Aberdeen crank up title heat on Celtic as Jimmy Thelin masterminds fightback in ultimate acid test – 3 talking points

Graeme Shinnie cracked a priceless equaliser as Aberdeen stunned Celtic with a dramatic second-half fightback.

The Pittodrie skipper’s deflected effort added to a goal from Ester Sokler to halt the champions in their tracks, Jimmy Thelin’s boys looked to be sunk as they trailed 2-0 at the interval to Brendan Rodgers’ men. Reo Hatate may not have been deemed good enough to get minutes for his Japan national-team during the last international break, but he returned to Celtic in style to sweep the hosts’ opener.

Countryman Kyogo Furuhashi doubled Aberdeen’s pain with his fourth goal in five games as the champions soared clear before the interval. At that stage, it looked a long shot for the Reds, but the Swede’s side had proper character and scrapped their way back to all-square by the hour.

Sub Sokler surged clear of the home backline to slot home for a lifeline and skipper Shinnie’s subsequent deflected effort sent the visiting fans wild. The turnaround was remarkable and, with 20 minutes to go, Thelin’s team thought they had gone in front when sub Duk’s effort went over the line, only to be chalked off for a handball.

In the end, it was a point each and far more enjoyable one for Aberdeen. Heading into the game with a stunning 13-game winning streak, many felt Glasgow’s East End would be a bridge too far for Thelin’s men.

But they showed themselves superbly and left Celtic to ponder a strange and disappointing afternoon where their own 100 per cent domestic record was ended. From a position of comfort engineered by Hatate and Kyogo, it was a stunner that they were hauled back.

Now it’s onto Wednesday's Champions League clash against Atalanta and that is going to be a huge challenge if they repeat this second period. It