Aberdeen player ratings: Three 7s against Celtic despite exceptionally cautious display in defeat

We give the Aberdeen players involved in the 1-0 defeat against Celtic a mark out of ten for their performance at Pittodrie.

Aberdeen captain Anthony Stewart made a number of big blocks in defence.

Kelle Roos: Made plenty of good saves and had little chance with Callum McGregor’s winning goal. Will feel unfortunate to be on the losing side. 7

Ross McCrorie: Kept Jota very quiet down the right flank and was a strong presence. Part of a defence that retained its shape throughout the match. 7

Anthony Stewart: The captain organised the defence well and made a clutch of good blocks as Aberdeen looked to frustrate Celtic. 7

Jack MacKenzie: Asked to play an unusual role as centre-half, the normal Aberdeen left-back nullified Daizen Maeda in the first half and while tested and exposed more by Liel Abada, he stuck to his guns. 6

Matty Kennedy: Was unable to influence the game in an attacking sense and was kept busy by Greg Taylor trying to overload his flank, although successful on most occasions. 6

Ylber Ramadani: Combative enough as Aberdeen condensed the space in front of their defence but was unable, like his peers, to make any impression on the midfield battle. 5

Connor Barron: Barely touched the ball in the first half and had his box-to-box nature neutered by the team’s overall tactics. Tried to fight his corner but a tricky afternoon for him. 5

Leighton Clarkson: Spurned a reasonably presentable chance from a free-kick and was booked for a foul in the second half. Kept his positional discipline well but given his range of passing, he was too sloppy on the rare occasions in possession. Came off for Ryan Duncan. 4

Hayden Coulson: Tried to protect MacKenzie from Ralston’s overlap and tried to carry the ball forward on the occasions Aberdeen broke on the counter. Faded in the second half. 5

Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes: Was Aberdeen’s most dangerous player on the break with his pace and direct running but did not really trouble Celtic’s defence sufficiently. Increasingly isolated as the game went on. 5

Bojan Miovski: The North Macedonian forward cut an isolated figure up front due to Aberdeen’s tactics. Tried to get into proceedings but given he is a poacher and thrives on service, this just wasn’t a match for him. Replaced by Jonny Hayes on 73 minutes. 4

Substitutes: Ryan Duncan (2) and Jonny Hayes (2) came on but their impact was very limited. Shayden Morris (n/a) appeared for the final few seconds.