Brendan Rodgers secured a crucial three points at Parkhead on Wednesday night, while Celtic’s rivals faltered once more against Aberdeen, who extended their unbeaten streak with another impressive result.

Aberdeen aims to break up the Glasgow dominance this season, with their 2-1 win on Wednesday night extending their second-place lead to nine points. They now sit just behind Celtic on goal difference, intensifying the race at the top.

When asked about Wednesday night’s North East result, Brendan Rodgers commended Aberdeen’s performance, but after second-half goals from Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels secured three points for Celtic, he was quick to remind the press that it’s too early for title talk, with only ten games played in the season.

“Listen, Aberdeen have had a fantastic start,” Brendan Rodgers told Football Scotland. “That’s a really good result for them. But, as I’m sure you can respect, my focus is very much on Celtic. Our guys have made a brilliant start as well—in terms of how they’ve been playing, the goals they’ve been scoring, being defensively secure for the most part, and being in a really good position in the Champions League.

“He added, “But it’s still so early. My first marker is after 10 games. And if I look at it after 10 games, then we’ve made a really good start. Aberdeen are there as well, but there’s still such a long way to go. I love going to Hampden, and we’re in a really good place heading into there. We’ve got players coming back, and hopefully, it’ll be a really exciting game.”

Aberdeen are set to travel to Glasgow next weekend for a high-stakes showdown with Celtic at Hampden Park in the League Cup semi-final. Fresh off a recent encounter with the Hoops, the Dons will bring confidence, knowing they pose a real challenge for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

The last Hampden clash between the two was a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time, where, despite Joe Hart’s missed penalty, Celtic managed to edge through to the Scottish Cup final—a trophy they went on to lift.