Celtic edged Dundee in their league opener thanks to a Benjamin Nygren header to turn home a wicked Kieran Tierney cross.
Celtic had the better of the first-half chances, with Kasper Hogh missing the best chance when he turned a shot wide, but Charlie Reilly had a great chance for Dundee after the Bhoys struggled to defend another long throw. The winger tried to curl the ball inside the near post but found the side-netting.
The Hoops started the second half looking much sharper, and they were ahead in the 52nd minute when Tierney played a perfect cross from outside the top corner of the box, finding Nygren for a deft header into the far bottom corner.
Celtic kept up the pressure for a brief period but seemed to run out of steam despite a couple of winger changes with 12 minutes to go. Celtic defended deep themselves at times in the last 10 minutes or so, and Sinisalo had to provide a big save at full stretch to deny a nice Ashley Hay header.
That chance served as a warning for the Hoops, who responded by creating a big chance for Hogh, who turned a cross wide from close range, and Callum McGregor hit the post with a superb solo effort shortly after.
Viljami Sinisalo -Â 7
Comfortable for much of the night and provided a very good, full-stretch save to deny Ashley Hay with just under 10 minutes to go.
Kieran Tierney (Off at 82’) - 8
Delivered a superb cross to set up a big chance for Engels in the 37th minute. He then got on the end of a fine Engels ball four minutes later but was denied by a solid save.
In the second half, Tierney provided a wonderful cross to set up the Nygren goal. Just perfect.
Cameron Carter-Vickers -Â 7
A very comfortable night for the most part, and he and his defensive partner were often left isolated by the full-backs bombing on, which seemed to be the game plan.
Auston Trusty -Â 7
Like his centre-back partner, Trusty had a good and comfortable night. One of his more notable contributions was cutting out Bevan after the winger had beaten three or four players to sprint deep into the Celtic half.
Alistair Johnston -Â 7
A strong night, especially given the speculation surrounding his future and the reports that Everton had people in the crowd. Johnston played high up the field and provided plenty of support to Duran and the attack, while also remaining solid at the back.
Callum McGregor -Â 6
Looked a little rusty on the ball early on, which is typical first game stuff, but he settled in. A pretty solid display on the whole, and he almost scored a screamer when he intercepted a pass in midfield, drove on into space and curled one from the edge of the box, hitting the post.
Arne Engels -Â 7
Missed a big headed chance in the 37th minute. A free header but he got it all wrong, heading wide. He made up for the missed chance somewhat four minutes later with a sensational through ball for Tierney, which was saved. Engels was cool and calm in possession, and put in a typically reliable performance in the middle
Yang Hyun-jun (Off at 78’) - 6
Occupied one of the wing roles and provided some nice touches, but O’Neill will have wanted to see more. Celtic needed more against a well-organised Dundee, but in his defence, it was a very compact back line that may might have struggled to get in behind.
Benjamin Nygren (Off at 82’) - 7
A very quiet second half, but he put that behind him by drifting into a nice central area and heading home Tierney’s cross in the 52nd minute. He could have returned the favour in the 67th minute with a fine through ball for Tierney, but the full-back took it on his right foot and dispatched a weak shot. He gets a 7 for the goal, but without the goal, Nygren wasn't busy enough to warrant much more than a 6.
Camilo Duran (Off at 78’) - 6
Played out wide, which is not his best position, but Duran showed plenty of endeavour on the ball. Showed some nice technique, too, and he wasn’t afraid to try some cheeky touches and passes. More to come, but some good signs and worked hard defensively, which fans and O’Neill will appreciate. Not a special performance by any means, but a good start.
Kasper Hogh - 5
Looked a little anxious early on. He snapped at an early half-chance and missed a big chance in the 13th minute when he turned a shot wide while trying to redirect it goalwards. He also missed a good chance in the 84th minute when he tried to direct a cross into the right bottom corner.Â
Hogh struggled to dominate his markers and looked a little clumsy in his first game, but it’s going to take time as he adjusts to a new team and new system.
Substitutes
Sebastien Tounetki (On at 78’) - 6
Not enough time to make a major impact, but he was busy and probably should have done better with a chance from inside the box a minute from time.
James Forrest (On at 78’) - 6
Limited time to make an impact.
Luke McCowan (On at 82’) - 6
Busy off the ball but didn't see a whole lot of it.
Colby Donavan (On at 82’) - 6
Same as the above.
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