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At a glance

  • Nancy finally earns first Celtic win after four defeats

  • Tierney & Forrest score late on to secure victory for dominant hosts

  • Bilalovic had cancelled out Nygren opener for 10-man Aberdeen, who had Lobban sent off in first half

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park

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21/12/25

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Wilfried Nancy's much-needed first win as Celtic manager arrived in incredible fashion as late goals by Kieran Tierney and James Forrest secured a deserved victory over 10-man Aberdeen in a breathtaking Scottish Premiership encounter.

The French manager, who had unprecedently lost his first four games in charge of the side, was already under severe pressure from the Celtic support despite only being in post for 17 days – but his team were utterly dominant on Sunday.

At first, it didn't look like the improved performance was going to be rewarded.

Kenan Bilalovic's cool finish for the visitors - who lost Dylan Lobban just before the break to a straight red card - cancelled out Benjamin Nygren's first-half strike to set Aberdeen up for a frankly ridiculous draw.

Ridiculous, because Celtic had rattled the frame of the goal three times and forced Dimitar Mitov into making two genuinely world-class saves in a whirlwind start to the second half.

So when Bilalovic broke free from the Celtic defence to shoot under Kasper Schmeichel in extraordinary fashion, it seemed unbelievable.

The panicking Parkhead side lost the flow that had created such golden chances but were able to then dip into their experience to secure a pivotal three points.

Tierney was on hand to head in Colby Donovan's delightful cross and spark relief in the stands as well as the dugout.

And Forrest's stoppage-time finish - the 17th season in a row he's scored in the Scottish top flight - ensured a first win in five and keeps Celtic within six points of league leaders Hearts with a game in hand.

Analysis: Nancy avoids nightmare before Christmas

Graphic showing possession, shots, shots on target, xG and goals data for each team

Talk about surviving an almighty scare.

It was perhaps on-brand in these strange times at Celtic that Nancy's first victory was earned in the most uneasy way imaginable.

For long enough, it should have been the most straight-shooting, up-the-road-for-Christmas win, such was their relentless attack.

Veteran Sportsound pundits Pat Bonner and Willie Miller, who have played and witnessed more games than any of us could imagine, were not using the words, "We've never seen anything like this" lightly.

Thirty-one shots on goal, 10 on target and an xG of 4.53 - Celtic should have been out of sight.

When they were pegged back, there was real concern this was going to be another nightmare before Christmas.

And while that profligacy could not be left at the door of Nancy, how the Frenchman would be able to continue after such a calamity would have been of grave concern.

The win itself far from drags him - and Celtic - out of the woods but the overall performance should help. It's easy to lose sight of it in all these bewildering numbers but the champions were very easy on the eye.

While Aberdeen didn't put them under much pressure, they had sustained success in comparison to the small spells of special stuff during the four proceeding defeats.

Nancy will be able to enjoy Christmas a little bit more now - but he ought to aware this first win will far from have wiped out the doubts of many.

What they said

Nancy on first win as Celtic boss

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy: "The players did really, really well. We hit the post four times - I've never seen that in my life. We deserved more. I can see an improvement every game. I'm happy for the players because they deserved it.

"Many teams could've been down with all the chances we had but we kept going wave after wave after wave and I'm really proud of that. It's good for the players to validate what they did because I know that it was not easy for them.

"I'm happy for the players, I'm happy for the fans, I'm happy for the club, I'm happy for the board. We chase anybody. The idea is to compete with ourselves. After that, the standings, we'll see."

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "We were on the back foot from minute one. Celtic were on top of us. We can do better.

"Then of course a red card. The start of the second half, we were a bit lucky. Some good saves but also we need some luck.

"Kjartan [Kjartansson] and Kenan did really well in that moment and it gave us a chance to grab a point. We were disappointed after the game because we were so close."

What's next for these teams?

On Saturday, 27 December, Celtic travel to bottom-side Livingston (15:00 GMT) and Aberdeen host Dundee United (17:45).

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