Celtic 3-1 Aberdeen: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Coral’s post-match review of Celtic 3-1 Aberdeen in the Premiership on Sunday, 21 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Celtic beat Aberdeen 3-1 in a lively encounter at Celtic Park. The hosts took the lead just before the break when Benjamin Nygren scored in the 39th minute, giving them a deserved edge after dominating possession. Aberdeen were dealt a blow with a red card to Dylan Lobban in first-half stoppage time, which shifted the momentum further towards Celtic, who had been coming off a couple of recent losses to Dundee United and Hearts but showed their quality here.

In the second half, Aberdeen fought back admirably despite being a man down, pulling one back through Kenan Bilalovic in the 74th minute to make it tense. But Celtic sealed the win late on with Kieran Tierney’s goal in the 88th minute, followed by James Forrest’s strike in the 90+2nd minute during injury time. This result builds on Celtic’s recent wins against Dundee and Hibernian, helping them bounce back, while Aberdeen’s strong run of form with victories over Kilmarnock and Dundee couldn’t quite overcome the numerical disadvantage.

Celtic bossed the ball with 73% possession compared to Aberdeen’s 27%, which let them control the tempo and create more chances, as shown by their eight corners against Aberdeen’s four. The dribbles were close, with Celtic on 69 and Aberdeen edging it at 73, suggesting the visitors were lively on the counter despite less of the play. On the discipline side, Celtic picked up just one yellow card while Aberdeen had two yellows and a red, which really hampered them, and the assists tally of three for Celtic to Aberdeen’s one underlines how the hosts were more clinical in setting up goals.

Substitutions played a part too, with Celtic making four changes – Liam Scales came on for Luke McCowan at 69 minutes, Shin Yamada replaced Johnny Kenny and James Forrest took over from Hyun-jun Yang both at 70 minutes, then Colby Donovan swapped in for Anthony Ralston at 82 minutes. Aberdeen used all five of theirs, starting with Emmanuel Gyamfi for Topi Keskinen and Graeme Shinnie for Jesper Karlsson at 54 minutes, followed by Kenan Bilalovic for Marko Lazetić and Kjartan Már Kjartansson for Adil Aouchiche at 68 minutes, and finally Kevin Nisbet replacing Alexander Jensen at 89 minutes, which helped them stay competitive even after going down to ten men.

The game turned on a few big moments, starting with Benjamin Nygren’s opener for Celtic in the 39th minute, assisted by Daizen Maeda, which rewarded their early pressure. Aberdeen’s task got tougher when Dylan Lobban saw red in the 45+3rd minute after a yellow for Stuart Armstrong earlier at 18 minutes, leaving them a man short for the second half. Substitutions shook things up too, like Aberdeen bringing on Kenan Bilalovic and Kjartan Már Kjartansson at 68 minutes, which led to Bilalovic’s goal in the 74th, assisted by Kjartansson, briefly giving the visitors hope.

Celtic’s late push proved decisive, with Kieran Tierney netting in the 88th minute thanks to an assist from substitute Colby Donovan, who had come on at 82 minutes for Anthony Ralston. James Forrest, another sub who entered at 70 minutes for Hyun-jun Yang, then grabbed the third in the 90+2nd minute with help from Callum McGregor, wrapping up the win. A late yellow for Aberdeen’s Alexander Jensen at 84 minutes added to their frustrations, but those injury-time strikes really killed off any comeback.

Celtic lined up in a 3-4-2-1 shape that gave them plenty of width and attacking options, with players like Kieran Tierney pushing forward effectively from the back. Benjamin Nygren was key up top, linking well with Daizen Maeda for the opener, while Callum McGregor anchored midfield and provided an assist late on. Substitutes like James Forrest and Colby Donovan made impacts after coming on, adding fresh legs to partnerships that helped secure the late goals.

Aberdeen set up in a defensive 5-4-1 to soak up pressure, relying on counter-attacks with players like Kenan Bilalovic making a difference after his substitution. Stuart Armstrong was involved early but picked up a yellow, and the red card to Dylan Lobban disrupted their shape. Impact came from subs like Kjartan Már Kjartansson, who assisted Bilalovic’s goal, showing how their midfield partnerships tried to hold firm despite the odds.

Kieran Tierney earned Coral’s Man of the Match award for his standout performance, bagging a crucial goal in the 88th minute that helped seal the victory. He didn’t notch any assists but created one big chance and delivered four key passes, showing his influence in both defence and attack. His energy and timing were spot on, making him the difference-maker in a game where Celtic needed that late push.

Recent Premiership matches:

• Win: 3-1 vs Aberdeen (H)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Dundee United (A)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Hearts (H)
• Win: 1-0 vs Dundee (H)
• Win: 2-1 vs Hibernian (A)

Recent Premiership matches:

• Loss: 1-3 vs Celtic (A)
• Win: 2-1 vs Kilmarnock (H)
• Win: 3-1 vs Dundee (A)
• Draw: 3-3 vs St. Mirren (H)
• Win: 1-0 vs Livingston (A)

Celtic have just beaten Aberdeen 3-1, which boosts their position at second in the league on 35 points after a mixed run including losses to Dundee United and Hearts but wins over Dundee and Hibernian. They’ll be looking to keep the momentum going against bottom-placed Livingston, who are 12th on just nine points, in their next match on 27 December 2025 at 15:00. A win here could help them chase down the top spot and build a cushion in the race for Europe.

Aberdeen have just lost 3-1 to Celtic, leaving them sixth in the league on 24 points despite a decent recent spell with wins against Kilmarnock, Dundee and Livingston, plus a draw with St. Mirren. Their next fixture is against Dundee United, currently eighth on 21 points, on 27 December 2025 at 17:45, where they’ll aim to bounce back and close the gap on the teams above in the push for a stronger mid-table finish or even European spots.

Coral brings you the most exciting betting promotions and the latest betting offers to enhance your experience.

For the best Premiership outright predictions, explore our Outright Betting guide.

Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.