Celtic 2-1 Dundee: Leigh Griffiths and Nir Bitton on the mark as Hoops maintain unbeaten run

Goals from Leigh Griffiths and Nir Bitton helped Celtic edge out a spirited Dundee side 2-1 to restore their 11-point advantage over Rangers.

Unsurprisingly Celtic, sweeping all before them on the domestic front, dictated much of the contest and Griffiths' cracking free-kick in the 45th minute, his 12th of the season, rewarded their first-half dominance.

Bitton stroked home the second seven minutes after the break for his first goal of the season but the Hoops' party tricks were put on hold as Dundee's Marcus Haber pulled one back in the 69th minute moments after he had hit the post.

Faisal El Bakhtaoui was to spurn a glorious late chance for an equaliser as Brendan Rodgers' men held out to extend their unbeaten league run to 16 games.

Griffiths almost broke the deadlock in the 10th minute, sending a left-footed shot crashing off the post after good work by Ryan Christie while Tom Rogic will be wondering for days to come how he did not score when teed up by the effervescent Christie eight yards out.

Dundee's hopes of making it to the break level where dashed when Darren O'Dea clattered through Rogic 25 yards out and Griffiths curled the free-kick past Scott Bain.

Rogic had limped off and failed to appear after the break, but when the ball broke to Bitton early in the second period he curled a sweet right-footed shot beyond the reach of Bain.

Haber headed a Tomy Hateley corner off the post as Dundee, with nothing to lose, threw off the defensive shackles and Craig Wighton's follow-up was cleared off the line by Stuart Armstrong.

The champions did not heed the warning and moments later Canadian striker Haber saw his shot from 12 yards deflect off Jozo Simunovic and skid past Craig Gordon.

Griffiths screwed a shot wide and the hosts were almost made to pay when El Bakhtaoui slipped free but he clipped over the bar with only Gordon to beat and the hope of an unlikely point had gone.