Phew.....Sometimes it just isn't going to be your day and nothing goes right. Other days, you get more for your efforts than you probably deserve. Celtic left Pittodrie with a 3-1 victory and its hard to argue that its an honest reflection of Celtic's performance. The team probably did deserve to win but it was hardly a convincing, stylish victory.

The big news before the game was that the Celtic back line was going to have some new personnel for the first time in 18 games. Mo Camara being ruled out (with an injury I presume since he wasn't on the bench) and Ross Wallace taking his place. I was looking forward to seeing Wallace lining up with McGeady in front of him. Two quick players, brought up through the reserves together and with Wallace being an attack-minded player I was expecting a lot from these two today. It never materialised. At least not from young Wallace.

Gordon Strachan was also returning to his old stomping ground and got a few boos from the usual idiots but all in all he was well received, certainly by the Aberdeen fans in the main stand and he was quite happy to acknowledge them as he went to the dugout.

Aberdeen started the game with what looked like a 3-4-3 formation. Certainly it looked very attack-minded but not when your front three are instructed to camp in their own half.

Celtic were looking to climb back to the top of the league ahead of Hearts and put the shock Dunfermline result behind them.

They started off well enough with a first time Nakamura pass putting Petrov through in the 5th minute. His indecision though was to cost Celtic the chance as he tried to chip the ball through to John Hartson at the back-post but it sailed well over the Welshman's head.

Ross Wallace did not seem to settle into the left-back position at all. He was too quick to push on, rather than looking for the ball first from Boruc or the central pairing. Only Telfer seemed to be content to carry the ball out of defence and at times Bobo and McManus were humping the ball forward. The signs were not good early on. Especially with Bobo putting his own team under pressure with some loose passing.

Chances were slim in the opening spell. Only Nakamura looked like creating something in the first twenty minutes. McGeady was trying put getting nowhere to start with but he would come on to a good game in the second half.

Magic did manage to create a half chance for himself but put the ball well over.

With the game not being much of a spectacle at this point the referee decided to step in and play his own version of 'What Happens Next'. A Nakamura free-kick winded one of the Aberdeen players but he only blew up once he decided Celtic looked threatening and halted play. Which meant of course the chance had gone. This wasn't to be his last strange decision. Indeed, when Magic got clattered from behind by Constantine, the ref was happy enough to play on even though Celtic had no clear advantage, Celtic having to hoof the ball out to get him some treatment.

Magic had the best chance of the half just before that when through on the keeper. He tried to slip it past him and the keeper got a hand to it. A sharper Magic may have buried the chance.

Celtic did have a lot of possession but were doing nothing with it. It could be argued that it was a patient build-up. What can't be argued was that there was nothing coming from it. But again that could be put down to Aberdeen's stirling defensive work (i.e. sh*t scared to come out and attack on their own patch).

The second half looked to be going the same way as the first until Bobo had a moment of madness which resulted in Lennon having to concide a free-kick to cover for him (and getting a booking in the process). Aberdeen were to score from the resulting free kick with a lovely clean strike from a good 23 yrds from Winters.

If Aberdeen were ultra defensive beforehand one had to assume they were going to hammer large bits of crooked wood across their own goal and camp there until the men in hoops had slunk off home. Unfortunately for them this plan was to fail due to their own defensive errors.

3 minutes after they had gone into the lead, a Naka cross was dealt with very poorly. The resultant pinging off the ball around the box saw it fall to McGeady who lashed it into the net on the vollet.

2 minutes after that, Naka played the ball to Hartson whose turn and shot was fumbled by the keeper. Petrov was there to pop it into the net and somehow Celtic were 2-1 up.

The goal of the game though was to come from an unlikely source. A well worked corner saw Paul Telfer take the ball from outside the box, nealty side-step a challenge and then bury the ball into the far corner of the net. His first Celtic goal and one that effectively sealed the game.

Maloney was to come on for Magic and he certainly looked well recovered from his injury (unlike Zurawski). He had a chance that he created himself with some lovely skill but was unable to finish it off. However, his flick of the ball over the defenders head and then taking it on a run as the entire Aberdeen defence seemed to be chasing after him was one of the highlights of the game.

Final word goes to the referee (a C.Richmond - whom I am sure will go on to make a complete tool of himself as a mason in black for years to come) who left the most bizarre of his decisions to the last minute. Adam Virgo (yes, him) was through on goal. The keeper came out of his box and as Virgo clipped the ball round him before sticking it in the net for HIS first Celtic goal the keeper blatantly handled it. The ref, after consulting with his linesman, decides to show him a yellow card.

3-1 to Celtic. No thanks to the referee.

Ratings

Boruc  6 

Had nothing to do really. Picked the ball out of the net once from a fine strike.

Wallace  5

I missed Camara today. Didn't link as well with McGeady as expected.

Bobo  5

Bad passes, indecisive, putting his own team under pressure.

McManus  6

Seems to be affected by his more senior partners stuttering performances. Not his best game.

Telfer  7

Assured and took his goal beautifully.

Nakamura  7

Some lovely touches and great passing. On another day, with team playing well around him, he could have caused havoc.

Lennon   7

When he goes, how the hell are we going to replace him? Kept going even when it would have been easier to get frustrated.

 Petrov  6 

Scored a goal but another average performance.

McGeady  7

Quiet first twenty, worked hard to get back into it. Took his goal well and gave Aberdeen's defence problems for the rest of the game.

Hartson  6

Worked hard, linked up well with the midfield at times.

Zurawski  5

Just back from injury and it showed. His movement was there but the timing and sharpness was just missing.

Maloney 6

Great to have him back - he showed what he brings to this team when he came on. Instantly gave Aberdeen a whole new set of worries. 

Virgo 4

Threw himself around and nearly scored but for the keeper cheating him out of it.

MAN OF THE MATCH:- Telfer. For the goal and for his defensive performance.