Celtic 3 - 0 Aberdeen: Rampaging Celtic savage 10-man Dons

Published on Saturday 5 December 2009 20:51

McDonald, 38; Samaras, 51, 75

WATCHING these guys in their respective technical areas, it was clear they weren't lying when they said they derived little pleasure from management. But Mark McGhee could be excused for that joyless outlook as Celtic savaged his side to such an extent he admitted he was desperate for the final whistle.

His Celtic counterpart must have indulged in a smile at some point, though, as his men produced a performance worthy of return to the top of the league and proved that finally there is evidence of the kind of consistency in performance that could keep them there.

"Three points, some goals and good attacking play," was the Celtic boss's initial summing up. "But as a manager you are never totally satisfied." However, he was happy with the way his side moved the ball about the pitch, the fact his strikers found the net and the absence of any major lapses in concentration at the back. It all combined to produce a comprehensive victory, with McGhee conceding his players had been well-beaten.

A flat affair in the first half, the second half was an exercise in pillaging as Aberdeen opened up.

Celtic welcomed Artur Boruc back into the starting line-up but left the outfield unaltered, choosing to trust in the men who had earned that laudable albeit fruitless victory over Hapoel Tel-Aviv in midweek.

Aberdeen, who were looking for an Old Firm double after bettering Rangers at Pittodrie last weekend, were forced into changes. Mark Kerr was suspended following his red card in that game, but McGhee was able to call on Gary McDonald to plug that midfield gap.

Celtic hogged things in terms of possession but even that offered the Celtic manager little solace or much to enthuse about. Lamentable decision-making punctuated the play and there was more evidence of frailty in front of goal with poor shooting and an unwillingness for players to take a gamble and continue their runs. As a result it took until the 38th minute for them to convert their territorial advantage into a preferential scoreline. For McGhee, if he was feeling miserable at that point, it was going to get a whole lot worse.

There had been chances before that with Barry Robson's deadball delivery looking dangerous, while McGeady was again looking creative but Jamie Langfield and his defenders had managed to hold them at bay with some fine saves and late blocks.

But when Scott McDonald did score, the keeper had no chance. The ball was played into the area by Marc Crosas and the Australian ran onto it to slam it into the net.

It was still a narrow advantage and Aberdeen came back out for the second half looking to cancel it out. Within minutes, though, they were a further goal behind and a man down. Georgios Samaras grabbed Celtic's second in the 51st minute, sending a powerful header beyond Jamie Langfield after Aiden McGeady beat Richard Foster and chipped in a cross.

A minute after the second goal, with frustrations building in the Aberdeen ranks, Samaras was accused of diving by an irate Maurice Ross. Hands were raised but referee Mike Tumilty left the cards in his pocket and issued a verbal rebuke. Two minutes later Celtic's Greek striker was fouled again, when Jerel Ifil's leg was left high as the pair came together in a challenge, and the English defender was red-carded.

It was the fifth red card in five games for the Pittodrie team and previously they have elicited some sympathy from McGhee but this time there was no vigorous defence. "That's the first one I've thought was justified. I think if there was such a thing as a double red card, then he should have got that," he said. "It was stupid and reckless and lazy... it was just ridiculous and unnecessary."

The assumption would be that they should be getting used to seeing out games with a lack of personnel but on the evidence of what followed, that is not the case. It was wave after wave of attack as Celtic sliced through them with ease for the remainder of the match, the mood within Celtic Park far more buoyant than has been the case during most of this term.

In the 75th minute Celtic added a third. McGeady played the ball over the top and with Andrew Considine and Langfield unable to get it clear, Samaras managed to hook it past the pair of them and add to his tally. It was just a matter of how many more. In truth, so futile was the resistance offered by the visitors, there should have been many, many more. The only interventions were the last-gasp variety.

But for every bit of great goalkeeping from Langfield there was also a combination of bad luck as well as bad blood, which foiled the home side's attempts to increase their haul.

Ross had a couple of clearances off the line, Landry NGuemo and Niall McGinn were denied by the woodwork and Langfield had a raft of saves that will excuse him of any blame for this outcome.

By that stage, Aberdeen's best chances of the match, a Charlie Mulgrew drive that was deflected over and a Lee Miller volley that was blocked midway through the first half, seemed to belong to another game.

"I was looking at the clock and counting it down," said McGhee. "I just wanted it to finish because it could definitely have been four or five."

It could actually have been a lot more.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Jamie Langfield. With Celtic on a charge, it could have been seriously embarrassing for the visitors had their keeper not been in such determined form.

QUICK FACT

After a bleak period for the Celtic strikers, Georgios Samaras has now scored four goals in three games, while Aberdeen have picked up five red cards in their last five games.

TALKING POINT

The sending off. One minute the referee saw nothing, the next he was flashing a red card. The interesting fact was Mark McGhee's post-match lambasting of his player rather than the officials, though.