Celtic 2-0 Aberdeen: Stephen Welsh header & Jota stunner seal opening-day win for reigning champions
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Jota's rasping strike sealed an opening-day win for Celtic over new-look Aberdeen
Jota's stunning long-range drive capped victory for Celtic as they began their Scottish Premiership title defence with a win over Aberdeen.
Stephen Welsh glanced in at the near post to get the reigning champions off to a perfect start before a relentless pursuit for a second goal followed.
Jim Goodwin's new-look side dug deep, though, and posed their own threat late in the first period.
But Celtic regained control after the break as Jota's strike sealed the win.
Victory means the Parkhead side stretch their unbeaten run over Aberdeen to 18 games and matches the opening-day result of title rivals Rangers, who started their league campaign with victory at Livingston on Saturday.
As the title-winning flag was hoisted, recent memories of Celtic's 2021-22 triumph were brought to the forefront of the minds of a jubilant sellout home crowd.
Those thoughts were soon parked to one side on referee Nick Walsh's first whistle as attention turned to retaining the title Ange Postecoglou's side wrested from Rangers last term.
But Goodwin's men, on the back of an impressive League Cup group stage campaign, were looking to bring down the party volume. The away side failed in achieving that, however, and got off to a nightmare start when Matt O'Riley's corner was glanced in by Welsh.
Celtic probed continuously for a second, with Kyogo Furuhashi and O'Riley both going close, as Aberdeen conceded possession time and time again.
But after hanging on for the majority of the first period, the Aberdeen attack showed signs of promise late in the half as Jonny Hayes passed up a glorious chance to level.
The visitors couldn't make the most of the few openings that fell their way, though, as Postecoglou's side grabbed a stranglehold on the game again after the interval.
Following further smart stops by Aberdeen keeper Kelle Roos after efforts by Josip Juranovic, O'Riley and Liel Abada, Jota was on hand to jink past his marker and rifle in an unstoppable shot from over 20 yards, polishing off a hard-fought opening victory.
Man of the match - Jota
Denmark midfielder O'Riley was the standout in the first period, but Jota's second-half display, coupled with his phenomenal goal, earns the winger the prize
Celtic still finding range amid bright start
Even after last season's title triumph, Celtic have started this season in far better shape than they did 12 months ago.
In contrast to Sunday's starting line-up, just two players - captain Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor - featured in Postecoglou's XI at Tynecastle last July, where Celtic suffered an opening-day defeat.
No debutants featured from the off, highlighting how much the Australian values continuity in his side, while the substitutes the Celtic boss brought off his bench highlights the embarrassment of riches at his disposal.
But his demand for near-perfection will raise minor concerns about his side's lack of control at the end of the first half and lack of clinical edge throughout the game.
That lack of ruthlessness can also be put down to the endeavour and dig of Goodwin's side, which included eight Premiership debutants.
Many teams would have crumbled under the relentless pressure Aberdeen had to deal with after Welsh's opener, and a better end product and finishing touch would have seen the visitors find a way back into the game.
It was an unforgiving first assignment, but Goodwin can take hope into a run of more favourable fixtures.
What did they say?
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "I thought we started the game really well and had good control of it. Then the last 15 minutes of the first half, we got a bit slack with our passing and allowed Aberdeen to come into the game.
"But in the second half I thought we addressed that and controlled the game, but I just thought we needed to be a bit more decisive as we were wasteful in front of goal today."
Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin: "We knew how difficult the fixture was going to be on Celtic's flag day. Unfortunately, we couldn't have got off to a worse start than we did. We gave away a silly corner and quite frankly didn't defend it as well as we should have.
"The players didn't let their heads go down and tried to play at times, albeit a little sloppy in possession, and we had a decent chance through Jonny [Hayes] and it would have been interesting had that got in."
What's next?
Celtic are on the road next Saturday for the first time this season as they travel to the Highlands to face Ross County while Aberdeen host St Mirren (15:00 BST).