Boxing Day was anything but for Dundee at Dens Park as they failed to lay a glove on champions Celtic.
Mikey Johnston landed the knock-out blows as the Dark Blues never ever looked like ending their 35-year wait for a home win over the Hoops.
Tony Docherty’s men, however, won’t be throwing in the towel on their bid to gatecrash the top six – to stretch the pugilism metaphor even further.
Instead, the 3-0 defeat at home to the Hoops will be used as a learning experience for a disappointed Dee.
Courier Sport was there to analyse the action.
Trevor Carson
This was not a good day for Dundee’s goalkeeper.
Reliable for the vast majority of the season and reliable to pull off big saves to boot, the Northern Irishman should have prevented the first two goals.
Celtic had been completely dominant throughout the first half but had fluffed the chances that came their way.
And opportunities had continued to come at the start of the second period. But they would come and go with Dundee defending their box pretty stoutly.
Until a Luis Palma pass into the area from the left flank somehow found its way into the net via the stud of Paulo Bernardo.
🗣️ "You can't say Celtic haven't deserved it!"
Celtic take the lead against Dundee through Paulo Bernardo! Second-half action live on Sky NOW 💪 pic.twitter.com/BfqtA8InqJ
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 26, 2023
Carson should have gathered with ease but the goalie missed the ball as it bobbled through his legs.
The second, he got a hand to Johnston’s effort but could only parry it into the corner. A goalie of his ability should deal with that.
And that’s the frustration from a defensive point of view. Dundee had denied Celtic, plenty of blocks and few proper opportunities missed.
But two soft goals went in and the game was gone.
Reaction
Tony Docherty called for a reaction from his side, starting this weekend at Kilmarnock.
He usually gets one with this group of players.
Docherty’s Dark Blues have never lost back-to-back games.
And he pointed to the Rangers defeat at Dens Park earlier in the season. THAT Rangers defeat. The one with the pyro.
The response to that one was a 1-0 win over Livingston followed by a 4-0 thumping of St Mirren.
Anything like that against Killie and St Johnstone next Tuesday would be a super reaction.
Four points would do just nicely, though, ahead of the winter break.
Striker struggles
They may have to try to achieve that reaction with decimated forward options.
Zach Robinson lost the starting spot he had regained up at Ross County. The frontman didn’t really take his opportunity that day.
And he may have to sit out for a while again after limping off with a hip injury. The on-loan AFC Wimbledon man played just 16 minutes from the bench before having to go off again.
And Mexican Diego Pineda’s return to the matchday squad ended before it began with an injury in the warm-up.
We may not have seen much of him but it’s another option off the table if he is ruled out of the coming games.
Charlie Reilly, too, has picked up another knock as he continues to struggle with the step up from part-time to full-time football. He was, however, on the pitch pre-match doing an intensive-looking training session and will be back soon.
Add to all that a couple of strikers who didn’t have great games on Tuesday.
Zak Rudden put in plenty of effort but struggled to impose himself on the game while Amadou Bakayoko’s touch eluded him at times when his team needed a breather.
The pair have just one goal between them in the past five games.
It looks like the duo will have another chance to improve that at Rugby Park on Saturday, however.
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