Brendan Rodgers made his feelings crystal clear after watching his side’s hapless attempt to defend Dundee’s third goal. You didn’t need to be a lip-reading expert to catch his reaction—his expletive-laden assessment summed up a dismal defensive moment for the league leaders.
Dundee twice clawed their way back at Dens Park before snatching a late lead through Aaron Donnelly’s header. Tony Docherty’s side showed no fear despite Luke McCowan opening the scoring after just five minutes with a towering header against his former club. The hosts struck back when Oluwaseun Adewumi curled home a superb equaliser after a rapid counterattack, ensuring the sides went in level at halftime.
Celtic regained the lead early in the second half when Yang nodded home from close range, but the Dark Blues wasted no time responding. Josh Mulligan’s cross deflected off Cameron Carter-Vickers and into the net, leaving Kasper Schmeichel stranded. From there, Celtic looked shaken, and Dundee sensed blood. When Donnelly rose highest from a corner to nod in with just under 15 minutes to play, it felt like a deserved moment for the home side.
Auston Trusty endured a nightmare evening, struggling. The American was outmuscled and outjumped by Donnelly, who powered in a simple header while Trusty barely made it off the ground. Moments later, the cameras cut to Rodgers, who could be seen mouthing “weak as p***” in frustration—a brutally honest reflection of his team’s frailty and perhaps something echoed by the fans watching from the stands and at home.
It looked like Celtic’s long unbeaten record at Dens Park was finally about to fall after 37 years. But in the dying moments Mohamed Sylla’s outstretched arm blocked Kuhn’s shot inside the box resulted in a clear penalty, and Arne Engels kept his cool from the spot to rescue a point for the champions.
A performance full of defensive mishaps and shaky moments will leave Rodgers with plenty to stew over despite avoiding defeat. This is a team that’s lacking and edge due to how far ahead they are in the league. Rodgers needs to shake that out of them.
