In the 102nd minute, beyond five o’clock, time was called on an extraordinary encounter. The final act, fittingly, was an outstanding goal line block from Duk to deny Alistair Johnston.

Celtic huffed and puffed as they sought to snatch the odd goal in five and place daylight between themselves and Aberdeen at the summit of Scotland’s Premiership. That there was no winner felt appropriate, given Aberdeen’s contribution to this epic. Whether or not Jimmy Thelin’s rejuvenation of Aberdeen will result in major honours remains to be seen. What feels pretty clear is that this, as game of the season, is unlikely to be beaten. This took place in front of Sir Alex Ferguson, who made a specialism out of bringing Aberdeen teams to Glasgow and inflicting bloody noses. The great man must have approved.