Officially, there were less than 1,800 Celtic fans inside Pittodrie for last night’s top of the table clash in the SPFL Premiership.
Rod Stewart was spotted in the Directors Box before kick off but inside the Red Shed there seemed to be one fan with a very steady hand on his phone as Reo Hatate scored the only goal of the game.
Not only did the fan keep a steady hand throughout the move and goal but after the ball hit the net the focus switched to the celebrations in the away section of the South Stand.
The Red Shed is where the Aberdeen Ultras back their team but it seems that among their ranks there was someone fairly sympathetic to the visitors scoring to go seven points clear in the title race.
That goal from Hatate and the assist from Taylor were about the only moments of quality on a night when the elements killed off any hope of a match worthy of the billing.
Celtic never got close to playing their normal brand of football while Aberdeen rushed at the half chances created with Kasper Schmeichel barely tested.
Stand-in keeper Ross Doohan pulled off two great saves from Adam Idah and Hatate midway through the second half but could do nothing to stop Hatate from making it eight away wins on the bounce for the league leaders.
It was a moment of brilliance from the midfielder as he controlled a Greg Taylor pass and drilled a low controlled shot beyond Ross Doohan for the only goal of the game.
Into the final the final 15 minutes of the game most league leaders would settle for a point away from home against their closest rivals but finishing his third year as a Celtic player Hatate knows differently.
A mix of his own natural talent alongside hard work on the training ground created the goal which gives Celtic a little breathing space in the title race.
Hibs at home on Saturday doesn’t look the most daunting of tasks before the SPFL is put on the back-burner for a fortnight.
Trips to Zagreb and Hampden will go a long way to shaping how Celtic go into the new year, Hatate and his team mates will be looking to book Champions League football into February and secure the first trophy of the domestic season.
For the 1,800 fans inside Pittodrie and the thousands watching on television last night set the month up brilliantly with Hatate getting into the spirit with the emojis added to Celtic’s Instagram post.
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