2010-02-13: Aberdeen 4-4 Celtic, SPL

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Aberdeen staged a comeback to share eight goals with Celtic. We blew it. A nightmare performance by O'Dea. Bizarre mixture of poor and good by the team.

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Steven MacLean gives Aberdeen draw they deserve in 4-4 Celtic thriller

• Glenn Gibbons at Pittodrie
• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 13 February 2010 15.11 GMT
• Article history

In the kind of match that makes your eyes water, Celtic led three times – including by two goals in the second half – and were still a little fortunate to take a draw from an Aberdeen side who deserved more.
Diomansy Kamara's goal in the third minute triggered a long-running series of improbable strikes – from Michael Paton, Marc-Antoine Fortuné, Darren Mackie, Robbie Keane, Aiden McGeady and two from Steven MacLean. Aberdeen should also have had a penalty when Artur Boruc fouled MacLean and a chance to inflict even more damage on their visitors' prospects of regaining the championship.
That early opener from Kamara might have been expected to herald a performance of confidence and conviction from Celtic, but it served mainly to illustrate the vulnerability to which they have been prone throughout this unconvincing season.
Not only did they prove themselves incapable holding on to their advantage for more than six minutes, but, more alarmingly for the visiting fans, Paton's equaliser was the least Aberdeen deserved, having spent the time since they conceded the goal dominating opponents whose endeavours were marked by uncertainty and untidiness.
When they repeated the trick near half-time – this time losing their restored lead after less than two minutes – it was obvious that the Celtic defence could be susceptible to damage every time Aberdeen moved forward.
Not only did the home side pass the ball more crisply and incisively, but every time they executed a set piece – especially free-kicks from Charlie Mulgrew – they seemed likely to give Boruc in the Celtic goal some bad moments.
When Mulgrew's free-kick from the right was headed out and played back in, Edson Braafheid's defensive header was pathetically weak and straight to the feet of Paton. The Aberdeen man hit a left-foot volley from 20 yards that sent the ball hurtling low to the left of Boruc.
The goal with which Kamara gave Tony Mowbray's side the lead was an exercise in opportunism. McGeady's cut-back to Keane brought a low drive which Jamie Langfield pushed towards Kamara and the striker drove it over the line from only four yards.
It was Scott Brown's long run out of defence and pass to Keane on the right which brought the clever, low centre from the on-loan Tottenham player to Fortuné, who had only to side-foot the ball past Langfield from close range.
But when Jim Paterson's cross from the left dropped around the penalty spot, Celtic's defenders all seemed to be sucked towards it, leaving Mackie utterly isolated. He simply volleyed the loose ball past Boruc without a challenge.
Before Keane restored the advantage, Aberdeen were the victims of poor refereeing when Boruc plainly fouled MacLean when the forward was clear inside the area. The referee, Ian Brines, may have been alone in not seeing the challenge as a penalty.
Almost typical of such breaks, Celtic scored soon after. Paul Caddis's throw on the right was chested down by Kamara and his lobbed cross was glanced low to the right of Langfield as Keane outjumped Zander Diamond. When McGeady extended the lead with a powerful 15-yard drive from a corner by the substitute Ki Sung-yong, Aberdeen appeared finally to be dejected.
But Braafheid's ludicrous handball gave Aberdeen the penalty from which MacLean, shooting to the left of Boruc, once again reduced the deficit. When the striker completed his double – the result of more dreadful defending – it was no more than the home side deserved.
It came from a corner on the right which the substitute Georgios Samaras failed to clear. The ball was played towards MacLean at Boruc's right-hand post and he had a simple volley from six yards.