TENNIS balls forced a lengthy delay at Dens Park.
Then it was game, set and match for inspired Dundee after as sorry a Celtic display as there’s been for a long time.
Clark Robertson and a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal had them in Easy Street before the second half – and they never truly looked like losing their lead.
Thirty seven years and 36 games of hurt since their last home win over Celtic sensationally no more for a fired-up Dundee.
Ref Matthew MacDermind was forced to halt the action just seconds after kick-off as hundreds of balls were thrown into the Celtic box from the away stand behind.
Hoops fans’ planned stunt caused a near five-minute hold-up as we had the sight of both sets of players having to pick up and get rid of the items in the penalty area to get the action re-started.
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Raging Celtic fans delay game against Dundee by throwing balls onto pitch
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Frankly, an abandonment would’ve suited Celtic better.
Their protesting supporters chanted ‘Sack the board’ throughout while chief executive Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell were also singled out.
League leaders Hearts are five points clear of the champions – and now most folk will fancy them to make it EIGHT in next weekend’s big Tynecastle showdown.
Brendan Rodgers has been cut a lot of slack since a shambolic transfer window failed him.
But poor results still HAVE to be on him also because there have been too many awful displays like this already.
It was a sixth game in 14 they’ve failed to score and a first league defeat this term – their worst since their last one, back in April against the already doomed St Johnstone.
It was a Celtic side without hamstring victim Daizen Maeda and with three changes in total – Kieran Tierney, Benjamin Nygren and Yang Hyun-jun coming in – for the first of a run of seven games in 21 days.
It was also Yang’s first game for almost a month.
And the way he played made you think it should be a while again before his next appearance, unsurprisingly hooked at half-time
In fairness, there were a fair few Celts in that category – they were absolutely rank and the travelling fans sure didn’t miss them with venomous shouts at half-time and, especially, full time.
But, also get this, every credit goes to Dundee for a remarkable display that no one saw coming…let alone the dismal Hoops.
A second bottom Dark Blues side had looked as much for the taking as any opposition the Hoops will face…and, yet, they gave the mediocre Celts major problems throughout.
It was a dreadful game in wet, blustery conditions – ugly on the eye with a shocking lack of quality, particularly the title-holders who on this evidence will definitely fall even further behind the tails-up Jambos.
Not that Dundee had to worry about style, what they needed to do they did in spades; tenacious, dogged, aggressive.
After 10 minutes Wright’s low ball across the box was dummied by Simon Murray and suddenly Joe Westley was in front of goal at point-blank range.
But the goal at his mercy he produced a horrible mis-kick and the Celts survived.
Reo Hatate had a left foot shot well wide several minutes later, then Kelechi Iheanacho hit the post with a 25-yard effort.
But don’t be fooled – ragged Celtic looked the side just above bottom Livingston, not Dundee.
And Pressley’s men took a stunning 17th minute lead – an unmarked Robertson rising with ease to glance home a Cameron Congreve corner.
It survived a VAR check for a possible offside against Westley.
Celtic should’ve equalised soon after as Tierney raced into the box from a clipped pass but fired wide of the far post with only Jon McCracken to beat from an angle.
Back at the other end Kasper Schmeichel was forced to tip away a Congreve cross.
Celtic’s defence looked vulnerable every time Dundee put the ball in their box.
The lack of creativity from the visitors was eye-catching, albeit against a Dundee side now defending en-masse.
McCracken was booked for time-wasting in the 37th minute, but he needn’t have worried about trying to work down the clock.
Celtic just weren’t that good.
And in the second of five added minutes as a consequence of the actions of the Celts support Dundee went two up.
Congreve turned Liam Scales inside out before delivering a driven cut-back which Westley got a touch to and the ball came off Carter-Vickers to nestle in the net.
Ecstatic Dundee fans were in dreamland.
It was little wonder the Celtic players got jeers and dog’s abuse from their fans as they trudged off at the break – while the hosts were given a standing ovation from their own.
Alarmed Celts boss Rodgers dramatically changed the team’s shape – going three at the back and throwing on James Forrest and Johnny Kenny.
But little improved.
Hatate shot wide but then on the hour Westley went close to 3-0 with a header.
Iheanacho then had a three-yard shot well parried by McCracken.
Celtic, however, toiled badly to open up Dundee’s packed defence.
A flurry of subs from the Hoops bench – including a combined £15.5 million of signings in Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Arne Engels – failed to spark them.
Celtic were given a penalty by whistler MacDermid in the 70th minute, the whistler pointing to the spot for a supposed arms-up Congreve handball from an Hatate shot.
But after being sent to the monitor by VAR colleague Gavin Duncan, MacDermid then changed his mind having viewed the ball coming off Congreve’s face.
Schmeichel denied Dundee a third before Hatate had a goal-bound shot deflected inches wide.
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Celtic, though, never looked like pulling back a determined Dundee outfit with McCracken tipping over an injury time Balikwisha shot.
And while for Pressley the result’s a massive lift, for Rodgers it’s a huge worry in a massive week of Euro and domestic action with Celtic so far off it.
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