No matter their form, the champions generally have their glad rags on when it comes to games against the Dons and this was no exception. Quite what was going through Dimitar Mitov's mind when he produced the accident and emergency of all hospital passes to young Dylan Lobban when 1-0 down in first half stoppage time is anyone's guess. It looked all over when David Dickinson flashed the red card at the 20-year-old.
Aberdeen's perpetual Parkhead timidity returned LAST Sunday as their wait for a league victory over Celtic extended to an incredible 27 games, something that was already a record in this fixture's history.
No matter their form, the champions generally have their glad rags on when it comes to games against the Dons and this was no exception.
Quite what was going through Dimitar Mitov's mind when he produced the accident and emergency of all hospital passes to young Dylan Lobban when 1-0 down in first half stoppage time is anyone's guess. It looked all over when David Dickinson flashed the red card at the 20-year-old.
Mitov would go on to partially redeem himself in the second half with some outstanding saves, but it is clear shot-stopping is what he should be left to focus on given the glaring errors in recent times when he has had the ball at his feet.
And yet, despite facing 35 shots, playing with 10 men and barely being able to string more than two passes together, Kenan Bilalovic's goal almost saw the Dons produce an act of pick-pocketing the Artful Dodger would have doffed his cap to.
It didn't turn out that way of course and Aberdeen will have to dust themselves down before welcoming Dundee United to Pittodrie for a festive floodlit battle on Saturday evening.
Bilalovic and the lesser-spotted Kjartan Kjartansson combined for the goal and will surely see more and more game-time from here on. It was Swedish youngster Bilalovic's second goal in two games with both having been relegated to local Aberdeenshire Shield matches while the first team was toiling in Europe.
There is still plenty of the season left for Jimmy Thelin's men to make inroads alongside the small matter of a Scottish Cup title defence.
The game against Jim Goodwin's men is the start of a run that features visits to Hibernian, Falkirk and Rangers in successive games before the Ibrox side arrive in the Granite City in the second of a mouth-watering double-header at the start of 2026.
In-form Raith Rovers then go to Pittodrie in the cup the following Sunday. The next four weeks are huge for Thelin and will set the tone for the rest of their season as he enters the second half of his fabled three-year plan.
Category: General Sports
