Duk double Aberdeen’s efforts in pursuant of Celtic on the league table which rises commotion…

Duk double Aberdeen’s efforts in pursuant of Celtic on the league table which rises commotion…

Aberdeen pulled off a massive result yesterday as they managed to hold Celtic to a draw to keep pace with them at the top of the Premiership.

Both sides went into it with 100 per cent records from the opening seven league games but obviously something had to give here, and it ended up being both of them who had to accept blemishing their previously perfect scorecards.

The Hoops would have wanted to lay down a marker and looked like doing so by racking up a two-goal lead in the first half through Japanese pair Reo Hatate and Kyogo. But the Dons showed they they just will not go away and roared back through Graeme Shinnie and Ester Sokler.

The home side pushed and pushed towards the end to try and put daylight between them and Jimmy Thelin’s men, but the men in red stood firm.

Aberdeen disallowed goal vs Celtic

It could have been even better for Aberdeen and they thought they had bagged a winner through substitute Duk, who was heavily involved during his cameo.

A Slobodan Rubezic header back across goal from a Leighton Clarkson set-piece was bundled in by the forward, but was adjudged to have come off his arm and was ruled out after a VAR check.

Pundit Neil McCann was full of praise for Aberdeen’s approach in trying to win it but says the officials called it right.

He said: “Correctly, yes. That’s what it’s there for.

“If the ball comes off the attacker or goalscorer’s arm and it leads directly to a goal then it’s not going to count.

“You can see Alistair Johnston immediately, it’s great vision from him, he’s almost got his back to it but he’s got a feeling or a corner-of-the-eye vantage point and he sees that it comes off the elbow or lower arm of Duk.

“But it shows that Aberdeen are so aggressive in trying to get what would be a massive result if it stood.”

Duk second Aberdeen ‘handball’ to deny Celtic

In the dying moments, it was Celtic who thought they were about to snatch all three points.

Dons keeper Dimitar Mitov had just made a stop from Adam Idah and it was Alistair Johnston on the follow up who was then denied by a goalline block from Duk. The Hoops appealed for a penalty for handball, but Nick Walsh didn’t award it and there was no calls from VAR to review.

McCann said: “What a save that is from Mitov. I mean it’s a point blank header.

“I have to say Duk makes a better save than that one from Mitov. Because I mean a fraction of an inch up and it maybe full on the arm.

“They’re saying it maybe comes off the arm, it might. I mean it’s really difficult, if it does it comes off the leg first. It comes off the upper thigh for me and then maybe ricochets against the body.

“But how he’s managed to find himself and position himself there and keep his arms out of the way is exceptional. Because Alistair Johnston has flushed that.

“I have to say the Aberdeen performance in the last five or six minutes, everybody knows Celtic are going to go on a complete onslaught. They were, to a man, outstanding, brave and totally committed.”

Get more related news on https://sportviewers.com/wp-admin