Celtic 3-0 Aberdeen
- Published
Celtic stretched their lead at the Scottish Premiership summit to eight points with victory over second-placed Aberdeen in Glasgow.
Mikael Lustig scored the opener in a competitive first half as his shot found the net via a wicked deflection.
Former Dons winger Jonny Hayes bagged a second - and his first for Celtic - from close range after 69 minutes.
And Olivier Ntcham latched onto a terrible Kenny McLean backpass to wrap up the three points.
This was a chance for Celtic to strengthen their grip on top spot with in-form Aberdeen snapping at their heels just five points behind.
The occasion and atmosphere was always going to dictate the tempo and as Aberdeen pressed, Celtic zipped the ball around with precision and purpose in the early stages.
There was no reward for their possession, though, and the visitors started to grow in confidence.
That confidence was converted into a fabulous chance for former Celtic winger Gary Mackay-Steven midway through the first half.
Dedryck Boyata allowed a high ball to bounce on the edge of his box and Mackay-Steven collected possession, turned the Belgian international inside out, and fired a low shot just past Craig Gordon's left-hand post. It was a warning that prompted a few dissenting groans around Celtic Park.
That was the first of three quick-fire chances in the space of 10 minutes, with the other two calling both goalkeepers into action. Joe Lewis did well to block Scott Sinclair's shot after the Englishman was one-on-one with the Aberdeen stopper, and Greg Stewart watched his fierce drive fisted away by Gordon at the other end.
Jonny Hayes scored his first Celtic goal against his former club
With five minutes to the break, Celtic took the lead thanks to some neat build-up play and a huge slice of luck. Hayes and Ntcham played a sharp one-two at the end of the Aberdeen box and when Lustig picked the ball up his shot flew off the back of Dominic Ball and high past a wrong-footed Lewis.
It was a sore one to take for the hard-working visitors but on the balance of play, deserved.
Keen to kill the contest quickly, Celtic immediately applied pressure after the interval and Moussa Dembele saw his close-range effort deflected just wide, before Kieran Tierney and Ntcham also tested Lewis.
Dembele and Sinclair were beginning to cause the creaking Dons defence problems, with Ntcham, the dominant influence in midfield, spraying balls forward.
Kari Arnason and McLean gave the small band of travelling fans hope with a couple of close encounters, but it was one of their former team-mates who struck at the other end.
Sinclair showed his guile once again down the left flank and when he whipped in a fine cross, Hayes had the easiest of finishes from five yards out. It was mortal blow for Aberdeen, who had already been wounded by a mixture of a slick Celtic and their own lack of self-belief.
As if to underline the point, the third came from a horrible Dons error that was pounced on by Ntcham. McLean was short with the backpass and the Frenchman skipped in, rounded Lewis and slotted home with ease.
Olivier Ntcham slotted Celtic's third goal after a glaring error from Kenny McLean
Dembele and substitute Odsonne Edouard had good opportunities to inflict more damage in the closing stages, but their wasted chances did not take the shine off a dominant display.