Wilfried Nancy finally tasted victory as Celtic manager in dramatic fashion, with late goals from Kieran Tierney and James Forrest sealing a thrilling Scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen at Parkhead.
Under intense scrutiny after losing his first four matches in charge, Nancy watched his side deliver a dominant display that was eventually rewarded, despite a chaotic contest that threatened to end in frustration.
Celtic had taken the lead through Benjamin Nygren, only for Kenan Bilalovic to equalise with a composed finish for the visitors, who were reduced to 10 men before half-time when Dylan Lobban was shown a straight red card.
Even with the numerical advantage, Celtic endured a remarkable run of misfortune.
They struck the woodwork three times and forced Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov into a pair of outstanding saves during a blistering start to the second half.
When Bilalovic somehow broke clear to score again, slipping the ball under Kasper Schmeichel, disbelief spread around Parkhead.
The setback briefly disrupted Celtic’s rhythm, but experience told in the closing stages.
Tierney rose to head home Colby Donovan’s inviting cross to restore parity, before Forrest struck in stoppage time to spark wild celebrations.
The goal marked the winger’s 17th consecutive season scoring in the Scottish top flight.
The result ends Celtic’s winless run and keeps them within six points of leaders Hearts, with a game still in hand.
Nancy’s first win could hardly have arrived in more nerve-racking circumstances.
On another day, Celtic would have been out of sight long before Aberdeen’s late resistance, having registered 31 shots, 10 on target and an expected goals figure of 4.53.
The champions’ attacking play was relentless and easy on the eye, even if their finishing nearly proved costly.
While Aberdeen offered little sustained threat, the fear of another damaging result lingered until the final moments.
This victory does not erase all doubts surrounding Nancy’s early reign, but the performance provides encouragement and much-needed breathing space as Celtic head into the festive period with renewed belief.
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy: "The players did really, really well. We hit the post four times - I've never seen that in my life. We deserved more. I can see an improvement every game. I'm happy for the players because they deserved it.
"Many teams could've been down with all the chances we had but we kept going wave after wave after wave and I'm really proud of that. It's good for the players to validate what they did because I know that it was not easy for them.
"I'm happy for the players, I'm happy for the fans, I'm happy for the club, I'm happy for the board. We chase anybody. The idea is to compete with ourselves. After that, the standings, we'll see."
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "We were on the back foot from minute one. Celtic were on top of us. We can do better.
"Then of course a red card. The start of the second half, we were a bit lucky. Some good saves but also we need some luck.
"Kjartan [Kjartansson] and Kenan did really well in that moment and it gave us a chance to grab a point. We were disappointed after the game because we were so close."
