouls
| 17 | 17 |
Articles
Aberdeen 1-5 Celtic
By Julian Taylor
Barry Robson
BBC
Darren Mackie missed an open goal for the Dons, with Shunsuke Nakamura scoring for Celtic on 16 minutes.
Aiden McGeady doubled the Hoops' lead on 33 minutes with an exquisite shot, before Scott McDonald converted a penalty and headed home a fourth.
Lee Miller struck a consolation, but Celtic debutant Barry Robson drove in a free-kick to complete the rout.
Aberdeen now face Bayern Munich in the Uefa Cup, and that challenge will require all of manager Jimmy Calderwood's motivational skills after this ragged showing.
The Dons were attempting to regroup following a wretched midweek CIS Insurance Cup semi-final exit against Dundee United.
New signings Dave Bus and Alan Maybury both came into the defence for an expected stiff test against the SPL champions.
Celtic, in contrast, won comfortably at Kilmarnock on Scottish Cup duty last week, but boss Gordon Strachan made two changes.
Andreas Hinkel and Paul Hartley both returned at the expense of Paul Caddis and Massimo Donati, the Italian not even making the squad.
The visitors almost went in front after 12 minutes when the unlikely figure of Scott Brown got into the Dons penalty area, but his header came off the post from McGeady's teasing left wing cross.
Mackie should have hit the target from close range but shot wide in one of Aberdeen's best chances.
And with Celtic showing plenty of aggression, the Dons paid the price for Mackie's profligacy, when Nakamura drove home.
The unmarked Japanese tucked home at the far post after some dismal Dons defending which saw them ball watch McGeady's low cross.
Eventually, Aberdeen forced the tempo, and almost equalised when Mackie saw his left-foot shot hit Artur Boruc's post after Miller had threaded the ball through the Hoops' defence.
But McGeady dented the Dons' hopes further with a superb second.
The Republic of Ireland international picked up possession in an innocuous position 35 yards out, and bent his well-placed effort into the top corner after ex-Celt Jackie McNamara had failed to close down the winger.
Further misery found Aberdeen when in-control Celtic added a third.
Josh Walker brought down the speedy McDonald in the 42nd minute with a rash challenge, and the striker drove home the resulting spot-kick to put the Glasgow club comfortably ahead at the interval.
It was McDonald's 22nd goal of the season, effectively killing the contest.
Aberdeen could not contain McGeady, and his piece of sublime skill and subsequent cross set up McDonald for the fourth.
With the Dons defence once again absent, the Australian headed an easy chance home at the far post.
Some light relief did arrive for Calderwood's men when they grabbed one back through Miller.
Celtic failed to clear a free kick from the right by Scott Severin, and the striker pounced to rattle the ball high into the net.
The visitors freshened the ranks with Giorgios Samaras and Robson, and the latter scored Celts' fifth with his first touch.
The £1.2m January signing from Dundee United curled a left-foot set-piece through the Aberdeen wall from 25 yards past Langfield, making an instant dream impact.
Strachan's men eased off in the closing stages, with the home support bearing witness to a second hammering in a week ahead of the Bayern tie on Thursday.
Aberdeen: Langfield, Maybury, Diamond (Considine 50), Bus, McNamara, Nicholson (Foster 17), Walker, Severin, Young, Mackie, Miller, Foster (Maguire 63). Subs Not Used: Soutar, Lovell, Duff, Aluko.
Booked: Walker, Young.
Goal: Miller 62.
Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura (Robson 73), Hartley, Scott Brown, McGeady, McDonald (Samaras 61), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Killen 85). Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, O'Dea, Sno, Caddis.
Booked: McGeady.
Goals: Nakamura 17, McGeady 34, McDonald 44 pen, 48, Robson 74.
