Reo Hatate scored his 21st goal for Celtic last night at Pittodrie as the Hoops beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.
The Japanese midfielder scored the only goal of the game as Celtic defeated The Dons to open up a four-point gap at the top of the league.
The win puts Celtic in a commanding position with one game in hand and it means that the pressure is off should Brendan Rodgers’ side slip at any point in the upcoming Celtic fixture schedule.
However, what was most pleasing about last night’s Hatate goal was not the pass from Celtic defender, Greg Taylor. Oh no, it was the unseen goal celebration from the Japan international that fans who were not at the game will probably have missed.
Celtic hero Reo Hatate gives Aberdeen fans some stick
Now for whatever reason, something got Reo Hatate annoyed at the Aberdeen supporters last night.
Nothing of note really happened with the Celtic midfielder but it still didn’t stop the 27-year-old from doing this right after he scored:
No cupping of the ear or a ‘shush’ gesture. Just a simple ‘what do you make of that’ kind of celebration from the Celtic midfielder.
How many times Reo Hatate has terrorised Aberdeen in a Celtic jersey
Hatate has made 109 appearances for Celtic since he joined the club under Ange Postecoglou in 2022.
The Japan international has taught many clubs in Scotland a footballing lesson over the last three seasons but against Aberdeen, Hatate just seems to come to life.
In 10 appearances against the Pittodrie club, Hatate has remained unbeaten winning nine and drawing one.
The Japanese star has scored four goals in all those meetings with St Mirren being the only other team Hatate has scored a similar number of goals against.
Hatate terrorised The Dons in 2023 as he dictated the play and scored a double in a 4-0 win at Celtic Park.
With at least another two fixtures against Aberdeen to come this season, Hatate is likely to haunt the Pittodrie club as Celtic go in search of a record-breaking ninth domestic treble.
