Celtic have slipped into second place in the Scottish Premiership after they surrendered to a 10-man Aberdeen fightback to lose 2-1 at the Pittodrie Stadium this afternoon.
Celtic began the game on the front foot and Leigh Griffiths almost put them ahead after just two minutes, but he saw his shot saved by Danny Ward down at his bottom right post.
The away side's dominance continued in the opening gambit and they should have gone in front when Charlie Mulgrew rose highest in the box, only to send his header over the crossbar.
The attacks continued to come and a lively Griffiths almost made use of a well-placed free kick, but his effort struck the crossbar, much to the delight of stranded Aberdeen stopper Ward.
Aberdeen failed to produce much in front of goal, although when they did Andrew Considine could not capitalise as his close-range header somehow made its way over the bar.
The visitors finally got the goal their play deserved just before the break, when Griffiths stepped up to slot home a penalty after Considine had brought the forward down inside the Aberdeen area.
Celtic started poorly in the second period and Dedryck Boyata gave away an early penalty on Graeme Shinnie, allowing Adam Rooney to equalise with a cool finish into the bottom corner from the spot.
The hosts sought to press on from the leveller and they almost found a goal to put them ahead through Kenny McLean, but his header from inside the box flashed over the bar.
Any hopes of a complete Aberdeen fightback looked to have faded with just under 20 minutes remaining, after Jonny Hayes was shown a red card for a poor challenge on Mikael Lustig.
The Hoops almost made the one-man advantage count in the closing stages, although James Forrest saw both of his attempts kept out by a valiant Ward.
The game saved its biggest surprise until the final minutes, where Paul Quinn met Niall McGinn's cross to poke beyond Craig Gordon and earn Aberdeen an unlikely win.
Christopher Dodd
