Celtic fans will be breathing a sigh of relief after their side saw off Dundee earlier today and to move clear at the Scottish Premiership summit.
With four league matches left to play, the Bhoys hold a three-point advantage over Rangers and retain a superior goal difference of five in comparison to their city rivals.
Truthfully, Celtic had to grind out their victory over the Dark Blues, with a James Forrest double cancelling out Adam Idah’s unfortunate misqueue to half the deficit.
Antonio Portales may ultimately claim the goal, but either way, Brendan Rodgers will be pleased that his title-chasers came out on top in a tight affair that could’ve easily gone in either direction.
Per Fotmob, Dundee’s Expected Goal tally was 1.10 to Celtic’s 1.53; meanwhile, the Hoops had 13 shots to their opponents’ 11.
Surprisingly, Tony Docherty’s men fashioned more ‘big chances’ on the day, with four falling their way to our two, yet they couldn’t take their opportunities where it mattered.
As we settle down after another nerve-shredding fixture, Celtic have a few days to prepare at Lennoxtown for the visit of Heart of Midlothian at Parkhead next Saturday.
Tony Docherty reveals remarkable stat after Celtic trump Dundee
Objectively, Dundee boss Docherty has done a commendable job at Dens Park this term and deserves mass credit for taking a newly promoted side to continental qualification contention.
Despite his disappointment at coming up short, the 53-year-old made a remarkable claim in his interview with Sky Sports post-match, claiming his outfit had had more shots on target against Celtic than any other team in the Scottish Premiership circa 2023/24.
He stated: “I was enormously proud of the team and what they served up and in terms of the progression they’ve made as a team.
“I believe, somebody told me that’s the most shots on target Celtic have faced all season from any team, so I’m really, really proud of the performance.
“I thought first-half we were a little bit passive, maybe not locking on to the centre-halves and getting the distances right between centre-halves and full-backs, but I thought when we got that right in the second half when we addressed it, I thought we were excellent, really good.
“On another day, that stat is there for everybody to see that we had more shots on target than any team, and maybe if we convert one or two of them, it’ll be a different outcome, but I’m hugely proud of the team. No surprise, and Celtic knew they were in a game today.”
Celtic get the job done where it matters vs Dundee
In an ideal world, Celtic would be cantering past teams at will on their way to a third successive title; however, we know things haven’t quite worked like that this season.
Grand-stand finishes to matches seem to have become a common theme for the Bhoys; however, despite their best efforts, they did just about weather the storm against Dundee in the latter stages.
Four massive league matches remain for Celtic as they seek Scottish Premiership glory, with a clear end in sight after a dramatic campaign under Rodgers.