ATTENDEES at Sunday games in Scotland can very often be nursing sore heads as a consequence of their excesses the night before.
Would either Celtic or Aberdeen be suffering from European hangovers when they faced each other in the cinch Premiership at Parkhead this afternoon?
Neither side could afford to be off colour; the hosts had to prevail to restore their eight point lead over Rangers at the top of their table while the visitors needed a result to pull away from the foot of the table.
But Brendan Rodgers’ side had been on the receiving end of a 6-0 thrashing by Atletico in Madrid in Spain in the Champions League on Tuesday evening while Barry Robson’s team came into the encounter on the back of a draining 2-2 draw with PAOK over in Greece in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Aberdeen had dropped points against St Mirren, Hibernian, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock following previous continental excursions this term. Would they able to avoid the same against opponents who were desperate to put their midweek humiliation firmly behind them and placate a full house?
They could not. An early Yang Hyun-jun goal and a Kyogo Furuhashi strike put Celtic firmly in complete control and they did not relinquish it. Luis Palma converted a penalty after Jack McKenzie had fouled Oh Hyeon-gyu in the second half. David Turnbull and Oh, who claimed a double, completed the rout in injury-time.
Here are five talking points from a one-sided triumph.
YANG IMPACT
With Daizen Maeda sidelined for six weeks as a result of the knee ligament injury he suffered in the Metropolitano Stadium and Liel Abada still out, Yang got another start.
The South Korean winger grasped his opportunity firmly with both hands: he opened his account for the club he joined from Gangwon in his homeland for £2.1m back in July.
He will not score many easier goals in his career. Luis Palma did brilliantly to get beyond Dante Polvara on the edge of the Aberdeen penalty box and chip the ball to the back post. Still his team mate did well to keep his composure and his header down.
The 21-year-old, who made his full international debut for his country in September, also initiated the move which led to Celtic’s second. He rolled a perfectly-weighted pass through to Matt O’Riley and the playmaker cut back to Furuhashi.
He drew gasps of admiration before half-time when he skinned Dons defender Richard Jensen with a cheeky back heel. He wanted to keep playing after suffering a facial injury. But after a chat on the sidelines with his manager, James Forrest took his place.
Rodgers feels that there are enough project players in his squad. There promise to be a few outgoings in January as players who have not been featuring regularly depart to get game time. On this evidence, though, Yang has a great deal to offer.
KYOGO BLOW
Furuhashi became the first Celtic player to score over 30 goals in a season since Moussa Dembele in 2016/17 campaign last term when he found the target on 34 occasions.
The Japanese internationalist is firmly on track to become the first man to achieve the feat two years running since Henrik Larsson did so 19 years ago.
He ended a four game run without netting with a close range effort to take his tally for the season for his club to eight in all competitions. Who knows how many he will plunder in the months ahead?
But the 28-year-old may not feature for a while after having to be replaced following a head knock. He required several minutes of treatment from medical staff on the turf after a clumsy challenge by Slobodan Rubezic. He looked unsteady on his feet as he was replaced by Oh.
HOLM CHANCE
With Reo Hatate sidelined and Paulo Bernardo rested, Odin Thiago Holm was given an opportunity to show what he is capable of in the middle of the park alongside his captain Callum McGregor.
The Norwegian forced an outstanding save from Aberdeen keeper Kelle Roos when he met a Palma delivery with a powerful volley.
But Holm was anonymous otherwise. The slight midfielder is still, it should be remembered, just 20. However, he has to start contributing a little bit more when he is given a run-out.
He was replaced early in the second half by Turnbull and the substitute had a far greater influence on proceedings.
DIRE DONS
Failing to draw or beat the Scottish champions in the East End of Glasgow was no disgrace. No Aberdeen team has picked up a point at Parkhead in four-and-a-half years. Still, the paucity of the Pittodrie club’s performance, in the opening 45 minutes, will have angered their followers.
Jonny Hayes had an opportunity to net when he was through on goal before half-time. But he snatched at his shot and failed to trouble Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart. Bojan Miovski got a back heel on target in the second half following a powerful upfield run by Nicky Devlin. But those were the only highlights.
Robson’s men still have games in hand and can climb into the top six if they come out on top in them. They also have the Viaplay Cup final against Rangers at Hampden next month to look forward to. But they must do better, far, far better, to satisfy the demands of their fans.
HANDLE THE HEAT
This was a satisfying afternoon for Rodgers. Celtic showed no ill-affects from their exertions overseas five days earlier. They were untroubled at the back, dominated midfield, created numerous scoring chances in the final third and scored six. They did so, too, without key men like Hatate and Maeda.
With Rangers, who have played a game less than them, having drawn nearer to them in the league earlier in the day with a win over Livingston away, it showed the leaders have the mentality and strength in depth to withstand their city rivals' title challenge in the months ahead.
