A Giorgos Giakoumakis hat-trick denied Dundee a hard fought point as the gutsy Dark Blues went down 3-2 at Celtic Park.
The Dee were minutes away from earning the unlikeliest of draws in the east end of Glasgow after defending so well but were left heartbroken after the Greek international earned the points late on.
If Celtic thought they were in for an easy day of it, they were proven wrong on 26 minutes with Danny Mullen opening the scoring.
But the hosts were soon level then in the lead with netting a quickfire double.
Dundee were back level through Ryan Sweeney midway through the second half but they could not hold on with the Celtic number 7 winning the game late on.
Two changes
New boss Mark McGhee watched on from the stands as deputy Simon Rusk and Dave Mackay gave the orders from the bench.
McGhee was appointed on Thursday following the dismissal of James McPake, but still had an outstanding six-game ban to his name from his previous appointment with Motherwell in 2017.
The Dark Blues went into the game two points adrift at the bottom of the table, after St Johnstone earned three points against Hearts on Saturday.
The Dee made two changes from the side that beat Peterhead on Monday, with Vontae Daley-Campbell and Josh Mulligan starting with Niall McGinn dropping to the bench, while Charlie Adam missed out due to a back injury.
The hosts, meanwhile, made three changes to their line up following the 3-1 midweek defeat to Bodo/Glimt. Anthony Ralston, Reo Hatate and Giorgos Giakoumakis came in for Greg Taylor, Tom Rogic and Liel Abada, who all dropped to the bench.
Dundee with shock opener
Dundee started the game very defensively with a back five, who were put to the test immediately with Celtic pressing high up the park.
The Hoops enjoyed nearly all of the possession in the opening period of the match but didn’t cause the Dark Blues any real cause for concern until the 22nd minute.
Celtic quickly broke up the park and won their first corner after Paul McMullan gave the ball away on the edge of Joe Hart’s box.
Dundee survived a scramble in the box with no forward able to get a proper strike until Reo Hatate blasted over on the edge of the area.
But it was the visitors who were the first to draw blood on 26 minutes and shock the majority of the crowd inside Parkhead.
McMullan swung in a corner after a rare foray forward. The ball dropped into the Celtic six-yard area but the Hoops were unable to clear, leaving a tap in for Danny Mullen.
Their lead didn’t last long though with Giorgos Giakoumakis levelling eight minutes later.
The goal Dundee conceded was similar to their opener with the Dark Blues unable to clear from a corner, allowing the Greek forward to slot home.
The home fans hadn’t quite finished celebrating their first goal when Giakoumakis scored again to make it 2-1 just a minute later.
Daizen Maeda burst down the left hand side, before firing a dangerous ball into the box. Ian Lawlor could only palm the ball into the bath of the Celtic number 7 who was left with the simplest of finishes.
The Bhoys continued to dominate with skipper Callum McGregor dictating the play but couldn’t further their lead with the half ending 2-1.
Dee shock Celts for second time
The second period started much like the first with Celtic right at Dundee and they almost made it three within the first minute.
Jota worked some space with some quick footwork and whipped in a cross which went right across the Lawlor’s goal but Maeda was unable to connect at the back post.
As they started to sit deeper and deeper the Dark Blues made an attacking change with Niall McGinn and Luke McCowan entering the field, replacing McMullan and Joch Mulligan.
And the change made an instant impact, with Dundee grabbing another goal against the run of play.
McGinn won a free kick deep in Celtic’s half. The Northern Irishman dusted himself down curl a free kick on to Ryan Sweeney’s head which flew past the helpless Joe Hart.
Late show wins it for Celtic
The Celtic fans and players grew frustrated as the Dark Blues started to gain an unexpected footing on the game and they could have been ahead again.
Mullen was close to netting his second firing over from close range after clever play by Max Anderson to work a ball into the area.
The Dee then found themselves camped in their own half of the pitch with Celtic relentless in their pressure and eventually found a break through on 82 minutes.
Giakoumakis bagged his hat-trick, converting a Ralston cross at the near-post denying the Dark Blues their point.
Mark McGhee’s side will have to dust themselves down for a crucial midweek tie against St Mirren.
Line-ups
Celtic: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Juranovic; O’Riley (Bitton, 79), McGregor, Hatate (Rogic, 60);Â Giakoumakis, Maeda (Abada, 60), Jota.
Dundee: Lawlor; Daley-Campbell, Sweeney, Rossi, McGhee, Kerr; Byrne, Anderson (Fontaine, 82), Mulligan (McGinn, 52), McMullan (McCowan, 52); Mullen.
