Brendan Rodgers will be one happy man after Celtic swept aside Aberdeen to increase their lead at the Scottish Premiership summit to seven points.
On the face of it, a wet and wild night at Pittodrie didn’t serve up a classic affair. However, Reo Hatate stepped forward to ensure his side emerged victorious.
Post-match, Brendan Rodgers paid tribute to Celtic’s resilience against Aberdeen that has seen his side stride further ahead in their mission to claim the Scottish Premiership title.
Truthfully, there have been easier watches this season, but blustery conditions weren’t getting in the way of the Bhoys. Understandably, some will draw definitive conclusions from last night about the destination of the title.
However, Rodgers has made it clear that he isn’t buying into any premature theories despite the temptation.
Brendan Rodgers refusing to read into title talk
Speaking post-match, Rodgers made it clear that the title race is ‘nowhere near done’ despite Celtic moving seven points clear with a game in hand over their closest challengers.
He stated [BBC Sport]: “Fair play to the players, they were absolutely brilliant. That weather was as bad as I’ve had it, especially coming up here. I thought both sets of players tried to play the game as best they could. I thought we deserved to win. In the first half we took control, we worked it quite well into the final third of the pitch but couldn’t quite make it.
“We needed to take a little bit more care in our passing in the second half. It’s a huge credit to the players to keep the concentration, to defend that well – especially those few moments at the end – I’m so, so pleased. I just felt that in time [a goal would come], we trust our process, we trust our game. Especially after winning 6-0 in the semi-final we knew Aberdeen wouldn’t roll over.
“They’re a team that are really hard to beat, we knew it was going to be tough and we’d maybe have to take the game into the final half hour.”
Later, he responded to questions about the league title, saying: “There are 38 games so it’s nowhere near done. I understand people will look at it that way but for us there’s such a long way to go. We’re trying to get through the games, play well, but there’s no thought of that in the players’ minds.
“Our culture is very much based around winning, and we know we have to work very hard in our training and on the pitch to do that.”
Celtic have their eyes locked on Scottish Premiership prize
Although there is still a long way to go, it would be unreasonable to think that Celtic aren’t firmly fixed on winning another Scottish Premiership title.
This squad have shown they have the depth and bottle to achieve a fourth successive crown, it is now just about continuing their recent form across the festive period.
Ultimately, they face a plethora of stiff tests across all competitions before all is said and done, but excitement will override any notion of fear as supporters suspect a special season could be in the offing.
For now, keep calm and carry on. Celtic have been fantastic this campaign, so savour every minute as history beckons in the distance.
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