2017-12-26: Dundee 0-2 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2017 – 2018 | 2017-18 Pictures

Trivia

• Boxing Day/St Stephen's Day game
• Hayes after finally scoring his debut goal last game, was badly tackled in this game and taken off; to undergo leg X-ray after win v Dundee
• Rumours on Xmas day that Dembele had been sold to Brighton (well an £18m price agreed) were knocked away by Celtic (Sky were the ones running with the story).
• Rumours: Van Dijk to Liverpool for £70m agreed (supposedly).
• Keiran Tierney makes the UEFA Champions League breakthrough team of 2017. Excellent.
• Copenhagen could make a £1.5 million bid for out-of-favour Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko when the January transfer window opens.
• Dundee midfielder Mark O’Hara is desperate for the club to beat Celtic in order to repay manager Neil McCann. McCann’s father, Eddie, died on Saturday morning (RIP) but the Dundee boss compartmentalised his grief in order to lead his team, wearing black armbands, just hours later, but a valedictory win over Motherwell was not forthcoming.

Review

(broad eq bhoy of KDS)
Impressive win without being close to full throttle

This team is good at finding the right gear and just doing enough while conserving energy for the next challenge

Desperately sorry for Jonny Hayes, hope it's not as bad as it looked

The tackle on Ajer in the last minute was an act of calculated thuggery, really hope Dundee get relegated

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BBC
Celtic moved 11 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with victory over Dundee at Dens Park.
James Forrest converted Kieran Tierney's low cross to give the reigning champions an early lead.
Both teams then lost a player to injury after Dundee's Josh Meekings and Celtic's Jonny Hayes came together in a tackle.
Leigh Griffiths fired Celtic's second before the break and Dundee could not recover in the second period.They remain in 10th place, three points above Ross County – who host St Johnstone on Wednesday – and two ahead of Partick Thistle, who travel to Aberdeen.
Celtic's performance in the opening stages had everything. From the off they looked sharp, hungry and likely to damage Dundee with every foray forward.
Forrest dragged one early effort narrowly wide before the visitors spurned a magnificent chance, following an incisive move that tore the home side apart.
Paul McGowan lost possession cheaply allowing Forrest to break. The ball was switched eventually to Mikael Lustig, who found Callum McGregor. His side-footed shot looked in but hit the base of the post.
It was a warning and a let-off but Dundee looked unable to address what was coming.
Tierney escaped down the left after another excellent passage of play, cut back for Forrest and the winger's first-time finish was emphatic.
Forrest's burgeoning confidence was reflected in the manner of the strike and his scoring statistics this term reflect the impression he is in the form of his career – his 12th goal this season also his 50th for the club.
He then clipped a superb left-footed cross to the back post which Hayes directed off target.
Play was halted for some time when both Hayes and Meekings had to be replaced after a crushing midfield collision, the former going off on a stretcher.
That injury interruption seemed to allow Dundee to regroup and they momentarily began to gain possession in midfield.
Their improvement was almost undermined when Meekings' replacement Darren O'Dea inadvertently played in Griffiths, who could not get around goalkeeper Elliot Parish.
Griffiths did not have to wait long, though. Scott Brown won the ball from a weak-willed Faissal El Bakhtaoui, fed Olivier Ntcham, who in turn played the striker in. Griffiths motored towards goal before thrashing home his 10th of the season.
Hayes' replacement Michael Johnston then came close with a darting run and shot before Forrest stretched to test Parish from an angle when he seemed to be crowded out.
The threat continued in the second half, albeit at a more leisurely pace as Celtic dictated play. When they did lose possession, they won it back promptly.
They did offer Dundee a glimmer when firstly A-Jay Leitch-Smith went down in the box under Brown's clean-looking challenge.
McGowan then fired narrowly over from the edge of the box before Forrest produced a stunning run around various defenders only to finish with a less than stunning shot.
Dundee's biggest moment fell to Sofien Moussa, who misdirected a header from a great position to leave the hosts looking nervously over their shoulder at the bottom.