Celtic verdict: Aberdeen undulations highlight the continued need for Scott Brown influence

Celtic really must have turned a corner.

David Turnbull celebrates with Ryan Christie after producing another scintillating strike - his goal enough to see Celtic claim a 1-0 win that gives them five victories on the spin. Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

It might have brought a fifth straight win for Neil Lennon’s men, but certain aspects of their 1-0 home defeat of Aberdeen belonged to their bleak periods across this glummest of seasons for them. The sort of points-shipping contests when they would allow their intensity to drift and find themselves clinging on.

The fact they did that against Derek McInnes’ men - who they blew away for half an hour only for their visitors to develop greater purpose for long stretches afterwards - will be considered progress. However, it is impossible not to consider the context. The Pittodrie side don’t score against any team these days, and their latest blank means a first six-game run in the club’s history where they have failed to find the net.

No-one talks of Celtic being usurped for second spot in the Premiership, that was gaining much overheated traction during their January slump. The victory places Lennon’s men within 15 points of Rangers, having now played the same number of games. Shamefully for a side that have dominated the Scottish game for a decade, it is as close to the Ibrox champions-elect as they have been in 2021.

Celtic’s inability to build on the platform they gave themselves with another sumptuous long-range goal from David Turnbull in 14 minutes - the attacker seeming to find a space that didn’t exist to lazer a raking 25-yard drive into the right-hand corner of Joe Lewis’ net - revealed the continued importance of Scott Brown.

The Celtic captain began on the bench following four straight starts...which just happened to bring the Parkhead side four straight victories for the first time since October. As much as Ismaila Soro has the quick feet to win tackles and break up play, the 22-year-old cannot provide the same game management as Brown. And as a desperate, wounded Aberdeen poured everything into the encounter, they were able to knock their hosts out of their stride as control was lost in the centre of the pitch. It was no surprise Brown replaced Soro for the final 18 minutes.

The earlier gear-shift was dramatic. It followed an opening spell when Lennon’s men looked set-up for goals with razor-sharp passing and movement. When they dropped off from those levels, though, Florian Kamberi began to threaten. The Swiss striker was desperately unlucky not to equalise 40 minutes in with a fizzing low drive that smacked the post with Scott Bain beaten.

Aberdeen threw everything at Celtic in the closing stages, after Lennon’s men missed opportunities to seal the points. A month ago, an equaliser would have been the inevitable result. Lennon then hadn’t paired Kristoffer Ajer and Stephen Welsh in central defence, or had Jonjoe Kenny. All three, and Greg Taylor, stood up in the dicey final minutes. Celtic’s imperfections remain, but that they appear to have some durability is evidence they are not so imperfect as before.

Celtic: Bain, Kenny, Welsh, Ajer, Taylor, Soro (Brown 72), McGregor, Turnbull (Elyounoussi 81), Christie, Ajeti (Rogic 62), Edouard (Klimala 81). Subs: Barkas, Duffy, Griffiths, Klimala, Elyounoussi, Ralston, Laxalt.

Aberdeen: Lewis, Kennedy, Hoban, Taylor, Considine, Kennedy (McGinn 77), McCrorie, Ferguson, Campbell (McGeouch 82), Hayes (McLennan 62); Hornby (Hendry 78), Kamberi. Subs: Woods, Logan, Ross, Virtanen, MacKenzie.

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