Are elite players keeping...

Celtic had to rely on their depth to secure a victory against Aberdeen, with interim manager Martin O’Neill noting that the win “keeps us, at least for a little while, in the title race.”

Left-back Kieran Tierney mentioned earlier that the trophy-winning experience of their players and their manager could provide Celtic an advantage in the competitive Scottish title race.

In recent matches, Celtic has frequently benefited from last-minute goals.

Following the 2-0 victory at Pittodrie, O’Neill praised the “resilience” and “determination” that clinched a narrow yet significant win over Aberdeen.

However, the Northern Irishman acknowledged that the fluid, dominating style of play that characterized recent seasons is still absent, raising the question of what could give Celtic the edge as they pursue leaders Heart of Midlothian while fending off challenges from Rangers and Motherwell.

Tierney & Forrest excel for Celtic

O’Neill urged Celtic to avoid the sluggish starts that have led to challenging situations in recent weeks.

Tierney answered that call by scoring the fastest Premiership goal of the season, finding the net within the first five minutes at Pittodrie.

The 28-year-old left-back’s playing time has been carefully managed following injury setbacks at Arsenal last summer, but he seemed back in form at Pittodrie, outpacing others in goal attempts and winning every duel he participated in.

After scoring in the derby draw against Rangers, Tierney has netted twice and provided two assists in his last four Premiership matches, bringing his season total to five goals — six when including his strike in Scotland’s famous World Cup qualifying win against Denmark at Hampden.

James Forrest, one of the experienced players highlighted by Tierney, also had a crucial impact at Pittodrie. His low cross set up the winner for fellow substitute Benjamin Nygren, marking Forrest’s first league assist of the season. However, he has now created six chances in his last five appearances off the bench.

In their last encounter against Aberdeen — a 3-1 win at Celtic Park last December — Forrest also came off the bench to secure points for the team.

This leads us to Nygren, who has scored three league goals as a substitute since joining from Nordsjælland last summer.

Nygren ‘doing the hardest job’

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton remarked on Sky Sports, “What a peculiar player. He might not always be involved in midfield but consistently finds the net.”

This is fortunate considering Daizen Maeda has yet to find his form from last season, and January loan signings Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu haven’t fully made their mark, while Kelechi Iheanacho has been quiet since recovering from injury.

Though Nygren isn’t one of the seasoned title winners Tierney mentioned, the 24-year-old Swedish midfielder is doing more than most to earn his league winners’ medal.

Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan praised Nygren on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound: “You can see the impact of substitutes like Benjamin Nygren and James Forrest this weekend. Forrest set him up beautifully, and Nygren simply finished it off—this has been a recurring theme, and he’s made a significant impact on the team.”

Nygren has scored three times and provided one assist in his last four Premiership games, and with 15 league goals this season, he leads all Celtic players.

“Although Nygren might struggle in some aspects of the game, he excels by getting into the box and making crucial contributions,” Allan noted.

O’Neill shared similar sentiments about Nygren, stating, “He’s undertaking the most challenging task in football—scoring goals—and once again, he emerged with the winning goal. Our substitutes have made substantial contributions recently, which is vital for our success.”

Sinisalo and Arthur step up

There were other standout performances at Pittodrie.

Viljami Sinisalo filled in for the struggling and ill Kasper Schmeichel in goal, making a fantastic save to deny Kevin Nisbet a second equalizer.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old on-loan Brentford center-back Benjamin Arthur received his first start after Dane Murray was injured in the warm-up.

“Just half an hour before the match, he was thinking, ‘I wonder if I’ll get on at all,’ and suddenly, he was called to start,” O’Neill explained. “He had to switch his mindset entirely. Once in the dressing room, he prepared himself, and I thought he performed admirably.”

O’Neill had anticipated a “tough evening,” and that’s exactly what they experienced. This marked Celtic’s fourth consecutive midweek game, and now they look ahead to Sunday’s renewed rivalry with Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

“It was our third game in six days, so it was demanding. We showcased resilience to persevere until the end,” he noted. Currently sitting five points behind Hearts, ahead of Rangers by one point, and five points clear of Motherwell (who have a game in hand), they will need to maintain this spirit if Celtic’s mix of seasoned title winners and emerging talent hopes to clinch a historic 56th league title.

Are elite players keeping…