Celtic fans saw Brendan Rodgers’ side upset a gritty Dundee team tonight, and it was a true battle of two halves.
Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels scored to help Celtic upset Dundee and maintain their lead in the championship, behind only Aberdeen, who overcame Rangers at Pittodrie.
Celtic squandered chance after chance in a torturous 45-minute first half, but Dundee held on and went into the interval equal.
However, Brendan Rodgers made three rapid second-half substitutions as the Celtic bench proved too strong for Dundee, and Celtic won 2-0.
However, while Celtic fans left delighted, here are several things they may have overlooked as the Hoops defeated Dundee at Celtic Park.
Luis Palma’s Celtic frustrations vs Dundee continue
Luis Palma hasn’t had the best season for Celtic yet, and his effort against Dundee didn’t help matters.
The Honduran put in a lot of effort and was clearly eager to impress, but it appeared on several occasions that he was trying too hard to establish he deserved a regular role in Celtic’s starting lineup.
Palma’s sloppy passing, clumsy touches, and errant shots drew condemnation from a Parkhead crowd that was clearly losing patience with the international winger.
With only one shot on aim and insufficient ammunition for Kyogo Furuhashi, Palma’s time at the club seemed to be winding down.
Paulo Bernardo is growing in the McGregor role and Arne Engels’ unseen Celtic frustration vs Dundee
Paulo Bernardo was once again deployed as Callum McGregor’s replacement as the Celtic captain recovers from his current ailment.
The Portuguese midfielder appeared calmer, more certain, and more confident in his deeper position, and he did an excellent job of breaking up several of Dundee’s phases of play to assist Celtic regain possession.
Bernardo showed signs of attacking intent and was unlucky not to score when his 20-yard curling attempt went just wide of Dundee’s right-hand post in the second half.
Arne Engels returned to Celtic’s starting lineup and demonstrated his abilities at times throughout the game. His enthusiasm for the Celtic cause shined through in the second half, as the Dundee custodian frustrated the Hoops’ attack.
Jamie McCracken was in excellent form, but when he made a point-blank save only for Engels to nod back into the box for Kyogo to blast over, the Belgian hugged the goalpost in rage as he tried tirelessly to break the deadlock.
It was a great show of enthusiasm from Engels, who is definitely giving his all for the Celtic team while in the thick of some unpleasant criticism over the past seven days.
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