CELTIC unleashed their all-new attacking arsenal at Aberdeen, but it was their tried and tested big guns who really did the business.
Kris Commons, in what Ronny Deila called his finest performance under his management, notched the goal which proved to be decisive, while skipper Scott Brown set the tone for his side by scampering around the pitch with a ferocity which belied his recent hamstring problems.
Commons has appeared a malcontent so far in Deila's reign, but so ubiquitous was he yesterday that he even produced one great save for his team - blocking Niall McGinn's free kick with both hands in his air to leave Aberdeen nursing a grievance about referee Bobby Madden's non-award of a penalty which might have given them a point.
Who knows what Zsolt Low, the watching assistant manager of Thursday's Europa League opponents Red Bull Salzburg made of it all, but Deila last night had the look of a man just delighted to have snapped his side's four-game winless run in all competitions.
"The first 60 minutes was the best I have seen of Kris," said Deila. "He's looking good in training and there is even more to go. His fitness can get even better, but he's a special player."
Aberdeen had travelled south in upbeat mood, hoping to reprise their 2-1 win here in the Scottish Cup in February, one of two victories they recorded against the Parkhead side that month,
Their cause, however, wasn't helped by the absence of Russell Anderson due to knee surgery and one of Celtic's more consistent scourges, Jonny Hayes, whose wife went into labour yesterday.
There was a real freshness to the Celtic line-up, where Brown returned from injury a month ahead of schedule, while there were debuts for Bulgarian winger Aleksandar Tonev and Serbian striker Stefan Scepovic, with two other new boys, John Guidetti and Mubarak Wakaso accommodated on the bench. Leigh Griffiths wasn't so lucky.
It was Jason Denayer who set the ball rolling on Celtic's last home league match, opening the scoring in the 6-1 rout of Dundee United, and the on-loan Manchester City defender was at it again yesterday, however unwittingly.
We were only seven minutes in when Commons' corner was lashed towards goal by the left foot of Efe Ambrose, striking Denayer between the shoulder blades at point-blank range and ricocheting in off the underside of the bar. Most things Celtic did well involved Commons. He almost doubled Celtic's advantage, first with a headed chance from a fine Izaguirre cross, then a stinging low drive.
Aberdeen finished the half strongly, but whatever encouragement their manager gave them at half-time was ignored. The second period was just 24 seconds old when the roof caved in, Callum McGregor picking out Commons on the edge of the box, and his finish wrong-footing Langfield courtesy of a deflection off Shay Logan.
"Celtic showed a lot of energy in the first half hour and Commons was problematic," said Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes. "We spoke about doing better in the second half, but I hadn't even taken my seat before they scored."
It was a criminally soft goal which gave Aberdeen a mountain to climb. This almost became a peak of Himalayan proportions when Commons struck the bar with a piledriver, but they nonetheless set out from base camp undaunted. A potential route back into the match arrived just after the hour, Logan's cross and Andrew Considine's headed knock down allowing Goodwillie to head his first goal for his new club. Peter Pawlett, Niall McGinn and Willo Flood all took turns to sting Craig Gordon's palms, before the penalty controversy arrived.
The match ended in a maelstrom of chances. Substitute John Guidetti, treated to a rapturous reception when he replaced the quiet Scepovic, was unable to repay his new fans with a debut goal, but nonetheless saw some encouraging signs in his burgeoning relationship with Commons. The Swede said: "He has a great left foot and he can slide me in or have a few shots. I think it can be a great partnership."
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