Dundee went toe-to-toe with Celtic on Sunday – how often has that been said in recent years?
The gulf between the clubs has been gargantuan, just look at the scoreline in their previous meeting.
However, the difference in the Dark Blues between that 7-1 mullering and this display was almost as big.
They looked every inch a top-six side and feel hard-done-by that they couldn’t force a late equaliser.
This is a Dundee side that have come on leaps and bounds in recent weeks.
And sent their fans home thinking of better times yet to come.
Courier Sport was at Dens Park to analyse all the action.
Chances
In their three previous meetings, Dundee hadn’t laid a glove on Celtic.
They’d conceded 13 goals and only scored one of their own when they were already 7-0 down at Parkhead.
The Dark Blues had managed just four shots on target in all three of those previous matches – they had six in this one match alone.
This was a marked difference and saw a second half with Celtic pushed back and defending their own box.
Set-piece after set-piece caused problems for the visitors with Owen Dodgson’s dead ball delivery a real asset and Aaron Donnelly’s long throw too.
Defensively, too, there was an assuredness that had been absent earlier in the campaign.
The last time Celtic came to Dens Park they managed 38 shots on goal. That’s not a typo. Yes, 38.
The other games saw 17 in the 7-1 and 19 in the 3-0 at Parkhead.
This time they restricted the Hoops to 13.
Dundee may not have come away with any points. Clearly, though, they were much, much more competitive.
No Shaughnessy, no Beck, no bother
Much more competitive despite missing two of their most important players this season.
This was the first match all season that Joe Shaughnessy hadn’t started.
Clearly he won’t be back available for some time as he prepares for cruciate ligament surgery.
Owen Beck, meanwhile, has been out of the team for a while now but remains a big absence.
Tony Docherty, though, has constructed a squad that can cope with big players missing.
Antonio Portales and Ricki Lamie performed very well throughout, though both would rather not see Celtic’s second goal again.
Dodgson, meanwhile, is showing there is another Owen who can shine at left-back in dark blue.
Similar to the Rangers performance recently, the Burnley youngster had a tricky start against Celtic but grew into the contest.
And, second half, his quality from set-pieces created havoc in the Celtic defence.
Celtic stat?
Tony Docherty threw out a stat in his post-match press conference that Celtic hadn’t faced as many shots on target previously this season.
Was that the case?
The Dark Blues had six shots on target in the 90 minutes.
That has been bettered twice this term – by Feyenoord (8) and Atletico Madrid (12) in the Champions League.
But hasn’t been bettered in the Premiership.
It has, though, been equalled – Kilmarnock and Hearts have both managed six on target twice each this season.
Rangers haven’t.
Next
It is as-you-were in the race for fifth place after St Mirren also tasted defeat at home to one of the Old Firm.
Like Dundee, they had plenty of positives to take from their defeat to Rangers.
All eyes now, though, are on the meeting between the two sides next weekend.
Dundee v St Mirren at Dens Park promises to be the biggest match of the season.
The Dark Blues will go into that one feeling pretty good about themselves.
Bring on Saturday.
Conversation