Celtic threw away a two-goal lead against Aberdeen as the Scottish Premiership top-of-the-table ended clash in a four-goal thriller at Parkhead.

All credit has to go to Jimmy Thelin's men who rallied from 0-2 down to square the game after the hour mark as the first v second clash lived up to its billing.

It was the boys from the Far East who did the damage in Glasgow's east end in the first half as two goals from Japanese duo Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi in a devastating two-minute first-half burst had the champions 2-0 up and cruising at the interval.

Belgian international Arne Engels had curled one off the top of the crossbar and slashed an effort wide before Celtic took the lead with a stunning counterattack in 24 minutes.

Aberdeen had the ball inside Celtic's box but the move broke down and Nicolas Kuhn fed Engels who then sent Kyogo scampering clear down the right-hand side.

The Celtic striker looked up and picked out his compatriot Hatate who hammered home the opener with his right foot for his third goal of the campaign.

Less than two minutes later it was 2-0 to the hosts as Kyogo rammed home his fifth goal of the season after Hatate's initial effort had been blocked.

However, it was game on after 49 minutes when Aberdeen substitute Ester Sokler got in behind Liam Scales as he latched onto Jamie McGrath's through ball and picked his spot to reduce the arrears as he steered beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

The visitors dragged themselves right back in it when Graeme Shinnie's shot was deflected high past Schmeichel via Auston Trusty after Daizen Maeda had given away cheap possession.

Celtic then got away with one with 20 minutes left when Duk handled the ball into the net which was eventually ruled out by VAR.

Both sides had chances to win the match as Celtic pushed desperately for a winner in the 10 minutes of added-on time as Duk made a match-saving block with an incredible goal-line clearance.

Brendan Rodgers's men threw the kitchen sink at the Reds, but the Aberdeen defence somehow held firm and it ended honours even in Glasgow as the two sides' unbeaten record and 100 per cent start to the season bit the dust

Happy Hatate is back in his club stomping ground

The Japanese international did not display any signs of jet lag as he set about Aberdeen from the outset with gusto. When Hatate is in this form and this mood he is arguably the most talented midfielder in the country. The 26-year-old totally justified his starting selection by Rodgers as he expertly swept home the opener in 24 minutes after a clinical goal by the hosts on the counterattack involving Kuhn, Engels and Kyogo. It was a fine four-man move and it was a classic Celtic goal as it sucker-punched the Reds who were doing well to contain the champions up until then. It was Hatate's third goal of the campaign so far. He might not have seen any game time for Japan during the international break but he is still a trusted midfield lieutenant of Rodgers. He rarely wasted a pass, always created an extra yard of space for himself and his finish was lethal. Hatate was on the front foot and tried to play the incisive pass at all times. He may not be the flavour of the month with the Blue Samurai head coach, but he certainly put the Reds to the sword. He is a quality player. Are you watching Hajime Moriyasu?

Engels the engineer in the midfield

The £11 million man lived up to his hype and his billing in this one. The Belgian midfielder bossed the first half and was unlucky not to open the scoring when he curled a superb effort off the top of the crossbar after a mistake by Dons goalkeeper Mitov. He then stabbed an effort into the ground and inches wide when it looked easier to score. However, it was his slide-rule pass to Kyogo that opened up the space for the Japanese striker to play in his compatriot Hatate for the opener. It was the quickness of thought and speed of the execution that was impressive as Engels possesses a real football brain and is another who can see the game in pictures. It was a superb feed to Kyogo was perfectly weighted and he looked every inch a class act on the park. He is a player and the 21-year-old is a Celtic prospect in the making. He was replaced in the latter stages by Luke McCowan.

Scales punished for lack of concentration

The Irish international has been Celtic's best defender by some distance since the start of the campaign. He put in another decent display but criminally allowed Sokler to slip his attention and score the goal that brought the Reds back into the game. He bailed out Alex Valle with an outstanding last-ditch tackle to prevent a certain goal for the visitors. He should never have been caught on the wrong side as he was and if Celtic defends like that in Italy against Atalanta they will punished severely. He does flatter to deceive at times, and it was his positional mistake that saw Aberdeen grab a lifeline in the contest and how they took advantage of it. Scales' poor positional moments have plagued him throughout his Celtic career.

Celtic self-destruct tendencies cost them dear

Celtic completely imploded in the second half of this one and they were architects of their own downfall. Firstly Scales was caught out of position with a simple ball through the middle which Sokler profited from as he ran through to easily score. Then Maeda sloppily gave the ball away when there was no need for it and Aberdeen caught a break when Shinnie's strike was deflected past Schmeichel in the Celtic goal. Fair play to Aberdeen and Thelin who made substitutions at the break to get his side back into the contest. However, Rodgers will want to know what happened to his men after the interval because they blew a two-goal lead when they were in a position of strength.