London:
Ten-man Celtic suffered their first Scottish Premier League defeat of
the season on Tuesday when a 2-1 reverse at Aberdeen ended the title
holders` 29-match unbeaten league run.
Once Celtic`s Virgil van Dijk was sent off for a last-man challenge on Peter Pawlett after 12 minutes, the visitors faced an uphill task to hold on to their unblemished league record, which included three games from last season.
Aberdeen`s Jonathan Hayes opened the scoring after 41 minutes to bring an end to Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster`s Scottish record for the longest time without conceding a league goal at 1,256 minutes since they beat Aberdeen 3-1 on November 23.
Adam Rooney`s diving header put the hosts 2-0 in front just before the break and although Celtic substitute James Forrest pulled a goal back after 62 minutes the home side held on to record a famous victory over the Scottish champions.
Celtic still have a 21-point advantage over second-placed Aberdeen, who have 51 points from 27 games, but manager Neil Lennon was incensed with referee Craig Thomson`s performance.
"I think we`ve been done by the ref," Lennon was quoted as saying by the BBC. "I don`t think it`s a sending off.
"Then there was a clear handball in the second half that everyone could see, even the referee saw. It`s ridiculous."
Aberdeen also knocked holders Celtic out of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 away win on February 8. Derek McInnes`s side had not won at Celtic Park since a Cup quarter-final win in 2008.
Once Celtic`s Virgil van Dijk was sent off for a last-man challenge on Peter Pawlett after 12 minutes, the visitors faced an uphill task to hold on to their unblemished league record, which included three games from last season.
Aberdeen`s Jonathan Hayes opened the scoring after 41 minutes to bring an end to Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster`s Scottish record for the longest time without conceding a league goal at 1,256 minutes since they beat Aberdeen 3-1 on November 23.
Adam Rooney`s diving header put the hosts 2-0 in front just before the break and although Celtic substitute James Forrest pulled a goal back after 62 minutes the home side held on to record a famous victory over the Scottish champions.
Celtic still have a 21-point advantage over second-placed Aberdeen, who have 51 points from 27 games, but manager Neil Lennon was incensed with referee Craig Thomson`s performance.
"I think we`ve been done by the ref," Lennon was quoted as saying by the BBC. "I don`t think it`s a sending off.
"Then there was a clear handball in the second half that everyone could see, even the referee saw. It`s ridiculous."
Aberdeen also knocked holders Celtic out of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 away win on February 8. Derek McInnes`s side had not won at Celtic Park since a Cup quarter-final win in 2008.
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