January 6, 2025

Celtic summoned their strength last night at Pittodrie to claim a narrow victory over Aberdeen, extending their Scottish Premiership lead to seven points.

The weather was to blame for a lack of clearcut openings on an evening when the heavens opened up, but Reo Hatate’s winning goal for the Bhoys was worth savouring.

Taking down a brilliant lofted ball from Greg Taylor, the Japan international finished with aplomb, leaving Ross Doohan helpless as the visitors took the lead.

In the end, his solitary strike proved enough for Celtic to record a statement victory over Aberdeen, furthering their comfort blanket at the top of the Scottish Premiership to seven points.

Looking back on events, Marvin Bartley delved into why the Bhoys were able to break the deadlock against at sturdy Dons backline.

Marvin Bartley on Celtic’s winning goal vs Aberdeen
Live on Sportscene, Bartley pointed out that Celtic’s decision to invert Taylor allowed Hatate to break off into an advanced position as Aberdeen’s midfield were successfully drawn out, leading to the decisive moment when the Bhoys took the lead.

He stated: “Yeah, his positioning, he’s in kind of a full-back position, but he comes right inside, and this is what Greg Taylor is so good at doing; he comes extremely narrow.

What makes it difficult here is, we spoke about the two holding midfielders for Aberdeen now. All of a sudden, Greg Taylor is free; Hatate puts his hand up and makes the perfect run, but he takes nothing away.

“That’s a great touch but to finish it they way he does, that’s the only place he could’ve put it in the back of the net. A real top-quality goal.”

Greg Taylor an unlikely difference-maker for Celtic
While proceedings were limited in terms of quality, Taylor’s half-time introduction did give Celtic another way around Aberdeen that was lacking during the opening 45 minutes.

Stat-trackers Fotmob show the Scotland international won all of his contested challenges, created the decisive chance and threaded five passes into the final third, making his mark by bringing an element of control within the inverted position.

Sometimes, you need someone to step to the front and take responsibility to force the issue. Taylor certainly did that, allowing Celtic to wheel away with three points.

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