Att: 14,651
Ref: C Thomson
Aberdeen 1 Celtic 5: Robson adds life to Celtic title bid
By Nick Harris
Monday 11 February 2008
The Independent
The Aberdeen manager, Jimmy Calderwood, parked his new Bus in the centre of his side's defence yesterday but it was the Glaswegian visitors to Pittodrie who proved far less penetrable and ran riot at the other end to add fresh impetus to the Scottish Premier League title race.
Shunsuke Nakamura, Aiden McGeady, Scott McDonald (twice) and Barry Robson (with his first touch as a Bhoys player) all scored as Celtic closed the gap again on Rangers, from seven points to four. A fortnight ago in their last SPL game, Celtic were dire when limping to a 1-0 win at Falkirk. But on this kind of form – jump-started by fresh competition for places from transfer window arrivals – a sizzling Old Firm title scrap is on the cards.
"Night and day," is how McGeady described yesterday's game compared to the Falkirk struggle. He added that the newcomers – who include Robson and Georgios Samaras – had "freshened" the existing players. They needed it.
Three remaining Celtic-Rangers derbies are likely to be pivotal in the run-in. Gordon Strachan has a poor record in those against Walter Smith, having lost all three since Smith returned to Ibrox 13 months ago. But Robson already looks a steal at £1.2m from Dundee United last month.
And Samaras, on loan up front from Manchester City, is snapping at the heels of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, and to a lesser extent McDonald, who has now scored 23 goals in all competitions this season.
"I'm delighted and surprised to win 5-1," Strachan said. "I'd have liked to have a clean sheet but you can't have everything." On the subject of defence, Calderwood's new Bus is Dave Bus. He's Dutch. No, really.
He was making his first appearance since moving from De Graafschap and while he did nothing particularly wrong, he typified Aberdeen: outdone. He kept getting overtaken in the outside lane by the game's outstanding player, McGeady.
There is relevance here for Celtic. For a long time De Graafschap could not find a settled defence, paying for that a couple of seasons ago with relegation.
While such a fate will obviously not befall Strachan's men, their porosity has been hurting them, especially on the road. Until two clean sheets in their previous two SPL away games, they had conceded at least once in every single away match since October 2006.
Aberdeen might have been ahead twice before Celtic opened the scoring. Derek Young headed over inside a minute, and then set up Darren Mackie, whose miss from a few yards was barely credible.
Lee Miller scored the consolation for Aberdeen, whose next game is against Bayern Munich here in the Uefa Cup on Thursday.
Celtic could have avoided that with a little more concentration. It showed that even on their best days, they are susceptible.
McDonald and McGeady combined to set up Nakamura for the first goal, a tap-in at the far post. Artur Boruc in the Celtic goal then thwarted Mackie and Miller, punching a ball away as both men attacked it.
Celtic went 2-0 up when McGeady cut inside Jackie McNamara from the right and shot from outside the box. McDonald added the third from the penalty spot after being tripped by Josh Walker, and after the break got his second by heading in McGeady's cross.
Nakamura and McDonald both had efforts saved before Miller made it 4-1. Nakamura was denied again from a free-kick before being replaced by Robson. Robson's first kick was a set-piece, smashed home low. Bus and Co were stationary. Celtic moved into cruise control.
Goals: Nakamura (17) 0-1; McGeady (34) 0-2; McDonald (44 pen) 0-3; McDonald (48) 0-4; Miller (62) 1-4; Robson (74) 1-5.
Aberdeen (4-4-2): Langfield; Maybury, Diamond (Considine, 50), Bus, McNamara; Nicholson (Foster, 18 ; Maguire, 63), Severin, Walker, Young; Mackie, Miller. Substitutes not used: Soutar (gk), Lovell, Duff, Aluko.
Celtic (4-4-2): Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura (Robson, 73), S Brown, Hartley, McGeady; Vennegoor of Hesselink (Killen, 85), McDonald (Samaras, 61). Substitutes not used: M Brown (gk), O'Dea, Sno, Caddis.
Referee: C Thomson.
Booked: Aberdeen Walker, Young; Celtic McGeady.
Man of the match: McGeady.
Attendance: 14,651.