AS the full-time whistle blew at 15:45pm in West Lothian and Hearts saw their position at the top of the league restored but with two points dropped after a 2-2 draw with bottom side Livingston, it left Celtic with one job to do in order to re-establish control in the title race – win at Dens Park.
The Hoops went into the game knowing that any slip up from here on in would spell curtains, as regardless of results elsewhere Celtic remained playing catch up in the title race two weeks on from their abysmal outing 200 yards up the road at Tannadice after a 2-0 defeat left the hopes of green and white ribbons being tied to the league title at an all-time low.
But following the International break and a fresh dose of optimism which often comes from misremembering how bad Celtic are at football, the ball was in their court for a fresh start at battling for the title once more.
The first half at the home of the Dee Celtic could and should have been out of sight, but a clinical striker is not something that appears to exist in the hoops this season and Tomas Cvancara's return saw the Czech forward find every way possible of shooting without scoring in almost remarkable fashion.
On the eighth minute and the star of the season for me, and I cannot believe I am writing this, Yang, got the last touch on the ball after he clipped an effort over the keeper only for Nygren to be on hand to pounce, but the inevitable strike nicked off Yang's toe and after a lengthy VAR check the champions opened the scoring.
Cvancara's crack off the woodwork, following the striker's dinked effort, would be the best chance for a second goal, but Daizen Maeda's hot pressing efforts were certainly noticeable as Celtic looked destined to double their advantage before the interval, but unfortunately it was not to be.
The second-half Celtic started rather sluggishly, but once again a chance fell to the feet of Cvancara, but an abysmal touch took the forward out of scoring range and the chance for two vanished and before long he was hooked by Martin O'Neill.
On the hour mark Dundee were awarded a penalty kick following a short ranged effort which caught the hand of young Colby Donovan and after VAR got involved the home side had a chance to equalise from almost nothing.
Simon Murray stepped up and blasted his penalty to the left hand corner and the Celtic support knew another heart-thumping 35 minutes would play out and whether they would achieve hope or misery would remain to be seen.
The next ten minutes the Dens Park side made sure the Hoops knew it would not be a simple task as they huffed and puffed to try and flip the script and end the title hopes of Celtic on the hour mark, but the return of Auston Trusty from suspension was noticeable and the American made sure the Celtic defence would not be breached for a second time.
Chances were limited in the remainder and when you're relying on James Forrest and Co for an answer off the bench then your chances are bleak, but O'Neill must have found the magic wand once more as Kelechi Iheanacho would eventually strike eight minutes from time to win the game.
A man who has been absent in recent weeks, with a running gag that the Nigerian forward "does not work weekends" seeming to have weight with his last appearance prior to Dundee United being a European tie in Germany on a Thursday. But as he has done a few times this season, the former Premier League star resurrected the title chances on Easter Sunday for the Hoops and thank God he did.
Next weekend the final game of the regular season will take place prior to the annual split for the final fixtures in Scotland's top flight, but this title race will no doubt have some more turns before the final five games commence.
A word, if I may, on the current race for the title in Scotland.
For decades, neutrals and punters with a dog in the fight have all been of the opinion that Scotland needs another source of challenger other than that of the big two in Glasgow, and to be honest even though Celtic still trail the Jambos by three points and sit third, I am glad for the breath of fresh air.
But let's get one thing straight, when we all cried for competition, we meant someone to up the ante and compete with the 96 point seasons we often see from the league winners.
This campaign the league leaders Hearts sit with a tally of 67 points with six games remaining, leaving a maximum of 85 points available should they win outright.
Now that won't happen because of their current form but also the pressure is starting to build. In any regular season they would have secured 'best of the rest' and came up short to either Celtic or Rangers – and in Scotland there is no shame in that. But, when the facts are that they only remain top because Celtic have had one of the worst campaign's since pussy was a kitten, and Rangers having their worst start to a campaign in their history, it hardly makes for a sustainable competitor.
If Hearts do win the league the achievement is up there with Leicester City's 2015/16 league run in England, don't doubt it. However, it too also came at the expense of the other sides falling to horrendous seasons and an unremarkable points tally bringing home the title.
Martin O'Neill said it himself this week that a season like this should work as a "wake up call" to the Celtic Board. Unfortunately for us fans, we are passengers on this bus and have seen them continue to fall asleep at the wheel whilst we take a turn in stormy weather on the cliffside of a mountain.
We all want the title, heck even the double is still there, but will a challenge from anyone other than Rangers be enough, or do the ribbons have to change colour for that to become a reality?
Either way, a few men in the suits at Parkhead need chased for the sake of the club come June, but as we stand there are six cup finals – four guaranteed to be home fixtures including Rangers and Hearts – the title is back in Celtic's hands for now. Let's hope they don't let it slip again.
