When Scott Brown insisted before the start of the new season that Aberdeen would present the biggest challenge to Celtic's supremacy it was, at the time, considered little more than a mischievous provocation of the Hoops' rivals. It turns out he might have been right all along, though.

With James Maddison's stunning stoppage-time free-kick winner against Rangers on Sunday the Dons underlined that they are still the best of the chasing pack, for the moment anyway. The Pittodrie club have struggled early on this season, but when everything comes together they remain the second best team in the country.

The Premiership title challenge many expected Rangers to put together hasn't materialised and pressing questions are now being asked of Mark Warburton as the former Brentford boss becomes more and more enveloped in his own sense of frustration. His protestations at the match officials after the defeat to Aberdeen illustrated that along with his post-game comments.

As he saw it Rangers were the better team. He would have been unhappy with a draw, never mind a loss. Indeed, the visitors dominated possession at Pittodrie but for the umpteenth time this season they looked toothless in the final third.

Joe Garner put himself about as long as he was on the pitch, but at no point did he look likely to find the net. The injury suffered on opening day of the Premiership season seems to have knocked Martyn Waghorn out of his groove, with the verve demonstrated in the League Cup dismantling of Queen of the South gone.

Of course, Aberdeen have suffered their own attacking issues this season, with Derek McInnes' side among the lowest scorers in Scotland's top flight. But at least they demonstrated a sense of defensive organisation on Sunday, while Rangers continued to be a piping hot mess at the back against the Dons.

A long ball over the top was enough to set Jonny Hayes through on goal for the opener, with the centre-back pairing Clint Hill and Danny Wilson shaky and unbalanced throughout. Aberdeen certainly weren't at their best, but this provided a glimpse of just how effective they can be with their key players - like Hayes - back involved and playing well. [GR]

Brendan Rodgers is sure to have many headaches trying to work out how to deal with the might of Manchester City ahead of their Champions League clash, with his goalkeeping dilemma sure to provide food for thought.

The decision whether to play Craig Gordon or Dorus de Vries between the sticks may primarily depend on whether the latter is fit, but the call could also provide an insight into his long-term plans.

The Dutchman only lasted 45 minutes on Saturday before being replaced by Gordon after straining his chest in an attempt to deny Kilmarnock the opening goal. Souleymane Coulibaly spotted him off his line and chipped him from 35 yards with a sublime strike in their 6-1 defeat at Parkhead.

De Vries' early displays have been dominated by a sense of unease and after the game Rodgers admitted he initially raised an eyebrow at his shot stopper's positioning before concluding he wasn't to blame for the goal.

"You won't see too many better goals than that over the weekend," he said. "The power, the strike was brilliant.

"I think initially I questioned him being beaten from that range. But I watched the video two or three times and I give the credit to the player.

"You could say the keeper is in the perfect position because normally from that distance out you'd have them further forward. But when you actually see the strike I think it would be harsh to say anything against the kid.

"It was an incredible turn, his touch and technique was great. When a goalkeeper gets beat from that range there's always a question mark but I give a big applause to the kid because it was a great goal.

"I'm 100% comfortable going in with Craig on Wednesday if we need to. He's more than capable, a brilliant shot stopper and he's improving his game all the time."

Rodgers didn't sign De Vries to be a bit-part player. He knows him well from their spell together at Swansea and didn't waste time in handing him his chance when Gordon struggled with a string of errors.

His performances have been far from impressive so far, however, conceding 12 goals in five appearances.

It would be unfair to shoulder De Vries with the blame for all seven goals Barcelona scored but it may have left some questioning his ability to perform on the Champions League stage.

While Gordon has vast experience at international level, this is his first group stage campaign in the continent's top club competition and his own form has been a source of concern for quite a while.

His reckless high challenge on Greig Spence in Celtic's League Cup win over Alloa was evidence of a keeper lacking confidence with a calm head and reliable pair of hands required for the club's biggest games of the season.

While Celtic's attackers are on fire, the problems in goal may be adding to the pressure on the team's defence. Celtic have kept just three clean sheets out of 15 this season - against Lincoln Red Imps in Europe and Motherwell and Alloa in the League Cup.

The Scottish champions have managed to outscore their opponents this term but that's not a tactic Rodgers can rely upon against Pep Guardiola's men, who have scored 18 and conceded just five in the league so far this season.

Rodgers has managed to maintain a fairly settled backline with Mikael Lustig and Kieran Tierney settled as his leading full backs. Kolo Toure has proved a shrewd signing with Erik Sviatchenko, Eoghan O'Connell and Jozo Simunovic acting as a centre-back partner over the early weeks of the season.

However without a settled number one between the sticks they might continue to struggle to find consistency. [LB]