Celtic recorded a 3-1 victory over 10-man Aberdeen, giving Wilfried Nancy a first win in charge and halting a sequence of four defeats in all competitions. Late goals from Kieran Tierney and James Forrest decided the match, while the result moved Celtic to within six points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts and extended a long unbeaten run against Aberdeen.
The match swung late despite Aberdeen equalising with 16 minutes left, after Celtic had dominated much of the play and repeatedly struck the frame of the goal. Celtic’s pressure eventually told in the final minutes, reflecting a season trend where the team often scored decisive late goals in league games.
Tierney restored Celtic’s lead on 88 minutes, meeting Colby Donovan’s accurate cross
with a firm header. Forrest then ensured the points in stoppage time, reacting quickest inside the six-yard box for a close-range finish. Those goals followed an earlier opener from Benjamin Nygren, who converted calmly from a Daizen Maeda cutback six minutes before half-time.
Aberdeen had already faced a major setback before the interval, when Dylan Lobban received a straight red card in first-half stoppage time. Lobban brought down Maeda as the forward broke clear, with the referee judging the foul had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. That decision left Aberdeen playing the entire second half with 10 players.
The result means Celtic are now unbeaten in 33 consecutive meetings with Aberdeen in all competitions, winning 26 and drawing seven since a 1-0 loss in May 2018. Aberdeen’s league record at Celtic Park also remains difficult reading, with 36 defeats in their last 39 visits, alongside one win and two draws, and no victory in the most recent 13 trips.
Celtic’s attacking output was intense throughout the contest, as the team registered 31 shots, their highest total in a league match this season. Three of those efforts hit the woodwork after half-time, before Aberdeen equalised on 74 minutes when substitute Kjartan Kjartansson picked out fellow replacement Kenan Bilalovic, who finished past Kasper Schmeichel.
Late scoring has become a regular feature of Celtic’s campaign, with the team now reaching 10 league goals from the 76th minute onwards, more than any other Scottish Premiership club this season. That pattern continued here, as Aberdeen’s resistance with 10 players finally broke under sustained pressure in the closing stages at Celtic Park.
| Statistic | Celtic | Aberdeen |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 3 | 1 |
| Players sent off | 0 | 1 (Dylan Lobban) |
| Total shots | 31 | Not specified |
| Unbeaten run in head-to-head | 33 matches | 0 wins in that run |
| Recent league visits to Celtic Park | – | 36 losses in last 39 |
| Goals after 75 minutes this season | 10 | Not specified |
The win not only eased pressure on Celtic after four straight defeats but also kept Hearts within reach at the top of the Scottish Premiership. For Aberdeen, the red card and another defeat at Celtic Park underlined a long-running struggle in this fixture, despite a spirited spell that produced Bilalovic’s second-half equaliser.
Three points secured!#CELABE | #CelticFCpic.twitter.com/2EhLb9kcpuCeltic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 21, 2025
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