Aberdeen 1 - 2 Celtic

Following last week's defeat at St. Mirren, there were three changes for the Dons ahead of the game with Celtic at Pittodrie. In came Gary Woods, Matty Longstaff and Austin Samuels, replacing Joe Lewis, who started from the bench, the suspended Teddy Jenks and the injured Ryan Hedges. Onto the bench too came Connor McLennan and Jack Gurr.

After their 4-0 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League on Thursday night, Celtic made just the one change, Tom Rogic dropping to the bench with Nir Bitton coming into the starting XI in his place.

The first hint of autumn was in the air as the sides kicked off at a boisterous Pittodrie. The sides were testing one another out in a spell of early sparring, the visitors winning a couple of early corners that came to nothing at all. Good early pressing from Aberdeen then put Hart under real pressure and in the aftermath, Samuels pulled a 20 yard shot just wide of the near post on eight minutes.

A third Celtic corner a minute later saw Bitton shove himself free from Scott Brown at the back post but with a free header, he put it wide of goal when it should have been in the back of the net, a big escape for Aberdeen.

They didn't have long to wait for their goal though, Kyogo arriving at the back post to chest in Turnbull's cross from their right. It was the cross that made the goal, curling through the six yard box between Woods and David Bates, Kyogo given the easiest of jobs to nudge the ball over the line.

Celtic had their tails up now and were keeping the Dons penned into their own territory. On 24 minutes though, the Dons were nearly in, Jonny Hayes drilling a fine cross through the Celtic box, Christian Ramirez hurling himself at the ball at the back post but unable to get the crucial touch. Ramirez's calls for a penalty went unheeded by referee Madden.

A couple of minutes later, electrifying play and a quicksilver turn from Samuels won the Dons a first corner of the game which Celtic were able to deal with comfortably enough. Aberdeen were just beginning to turn the tide now and beginning to give as good as they were taking. That was shown when Turnbull's frustration got the better of him on 35 minutes, getting a booking for a hack on Jack MacKenzie.

Jota wasn't too far away on 40 minutes, drifting inside from their left and unleashing a 25 yarder that had Woods beaten before, thankfully, it smacked against the bar and bounced away to safety.

Two minutes from the break, an Aberdeen corner almost brought an equaliser. Calvin Ramsay delivered it to the back post where Ramirez fired his volley into the ground. As it bounced up, Hart made a complete hash of it, mistiming his jump and in the end, only just getting a weak hand to the ball that just about turned it onto the bar and over. From the resulting corner, there was a real stramash in the Celtic box, eventually ended when Lewis Ferguson pulled a shot just wide.

HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 0 CELTIC 1

The Dons made a positive start to the second half, exemplified by Samuels powering down the right and into the box before firing off a fierce drive that flashed just wide of the near post on 50 minutes. He had the beating of Montgomery again on 56 minutes, firing in a dangerous cross that Carter-Vickers put behind for a corner.

That flag kick brought the equaliser, Ramsay crossing into the near post. Ferguson was up to it, the ball looping up off his shoulder and over the jump of the diminutive Montgomery, attempting to defended the post, to level the game up. It was due reward for an aggressive start to the half from the hosts.

Jota might have restored Celtic's lead on 62 minutes, getting goalside of Ramsay at the back post, but unable to divert the ball into the net. Aberdeen were on the attack from there, Bitton ending it by bringing down Ferguson and getting a yellow card for it. From the free-kick, Ferguson's shot clipped the wall and went behind for a corner, Carter-Vickers heading it behind. From the second corner, Ramsay picked out Brown for a crunching header ten yards out, but Hart was there to palm the ball away.

It was a very different game to the first 45 minutes now, emphasised as Jota finally got booked for his eighth or ninth foul on Ramsay. Next, Ross McCrorie went galloping 60 yards forward down the left before putting in a cross that was just behind Ramirez.

Celtic looked to turn the tide with a double change, Rogic and Ajeti replacing Bitton and Ajeti on 72 minutes. Brown was replaced by Dylan McGeouch at the same time. Connor McLennan came on for Samuels six minutes later.

Hayes saw the headlines coming his way on 82, firing off a vicious, swerving drive from 25 yards out that Hart could only scramble away at full stretch, Carter-Vickers doing well to beat Ramirez to the loose ball.

But all Aberdeen's good work was undone on 84 minutes, some slick, one touch passing opening up the home side around their penalty area, Turnbull to Rogic to Montgomery, who then slid the ball across the six yard box for Jota to poke into the net.

Dean Campbell came on for Longstaff in the 88th minute as Aberdeen looked for a second equaliser but the Dons couldn't find another opportunity in front of goal in the few minutes that remained.