JOTA GRABBED A delightful double as Celtic emerged from a pulsating Pittodrie encounter with a 3-2 win over Aberdeen.
The visitors were two goals to the good after 20 minutes with counters from the Portuguese winger and midfielder Matt O’Riley, both back in the side.
Celtic looked well in control until goals after the break from Dons striker Christian Ramirez and midfielder Lewis Ferguson drew the home side level but Jota quickly scored a dramatic second to put the Hoops back in front.
The win keeps them one point ahead of Rangers at the top of the cinch Premiership.
It was another frustrating night for the home side and their supporters, who have not enjoyed a Pittodrie win over Celtic since 2016, while Ange Postecoglou’s side showed their mettle.
The early hustle and bustle of the game saw the Dons, with skipper Scott Brown, centre-back Declan Gallagher and midfielder Dylan McGeouch back in the side, trying to impose themselves on the Parkhead outfit.
However, the well-versed visitors, who had Jota and O’Riley in for Giorgos Giakoumakis and Tom Rogic, remained calm.
Indeed, Celtic should have taken the lead in the 12th minute when overlapping right-back Anthony Ralston found Daizen Maeda with a pinpoint cross but the Japan striker headed wide from 12 yards.
However, only five minutes later Aberdeen keeper Gary Woods and defender Calvin Ramsay failed to deal with a curling O’Riley cross from the right and Jota stole in between them at the back post to knock the ball in from close range.
There was soon more trouble for the Dons when O’Riley’s shot from the edge of the box, after moving on to a pass from Maeda, took a deflection off Aberdeen defender David Bates and ended up behind Woods.
Stephen Glass reshuffled at the interval and Funso Ojo and Matty Kennedy replaced Ramsay and McGeouch for the start of the second-half and what an impact they made.
The Dons got themselves back into the game when Ojo set up Ramirez and he swept a drive low past Hoops keeper Joe Hart.
Suddenly there was hope and moments later Ramirez had the ball in the Celtic net again but the offside flag was up but it was all-square in the 61st minute when Ojo’s free-kick from wide on the right was glanced in by Ferguson.
However, the home fans were still celebrating when, a minute or so later, Celtic ran up the park and Jota moved on to a Ralston header before bouncing a shot past Woods to make it 3-2.
Referee Willie Collum stood firm against the protests of the Aberdeen players presumably claiming Liel Abada had initially been in an offside position.
There was more goalmouth action at both ends as the two sides kept gunning for goals, with Ferguson having a header saved by Hart before flashing a free-kick just over the bar.
The Dons can take some encouragement from their second-half performance, Celtic again showed they know what it takes to get the job done.
James Tavernier scored one goal and set up another as Rangers beat Hibernian 2-0. Tavernier’s fifth-minute penalty sent Rangers on their way to victory at Ibrox.
Hibs had a decent spell during a first-half blizzard but Alfredo Morelos put the game beyond the visitors with an emphatic finish in the 57th minute, although Shaun Maloney’s side rallied late on.
The roar that greeted the second goal was soon eclipsed as news came through of Aberdeen’s equaliser against Celtic, but Rangers ultimately finished the night still one point behind the cinch Premiership leaders.
The visitors’ plans came unstuck when Paul McGinn made an unnecessarily risky challenge on Ryan Kent near the byline and referee Nick Walsh immediately pointed to the spot. Tavernier sent his penalty down the middle.
Rangers doubled their lead when Tavernier’s pass slipped in Morelos in the right channel and the Colombian fired high into the net.
