Celtic defeated Dundee 3-0 at Dens Park, as the champions moved five points clear once again in the Scottish Premiership.

The visitors to Dundee started the game brightly, having over 70 per cent of possession in the opening 20 minutes. Their best chance in this period came from Liam Scales, whose header went just wide of the far post. Kyogo Furuhashi was then through one-on-one with Dundee goalkeeper Trevor Carson, but again the Celtic chance went wide of the same post. Despite having a number of good chances to open the scoring, Celtic went in level with the hosts at the break.

Into the second half, and Celtic once again dominated proceedings. They would make the breakthrough early on, as Paulo Bernardo scored his first goal for his club with a scruffy finish past Carson in goals. After many chances for the visitors, they would double their lead through Mikey Johnston, whose shot was saved into the net by the unfortunate Dundee. The same scorer would strike again, as he made the most of his chance off the bench to affect the game in a positive way. With this result, Celtic won two consecutive games on the spin, which will be perfect preparation for the Glasgow Derby at the weekend.

Rodgers named the same team that started the last match against Livingston just three days ago. Bernardo kept his place in the midfield, whilst Maeda continued to play on the right wing ahead of  Johnston. Palma played opposite the Japan international, while Kyogo played up front for the champions. At the back, the partnership of Carter-Vickers and Scales continued to feature from the start, as Taylor and Johnston supported the pair on each flank. Captain McGregor and O'Riley made up the rest of the midfield for Rodgers' side.

With all of that being said, what did our writers make of events at Dens Park? The Celtic Way's Tony Haggerty and Ryan McGinlay had their say...

 Palma is fast becoming a goals-assist machine

 Palma just keeps delivering for Celtic in terms of assists. The winger created numerous chances in this game which was way more than any other player on either team. Coming just days after grabbing both assists versus Livingston it was the Honduran who crafted the chance that Bernardo slid home to open the scoring and grab the winner at Dens Park. That's Palma's 12th assist of the season so far and he is proving to be crucial for Celtic at times when his team most definitely need him to step up to the plate. Although he does have an annoying tendency to try and score goals directly from corner kicks which he needs to stop immediately. Whilst Palma's performance was not exactly anything to write home about he still fashioned the opportunity for Bernardo to score. It turned out to be a most telling contribution to the game as it helped ensure that Celtic won another three crucial Scottish Premiership points. 

Tony Haggerty

Big Bernardo performance

It has been a stop-start loan spell for the Portuguese U21 international since he arrived from Benfica in the summer transfer window. Having to make do with substitute appearances and bench spots for the majority of his time so far, these past two games will have felt like a breath of fresh air for the midfielder, who was preferred ahead of David Turnbull in the middle of the park. Positioned just in front of McGregor as the traditional number eight, Bernardo endeavoured to create chances for his side in the engine room and was certainly busy in terms of getting around the park. He had one of the better chances of the first half, with his back header going just wide of the far post, a common feature of the opening 45 minutes. Bernardo gives the team a lot more drive and work-rate than his midfield rival Turnbull, who may be shaping up for a move next month due to his contractual situation. The best player on the park in the first half, he would be rewarded in the second with the opening goal of the game, as his stabbed contact of the ball went through Carson’s legs and into the back of the net. After this goal, Bernardo was pretty quiet for the rest of the game, though the on-loan midfielder will think he’ll have done enough to merit a start in the team in the forthcoming Glasgow Derby. His best performance in a Celtic shirt, and one that he can build upon in the coming games before the winter break.

Ryan McGinlay

At least O'Riley got Inter them...

The Celtic midfielder has been linked with a move to Serie A heavyweights Inter Milan in the January transfer window, Despite signing a new deal tying him to the club until 2027, he is allegedly still happy plying his trade in Glasgow's east end. The vultures are circling as the Danish international attracts many admiring glances with potential suitors beginning to form an orderly queue. It's not hard to understand why there is huge interest as the 23-year-old is a cut above the rest. He is the best player in the Premiership by a country mile. He is technically superior to many of his peers and just oozes quality. His pass to release Kyogo in the first half was outstanding and for once his reliable teammate missed the target. O'Riley's twinkle-toed feet danced all around Dens Park and he looked like the one player who was more than capable of helping the visitors make the vital breakthrough. O'Riley, Rodgers and Celtic better get used to the constant speculation as it ain't stopping anytime soon. Celtic are in a title race with Rangers and the sign says don't walk until May at least.

Tony Haggerty

And Kyogo must score...er, no!

Just when everybody thought the Japanese talisman was back in the ball game after his counter against Livingston he fluffed his lines at Dens Park. O'Riley sent him in the clear superbly with his through pass and the striker was one-on-one with Dundee goalkeeper Carson. The attacker tried to dink it over the goalkeeper, but somehow it drifted past the far post as Kyogo spurned a glorious chance to notch number 10 for the campaign. The only surprise was that the net didn't bulge but the flashpoint was microcosmic of Kyogo's up-and-down form of late. Ironically it was the kind of chance Celtic's lethal marksman had been snapping up in the past two seasons. It was the perfect pass to match the perfect run but the finish was an inch away from...perfection.

Tony Haggerty

Concern for Carter-Vickers

A sight that no one of a Celtic persuasion wanted to see, the club’s best defender left the field due to an apparent hamstring injury. Not for the first time this season, too, as Carter-Vickers has been plagued by injuries for most of this campaign. With the game against Rangers now just four days away, Carter-Vickers faces a race against time to make it for Celtic’s biggest game this season. Apart from picking up the injury, the imposing defender had a good game, protecting his box and making good distributions to players further forward. He was involved in a couple of contentious tussles in the opposition box with Carson and Joe Shaughnessy, though nothing was given by both the referee and those in the VAR studio. However, back to the bigger picture, and the constant injury woes of the American international are a real low point of this season. You wonder if this will spark a potential revival in the Celtic career of Maik Nawrocki or Gustaf Lagerbielke, though at the moment it looks like Stephen Welsh is next in line to take Carter-Vickers’ spot in the starting line-up. Hopefully, the substitution was just precautionary, which has been the case a couple of times this season previously, and the defender makes it for Saturday. The team – and the defence – need him in that back line for the big games.

Ryan McGinlay