Dundee secured their first home win against Celtic in 37 years with a historic 2-0 win at Dens Park. Two first half goals capped off a strong display from the Dark Blues, with Clark Robertson heading home from a Cam Congreve corner and Joe Westley’s effort turned in to his own net by a Celtic player.
It was two changes for The Dark Blues from the 4-0 loss at Pittodrie as Paul Digby and Drey Wright came in for Yan Dhanda and Finlay Robertson, with Steven Pressley choosing to revert to a five-at-the-back formation.
Celtic’s difficult start to the season was felt from the off, as away fans threw tennis balls and oranges onto the pitch in protest as the referee blew for kick-off. After a clean-up job involving all twenty-two players, the game was allowed to begin.
Dundee’s start to the game was the polar opposite of the loss at Pittodrie, attacking early on and putting in strong challenges. The Dee were unlucky not to take the lead as early as the tenth minute–Wright’s cross was dummied by Simon Murray for Joe Westley, with the Englishman unlucky to get the ball stuck in his feet.
Not long after, Dundee saw another chance go awry, as Murray and Westley’s indecision left Cameron Congreve’s dangerous cross to flash across Kasper Schmeichel’s goal.
The Dark Blues were ultimately rewarded for their persistence. Congreve’s corner delivery into the Celtic box was met by Clark ROBERTSON, whose fine guided header into the bottom left corner gave Dundee a well-deserved lead in the 18th minute.
With Dens Park delighted, Celtic came close to an immediate response. A wonderful ball chipped over the Dundee defence found the feet of Kieran Tierney in a great position, who shot wide and left the former Arsenal man with his head in his hands.
The rest of the first half saw Celtic with the bulk of possession and pushing for an equaliser. With everyone Dundee player sitting back and facing significant pressure, a Celtic loose ball led to a slick counterattack, with Ethan Hamilton ultimately shooting wide.
The Hoops kept striving for an equaliser before half-time. A good passing sequence found the feet of Benjamin Nygren in the six-yard box, who tripped over the ball and leading to another Celtic chance going amiss.
As the first half drew to a close, the Dark Blues launched into another fantastic counterattack. Drey Wright won the ball back outside of the Dundee box, allowing midfield-engine Hamilton to lead a break. A good ball released Congreve on the right-hand side, whose driven cross met the feet of Westley, who shot was turned in by Celtic’s Cameron CARTER-VICKERS and sent Dens Park into jubilation.
The second period began as the first had ended, with constant Celtic pressure being met with good Dundee counters. Ash Hay, who had come on for Simon Murray early in the second half, headed narrowly wide of Kasper Schmeichel’s right-hand post and left the Dane at full stretch.
While Dundee soaked up significant pressure throughout the match, Jon McCracken made his first save of the day in the 63rd minute. Dundee’s number one did well to close down Kelechi Iheanacho at the back post, who came close to scoring again two minutes later in a congested Dundee box.
After a series of Hoops corners, the visitors thought they had made a breakthrough when Rio Hatate’s shot seemed to strike Paul Digby’s outstretched arm in the penalty area. Referee Matthew Macdermid awarded Celtic the penalty, but a consultation with VAR led to an overturning over the decision, as the ball had struck Digby in the face. News of the decision through the loudspeakers sent the Dee faithful into a frenzy.
Dundee’s defence stayed strong amid repeated Celtic attacks. Hatate thought he had done all to pull one back with a fine driven shot, but a wonderful goal line clearance by Luke Graham stopped the ball from finding the bottom-left corner.
As the clock neared the 90 minute mark, Dens Park knew that a historic win was almost secured. A series of strong counterattacks almost led to a third Dee goal, as a great tackle from Samuels sent Finlay Robertson down the left flank, although ultimately his cross was too long for Hay to do anything about it.
Celtic kept pushing in added time, and a wonderful curling effort towards the top right corner by substitute Michel-Ange Balikwisha was met with an equally fantastic save by McCracken who tipped the ball over the upright. The final chance came to Iheanacho, who ended Celtic’s afternoon with another shot off target.
It was Dens Park’s delight when the final whistle went, a historic first victory at home against Celtic since September 1988. While sometimes games can feel over before they even begin, today is a reminder that in football, nothing is impossible. Hopefully the jubilation felt around Dens Park after the game creates good momentum for the rest of the season.
Dundee take on Falkirk next Saturday at Falkirk Stadium, kicking off at 3pm.
Dundee FC 5-2-3
Jon McCracken
Drey Wright (Ingram 86’), Ryan Astley, Clark Robertson, Luke Graham, Imari Samuels
Paul Digby, Ethan Hamilton
Cameron Congreve, Simon Murray (c) (Hay 57’), Joe Westley (F. Robertson 75’)
Unused substitutes: Kieran O’Hara (gk), Aaron Donnelly, Emile Acquah, Tony Yogane, Yan Dhanda, Callum Jones
Goals: C. Robertson (18’), Carter-Vickers (45’+1 og.)
Booked: McCracken (37’), Hamilton (80’)
Celtic 4-3-3
Schmeichel
Ralston (Kenny 46’), Carter-Vickers, Scales (Balikwisha 84’), Tierney
Nygren, McGregor, Hatate (Engels 82’)
Yang (Forrest 46’), Iheanacho, Tounekti (McCowan 64’)
Unused substitutes: Sinisalo (gk), Saracchi, Murray, Donovan.
Booked: Scales (87’), (Schmeichel (89’)
Attendance: 8,318.
Referee: Matthew Macdermid. Assistants: Dougie Potter, Chris Rae. VAR: Gavin Duncan. Assistant VAR: Duncan Nicolson.
Report: Tom H. Wilson.
