Celtic feel the chill as Winters makes history

Calum Philip
Monday 24 December 2001 01:00 GMT
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There are a few Christmas lists being frantically altered around Aberdeen. Anyway, even Santa Claus might be struggling to rush out a video release of this milestone event before the big day.

"It's a Wonderful Life" might be a working title, given the cloud nine feeling that has enveloped the city, along with the snow, since Darren Mackie and Robbie Winters put them in wonderland on Saturday night.

"Miracle on Pittodrie Street" would be more appropriate, though. Ebbe Skovdahl's team did not just secure a slice of their own history, they wrecked Celtic's while they were at it.

Pittodrie had not witnessed nine successive league wins since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson. Matching the achievement of an Aberdeen team en route to a Scottish title in 1983-84 to add to the Cup Winners Cup and European Super Cup it already held, is one thing, defying Martin O'Neill is another.

Celtic's unbeaten record perished after 19 SPL games, yet Skovdahl's side had the champions by the jugular in a way Juventus and Valencia have failed to this season. It was scarcely credible that this team had 23 goals put past them two seasons ago by Celtic in four humbling contests, or had only won one of the previous 25 meetings.

Pittodrie celebrated as if it was 1983 all over again. Not even the dismissal of the captain Derek Whyte late on could take gloss off the delivery of an early present from the men in red. Aberdeen tigerishly matched O'Neill's side in midfield and subdued the triumvirate of Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton and John Hartson.

Once Winters made the breakthrough, just before the hour, by steering his penalty past Robert Douglas after Hartson had handled inside the area, there was no doubt Aberdeen were going to smash Celtic's bid to equal their own club record of successive league wins set by Jock Stein's 1968 team.

As they pursued an equaliser, the champions were caught out. Douglas failed to control a passback from Joos Valgaeren, allowing Mackie to stab in the loose ball and Pittodrie exploded. But Winters said: "We showed Celtic are not invincible – they breathe the same air as the rest of us and we hope that other teams can take a bit of hope from that."

Aberdeen (4-5-1): Kjaer; Anderson, McGuire, Whyte, McAllister; Guntveit, Derek Young (Mackie 83), Bisconti, Darren Young, Winters; Dadi. Substitutes not used: Esson (gk), Solberg, Zerouali, Thornley.

Glasgow Celtic (3-4-1-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Petrov, Lambert (Petta 73), Lennon, Thompson; Sutton; Hartson (McNamara 63), Larsson. Substitutes not used: Gould (gk), Maloney, Crainey.

Referee: S Dougal.

Bookings: Aberdeen: Whyte, Bisconti, Anderson, Dadi, McAllister. Celtic: Petrov, Sutton, Petta, Lennon.

Sent off: Aberdeen: Whyte.

Attendance: 18,610.

Man of the match: Whyte (Aberdeen).

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