Celtic have closed the points gap to Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a huge Liel Abada goal against Dundee United to win 1-0. It now stands at just two points.
It was a tense afternoon inside Paradise after the Ibrox side dramatically drew in Dingwall earlier this afternoon.
At times it looked like Celtic wouldn’t find the way to victory. When Nir Bitton was sent off with ten minutes left, it looked a lost cause.
But the team did it. They did it. Just.
But what are the big things to take away from today’s performance and what we witnessed at Celtic Park? Here are three…
Celtic resilience
Ange Postecoglou has spoken a lot about resilience this week. And what better demonstration of it than today?
The message from the manager since the start has been that Celtic never stop. No matter what. We turn losses into draws and draws into wins.
This team undoubtedly has resilience. It has character. They are title contenders, make no mistake.
It obviously wasn’t a supreme performance today. We missed huge chances. But we got there in the end and it’s full credit to Postecoglou signings such as Jota and Abada for getting us there.
Celtic answered the call today. They had to, by any means necessary.
Matt O’Riley impresses on home debut
Matt O’Riley missed a glaring chance to score today but given the dramatic winner from Abada, that’s not what to take away from his performance today.
The 21-year-old was impressive for the Bhoys again on his home debut, after shining vs Hearts, especially in the first half.
His range of passing and vision was thrilling to watch as Celtic pushed for the opener before the interval. On this evidence, as well as what we witnessed at Tynecastle, we have quite the player on our hands.
Once he gets up to speed and finds his full composure playing in front of crowds like this, expect even more.
Ben Doak is ready for more minutes
Doak was making his outright debut for the Bhoys and it’s easy to see why Postecoglou has been including him on recent benches. The Celtic youngster looks a lively, exciting player.
He added that fresh energy and intent that the Bhoys needed in the final quarter of the game, giving Dundee United a torrid time.
In fact, his presence could well have been the spark needed to finally tire out the visitors enough for Liel Abada to find his space in the box for the winner.
I’m very excited to see more of the 16-year-old. Yes, he’s just 16!
In other news, Celtic want a raucous Parkhead for Euro clash; Bodo/Glimt ticket details announced.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
