Four Findings: Aberdeen 1-2 Celtic

Celtic got the last laugh at Pittodrie on Sunday against a physical and passionate Aberdeen side.

Nir Bitton returned to the starting XI for the first time since Celtic’s Scottish Cup fourth-round victory over Partick Thistle in January.

Celtic opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes following brilliant play from Leigh Griffiths, but it was Callum McGregor who poked in the rebound after James Forrest’s shot was saved by Joe Lewis.

Aberdeen equalised through Ash Taylor after Griffiths failed to pick him up in the 27th minute. Taylor did extremely well to control with his chest before stinging it past Fraser Forster, but he should not have had all the time to do that.

After having major struggles going forward, Celtic capitalised on the counter with a ruthless finish from Kristoffer Ajer after he was spotted by Forrest to make it 2-1 in the 80th minute.

Neil Lennon’s delight was clear at the blow of the final whistle after a very difficult game in tough conditions.

Celtic will now prepare for their Europa League return, which restarts with a Thursday visit to Copenhagen for the first leg of their round of 32 tie with the Danish side winless in their last three matches in all competitions.

Here are our ‘four findings’ from Celtic’s latest win…