RONNY DEILA holds many strong beliefs.

One is that he has the best team in Scotland.

Another is that, you are better doing your talking on the pitch - not in the newspapers, as Aberdeen players chose to do before meeting the champions at Pittodrie yesterday.

The 2-1 victory which took them to the top of the SPFL for the first time in his tenure as manager, secured through a Virgil van Dijk winner on full-time after skipper Scott Brown had been red-carded with eight minutes to go, was the best possible riposte to those who doubted the quality and character of this group of Hoops players.

The sight of Van Dijk, Emilio Izaguirre, Leigh Griffiths and Deila himself dancing for joy at the final whistle in front of the away support - reduced in numbers by the host club for reasons of segregation - was in stark contrast to what was happening in the tunnel.

There, Shay Logan's complaints about what the Dons perceived to be a foul before Celtic's equaliser - scored by Stefan Johansen - then a wrongly-awarded corner before their winner crossed the line led to the defender being summonsed to the referee's room where he was red-carded.

It was just another chapter in what is becoming something of a saga involving Logan and Celtic, the next instalment of which will be delivered when Aleksandar Tonev - found guilty of racially abusing him when the clubs met at Parkhead in September - has his appeal hearing, the date for which has yet to be announced.

The omission from yesterday's squad of the Bulgarian was a decision taken to keep him well away from the inevitable barracking he would have received.

There is enough animosity in this fixture, developed amidst several spiky encounters between these two old foes in recent years, without providing more fuel for the flames.

The pre-match warning against unacceptable behaviour carried more resonance than usual with the backdrop of the Tonev case, though the minute's silence to mark Remembrance Sunday was disrupted by a clutch of Celtic fans who made their objections known, despite being shouted down by many who stood alongside them.

Deila joined many others unhappy by what he claimed was the behaviour of just one per cent of the support, remarking that respect must be shown at all times.

All of which made for a tinderbox just waiting to be ignited, though the booing of Logan by the Celtic support and cheering by the home fans was more pantomime than poisonous.

The only potential moment of concern came when Anthony Stokes kicked the ball into a section of Dons fans when it was dead and awaiting a throw-in to be taken by Logan, and was then booked for gesturing to the crowd.

Alongside all of this, a football match took place, with the not-insignificant added incentive of maintaining respective surges up the league table after uncharacteristic shaky starts by both clubs.

Celtic do, at least, have the excuse of trying to compete on two fronts, domestic competition and Europe, while the Dons have long-since exited the continental stage.

Deila made five changes from the side which drew with Astra in Romania on Thursday, the most notable absentee being keeper Craig Gordon, who is suffering from a neck injury which the boss believes will not prevent him reporting for Scotland duty today.

Among the quintet stepping in, James Forrest was making his first appearance since suffering another hamstring injury in the 6-1 rout of Dundee United back on August 16.

His return is warmly welcomed by Deila, who recognises the extra dimension the attacking winger can bring to his side as they head into a key month of the season.

Deila described his emotions over the important victory as "orgasmic".

Now the plan is to use his squad to push on in all competitions, though he will be without suspended skipper Brown for the match against Dundee when they return after the international break.

It was a game which was always going to produce goals, and by half-time both teams had scored.

Aberdeen took the lead after 26 minutes after Andrew Considine, up for a corner, had watched as Lukasz Zaluska could only push away his low shot through a ruck of players.

The keeper was still on the ground as Adam Rooney pounced on the rebound to scuff an effort which evaded the Pole's outstretched arms and Emilio Izaguirre's desperate attempt to hook the ball clear as it trundled in at the foot of the post.

Celtic's response took 11 minutes to deliver, but owed much to quick transition and determination.

Aberdeen were still claiming for a foul on Niall McGinn by Charlie Mulgrew in the centre circle as Izzy pinged the ball forward to Stokes.

Drifting in from wide left, he spotted Stefan Johansen's diagonal run in behind the defence.

It appeared as though the Norwegian's touch had been too heavy as Mark Reynolds and keeper Scott Brown moved to close him out, but the midfielder slid in to lift his shot over the goalie and the line.

The home keeper did make a decent save from the same player's 22-yard drive just before the break, which might have saved him from too much of a rollicking from manager Derek McInnes at the interval, though Reynolds, who was hesitant when he needed to be decisive, would still have been in the firing line.

The home side will also be holding an inquest into the manner in which, despite a numerical advantage, they saw all three points head back down the road to Glasgow.

The irony is that it was this ground where Van Dijk was sent off early in the match in February which saw Aberdeen go on to win 2-1, shattering Celtic's unbeaten league run and clean sheet record.

Revenge is sweet indeed.