Dundee 2-4 Celtic extras: Charlie Adam's wave, referee Muir is on the money and Jota

Jota celebrates making it 3-1 during the cinch Premiership match between Dundee and Celtic

MAN OF THE MATCH

Celtic winger Jota took his goal tally to six goals in 11 straight with his double at Dens Park. The on-loan Benfica winger has never before enjoyed such exposure in top-flight football. The 22-year-old flitted round the edges of the Lisbon side before last season making little impression with Real Vallodilid and is putting all that behind him by feasting on the opportunity he has been given by Ange Postecoglou to enjoy unprecedented returns. Jota arrived at Celtic Park in September with the reputation of being a gifted, crowd-pleasing trickster of a wide man, but that did little justice to the potency he allies to his daintness and drive. That he can dazzle but also apply the coup de grace is illustrated by the fact he has already bagged six assists as well as six goals for Celtic – a quarter of these goal contributions in Europe – and at times his movement, balance and thrust made it seem as if he had the Dundee backline hypnotised.

TURNING POINT

As with a number of games of late, Celtic’s attacking flow and chance fashioning wasn’t reflected in the scoreline on Tayside. Dundee must be credited with hanging in and the fact they began the second period only facing a 2-1 deficit meant James McPake’s side couldn’t be entirely discounted. That cease to be the case when Jota claimed his second of the afternoon only two minutes into the restart, the Dundee manager later conceding the jig was up for the home side then.

BIGGEST LETDOWN

Yet again, the Celtic away support wouldn’t have won any admirers with the boos, whistles and singing that forced the minute silence to be cut short. The Green Brigade protest at the club’s potential recruitment of assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins to a security role was fair enough when taking the form of banners directed towards the club and chief executive Michael Nicholson that proclaimed “Fans or Higgins...the ball’s in your court Nicholson”. Forcing the game to be stopped within a minute by then chucking on dozens of tennis balls with pictures of Higgins taped to them showed a disregard for their own players. Higgins may appear an inexplicable choice for a role at Celtic but there is some, especially within the Celtic support’s ultras wing, who feel they should be allowed to act with impunity. The club should not allow this to happen. Whatever the ultras want to call themselves, they are in danger of becoming a permanent embarrassment and an occasional disgrace.

GAVE US A GIGGLE

Dundee’s Charlie Adam received dog’s abuse from the traveling fans throughout the afternoon. As Adam prepared to take a corner in front of the away end giving him no end of grief, it was amusing to see him turn and give a little wave in that direction.

REF WATCH

Kudos must go to Alan Muir over how he handled some truly challenging developments with which the afternoon began. It was a relief that the referee called a quick halt to the minute’s silence that was becoming anything but through the disrespectful action of the Celtic support. And he didn’t mess about in stopping the game as soon as the tennis balls rained on to the pitch, again demonstrating he was taking charge as was required. He pretty much continued in that similar vein throughout.