Celtic have dropped points for the sixth time in the Scottish Premiership this season after a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The Bhoys dominated the first half up north but fluffed several chances with Liel Abada, Luis Palma and Paulo Bernardo all having opportunities to score.
Predictably, Aberdeen came into the match after the interval. They ended up taking the lead through Bojan Miovski before new signing Nicolas Kuhn made an impact off the bench to earn a point.
It was a disappointing afternoon and compounds fears that many fans have about the direction of the season.
What are the big talking points coming out of the match? Here are three of ours…
Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn rescue Celtic from defeat
The tide of the match had firmly turned against Celtic when Idah and Kuhn were brought into the match in the 58th minute. Miovski had scored and the Dons looked capable of netting a second.
However, the attacking substitutes made a big impression and helped Celtic regain a foothold in the Aberdeen half. Idah, in fact, assisted Kuhn’s deflected equaliser with some quick feet to lay it off for the winger.
The Norwich City loanee had some nice touches and showed some good centre-forward play in general, becoming the principal focal point in the attack with Kyogo Furuhashi floating around him.
Ultimately they couldn’t inspire a victory but their presence did rescue a point, which could prove vital in a tight title race.
Maik Nawrocki struggles against Aberdeen
It wasn’t a great day for Polish defender Maik Nawrocki. In the team after an injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers, he became rattled in the second half and was eventually substituted off for Stephen Welsh amid fears he could pick up a second yellow card.
Miovski got the better of him for Aberdeen’s goal and having received a caution before the interval, undoubtedly looked at risk of a horror sending off.
Carter-Vickers is expected to be out for another three weeks and it remains to be seen if Nawrocki will retain his place in the team during this period or if Rodgers leans on Welsh to partner with Scales.
On this evidence, you could understand why he would be dropped.
Celtic points advantage could evaporate quickly
The Bhoys were five points ahead of second-placed Rangers entering today’s action but could see it reduced to three by 5pm. Rangers have a very winnable game at home to Livingston kicking off shortly.
It means if they also win their game in hand then the two rival clubs will be level on points. That’s not a comfortable position to be in and Celtic can’t afford to have too many more days like this one.
After an underwhelming transfer window and Rodgers’ admission that he would have liked to see the club be braver in the market, there’s an odd feeling at Celtic right now.
The upcoming mid-week trip to Easter Road could be one of the most telling games of the season.
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