Craig Gordon completes clean-sheet century for Celtic

Craig Gordon returned for Celtic in the 0-0 draw against Dundee after two months sidelined with injury.

Gordon chalked up the landmark moment while making his 200th appearance for the Scottish champions, the 35-year-old goalkeeper back in the side after two months on the sidelines with a knee injury.

“It’s a great statistic for him, considering a few years ago he thought he was maybe done,” said Rodgers as he reflected on Gordon’s previous battle to save his career amid a more serious injury.

“It was great to have him back. He’s back early from  this injury and looked like he’d never been away.

“He was very composed and it’s great for him. He has worked very hard in his rehabilitation.

“He is a fit guy, he really looks after his body and has a good eye on the game. There were no nerves, he picked his passes in the right moments. What he had to do, he did very well.”

The draw put Celtic ten points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership table with six games of the campaign remaining.

“My whole reflection on the game is frustration that we didn’t have that cutting edge,” said Rodgers.

“It was a mix of us not having that final bit of quality in the final third to make the breakthrough and some good defending by Dundee.

“We’ve seen it a lot of times here, teams hang in there if we don’t make that breakthrough.”

Dundee manager Neil McCann was hugely gratified by his team’s resolve in securing a valuable result which keeps them five points ahead of both Ross County and Partick Thistle in the battle to avoid relegation.

“I’m very proud of my players,” said McCann. “Celtic are the best team in the country  by a stretch and I couldn’t be happier. To a man, my players were brilliant.”

Steven Caulker was a stand-out in defence for Dundee,  vindicating their decision to reject a reputed record bid from Norwegian side Rosenborg for him within the past week.

“He is an immense talent,” added McCann. “He told me he wasn’t interested in going to Norway, he has a job to do here and that’s fantastic news for the club.”