Angry Rodgers hits out at Celtic’s ‘soft’ defending after Engels penalty salvages point for champions

Brendan Rodgers hit out at Celtic‘s second-half collapse after they were forced to rely on Arne Engels’ stoppage-time penalty to salvage a point – and deny Dundee a famous first home victory over the Parkhead side for 37 years.

He accused them of ‘soft’ defensive errors after a determined Dark Blues side came so close to causing a major upset in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Celtic had twice gone in front through Luke McCowan and then Yang Hyun-jun, only for Dundee to twice roar back and level through Oluwaseun Adewumi’s strike and a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal.

Aaron Donnelly then looked set to displace Tommy Coyne as the last player to score a winner against Celtic at Dens Park with his 78th-minute goal, before sub Engels converted his late spot-kick following a Mo Sylla handball. 

Citing Auston Trusty’s failure to make a strong challenge as Donnelly headed the ball home, Rodgers said ‘You’ve got to deal with that better. You’ve got to stay on your feet, it’s as simple as that.

‘You’re 6ft 4in, you have to deal with that better but he knows and understands that. Across certain areas we went a bit soft.

Aaron Donnelly scored what looked like a famous winner for Dundee after outjumping Trusty

Donnelly was mobbed as Dundee looked like beating Celtic at home for first time in 37 years

‘My main worry is from a defensive perspective. It wasn’t the attack tonight [that was a problem], it was defensively.

‘It’s basic stuff. It’s a game we let get away from us when there was no need. Sometimes when you have dominance and when you’re creating, it can make you a bit passive.

‘We don’t normally do that but we certainly did tonight. We were very passive, especially second half. The game should have been out of sight in the first half.’

Rodgers, whose team had looked set to move 18 points clear at the top of the Premiership with victory, only to inexplicably crumble, added: ‘We made a great start then we lost concentration at a set piece and our organisation allowed them to break.

‘The young boy (Adewumi) finished well and that gave them a lift before half-time. We got in front then I expect us to click through the gears, especially in that little slope going down towards our own supporters but we defended really poorly.

‘The second goal, we need to deal with that much better and quicker, then from a corner we go soft.

‘So it’s not what we expect when we consider how well we’ve defended and the aggression we’ve had, but we fight till the end. A point isn’t what we want but we have to take it and move on.

Rodgers congratulates Donnelly after he came so close to causing a huge upset at Dens Park

Rodgers played down suggestions that Idah had stormed off after being substituted

Former Dundee player Luke McCowan got Celtic off to the perfect start

‘You’ve got to give all the credit to Dundee and Tony (Docherty). We were in a good place till their goal, they fought, they were there second half and they deserved what they got.’

There had been some suggestions that out-of-form striker Adam Idah stormed straight down the tunnel after being subbed off in the second half.

But Rodgers played the incident down, saying: ‘He went to get something warmer, then he came back.

‘I give credit to the players, they kept going. But, for our standard, that second half has to be better.

Adewumi equalised with a superb strike for Dundee in the 41st minute

Yang made it 2-1 to Celtic after he scored his first goal of the season

The champions were pegged back again as Carter Vickers’ own goal made it 2-2

‘We were too passive. Too slow. With the ball, just not aggressive enough. Tonight was about doing the basics of the game well and we did not do that well enough.’

Dundee boss Tony Docherty said he was ‘immensely proud’ of his players, but added: ‘The overriding feeling is one of disappointment. I thought we did enough to win the match.

‘I watched Celtic put on (Nicolas) Kuhn, Engels, (Luis) Palma. I’ve asked Lyall Cameron to get off his sickbed to play, Finlay Robertson has not trained. (Cesar) Garza has had to come off. To put in that level of performance against that opposition is bordering on the heroic.

‘We made a Champions League team wobble. We sensed it, we went for it, and gave everything to win that match. I thought my players deserved that tonight.’