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MISSION accomplished for Celtic as they went eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the table ... and how Aberdeen players must hate the sight of Neil Lennon's side.

They've now lost a remarkable 17 goals to the Hoops in their last four meetings and having to face them with 10 men for all but 80 seconds after Andrew Considine's dismissal proved too much.

A first-half strike by Gary Hooper was followed up by goals from Mark Wilson and Anthony Stokes as Neil Lennon's men rampaged through the defence after a second-half lull.

The manager could even afford to blood 18-year-old defender Lewis Toshney before the end.

The partnership of Wilson and Charlie Mulgrew in central defence is makeshift but has yet to experience a stern test of their capabilities.

Rivals Rangers will surely ask more questions in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox on Sunday.

But Lennon would be content that a night that yielded such high reward included no mishaps as the season reaches boiling point.

The Hoops' season of conflict with officialdom has led to them hiring a QC to represent their interests but they went north with another kind of legal matter in mind. Sod's Law.

Three league and cup wins over Aberdeen this season tempted fate to deliver them a losing blow when they least needed it. And three players, Wilson, Beram Kayal and skipper Scott Brown, were one booking away from a suspension that would put them out of the league clash with Rangers on February 20.

Another unwanted complication for Lennon. What the manager could not have anticipated was a missed penalty from his side and Aberdeen being reduced to 10 men after just 80 seconds.

Hooper's astute pass picked out Brown and his run in on keeper Jamie Langfield's goal was interrupted by a challenge from Andrew Considine.

The referee considered the home player to be the last defender and sent him off before Stokes hit his penalty too close to Langfield and allowed the Dons No.1 a save.

Intensity

Aberdeen were a man down and a break up while the game was still in its infancy but they couldn't take advantage of the situation and fell a goal behind after 12 minutes.

Kris Commons fed the ball to Hooper and he set off on a run towards goal that involved a one-two with Stokes and a lethal finish as the Englishman slipped the ball beyond the advancing Langfield.

Commons' growing influence on the match was enough to see his youthful marker, Ryan Jack, removed after only 16 minutes. Derek Young took his place in a tactical switch to bolster the defence.

David McNamee was then replaced by new signing from Norwich, Steven Smith, as the Dons' back four lost half of its original personnel before a quarter of the game had elapsed.

The early setbacks saw a depleted Aberdeen defending increasingly higher up the pitch and inviting their rivals on to them.

Young was booked for a foul on Commons 14 minutes after getting on as a sub to illustrate the intensity of the pressure his side was under.

Then midfielder Rob Milsom was forced to clear the ball off the line from Stokes following a scramble that had arisen from a corner.

When Kayal struck the post with an angular drive that had beaten Langfield after 40 minutes it was visual proof of the first half having been a one-sided affair.

The meagre margin of Celtic's lead was one of a few surprises contained within an eventful opening period, even if visiting keeper Fraser Forster was forced to make belated stops from Chris Maguire and Scott Vernon in a spirited finale from Craig Brown's boys.

Celtic's need was to translate their dominance into a winning margin and they might have done so five minutes after the restart when Hooper strong-armed his way through and laid the ball on a plate for Commons.

But he blasted the ball over the bar from a tight angle after dwelling too long on his opportunity.

The longer the game went on in that vein the better for Aberdeen as they searched for a chance to punish Celtic while making light of their numerical disadvantage.

Anguish

Vernon was booked for a foul on Hooper and Maguire cautioned for a block on Wilson while the search for equality went on and Milsom tried his luck with a long-range shot struck more in hope than expectation.

It was remarkable that Celtic had been playing 10 men for all but the first minute of the game and yet had grown less of a threat.

Twenty minutes into the second period Lennon decided it was time for a fresh approach. Paddy McCourt went on in place of Kayal but before the fans' cult hero could touch the ball Commons had the miss that denied Celtic relief from their worries of a sucker-punch.

He rounded Langfield and had only to slip the ball into the empty net but his attempt from a tight angle hit the upright and went behind.

It was anguish for the Celtic player and the cue for derision from the Aberdeen fans who were starting to believe there might be respite from their run of bad luck against their bogey team.

Their dreams were dashed when Wilson got the simplest of goals to put Celtic two in front 15 minutes from time. Commons' corner was inch perfect and the defender rose unchallenged at the front post to bury a powerful header into net.

Stokes put the outcome beyond any doubt with a shot that beat the Dons keeper low at the same corner three minutes later.

Labels: Aberdeen, Celtic, Daily, Record, Scottish