THEN it was two...

Two points in the Scottish Premiership title race that is.

In the game of poker, someone has to blink.

Rangers stuttered earlier in the day in the Highlands when they could only muster a 3-3 draw against Ross County in Dingwall.

Celtic took full advantage and whilst they didn't hit Dundee United with a royal flush in front of a full house inside Paradise, it was left to Liel Abada to provided the late, late, late show with an injury-time winner for Ange's ten men.

Despite having skipper, Nir Bitton sent to the stands Abada's 12th goal in a Celtic short was enough to secure another vital three points as Celtic moved to within striking distance of Rangers at the summit.

Ange usually keeps his cards close to his chest when it comes to team line-ups before a big game.

The Aussie has displayed a cracking poker face all season especially when it comes to this football management malarkey.

He might have been missing a few of his aces due to injury and international duty but that didn't stop him from shuffling his pack after the midweek 2-1 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle.

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Liel Abada grabs a sensational last-gasp winner against Dundee United

Out went Josip Juranovic, Greg Taylor and Portuguese wide man Jota and in came Anthony Ralston, Liam Scales and Liel Abada.

You got the feeling that Ange was already planning ahead to Wednesday's crunch Glasgow derby.

The Aussie has been adept at playing the hand he's been dealt all season.

He's not always held good cards but he's learned to play bad hands well thus far.

It's certainly not down to luck that Celtic are right back and bang in this title race.

Ange and his men were also mindful of the fact that Tam Courts' team had come out to play the last time they visited Glasgow's East End and the Taysiders plundered a valuable point during a 1-1 stalemate back in September.

The Aussie and Celtic knew before they stepped onto the field to face the Tangerines that the commonest mistake in history as well as at any poker table or football field is underestimating your opponent.

Before the match, there was an emotional wreath laid in the centre circle for former Celtic boss Wim Jansen who sadly passed away from dementia aged 75 in midweek.

The Dutchman guided Celtic to arguably their greatest ever title triumph in 1997/98 when he shattered Rangers bid for 10-in-a-row and preserved legendary boss Jock Stein's record of nine consecutive championships in the process.

The minute's applause was observed with gusto inside Paradise to a man who will forever be enshrined in the supporter's hearts.

It was Adrian Sporle who had Celtic fans hearts in their mouth when he fired inches wide of the target inside five minutes.

Giorgos Giakoumakis then sprinted clear of the Dundee United defence but the ball wouldn't sit down for him and Callum Butcher put in a tremendous last-gasp blocking tackle just as the Greek hitman got set to pull the trigger.

Abada hammered a drive off Benjamin Siegrist in the Dundee United goal on 26 minutes when he ought to have squared it to Giakoumakis or Forrest who would have had a tap-in.

Matt O'Riley then spurned a golden opportunity when he dragged a shot wide of the target five minutes before the interval when it looked easier to score which would have capped a dream home debut.

Despite being in control, there was an intensity to their play missing and it remained goalless at the break.

Giakoumakis then somehow contrived to fluff two fantastic chances as Celtic got increasingly desperate when he crashed the ball off Siegrist's foot when he ought to have buried it and then slashed wildly at another effort, slicing it well wide.

Celtic was not for sticking but the game took another twist when skipper Nir Bitton was red-carded for a second bookable offence nine minutes from time which now rules him out of Wednesday's showpiece.

Just when the home side thought that their house of cards was going to collapse in on them, up stepped Liel Abada.

The winger chested Jota's centre and smashed home into the roof of the net and Paradise erupted as 10-man Celtic clinched a dramatic victory.

READ MORE: 3 burning Celtic issues as Rangers' lead in the Premiership is cut to two points

In poker terms, Celtic could really put Rangers on tilt with a victory in the Glasgow derby on Wednesday night.

They will have to do it the hard way and defeat a Rangers side for the first time in the league since 2019.

Don't let anybody try and kid you on that this Glasgow derby will be just another game.

It will be a war masquerading as a football match.

Celtic took a huge calculated risk and a gamble when they appointed Ange Postecoglou to succeed Neil Lennon as the Aussie came in totally blind to his new Scottish football surroundings.

It was famous poker player Amarillo Slim who once famously said: "My favourite chip trick is to make everyone's chip stack disappear."

Now the man who the critics said would be a total flop and would have cashed his chips in by Christmas has the chance to take Celtic back to the top of the Premiership tree by making Rangers lead completely disappear.

Strap yourself in folks we are going all-in on this high-stakes showdown and neither Celtic nor Rangers are bluffing.

The £40 million Scottish Premiership prize pot is going right down to the wire.

Or the river card as they say in poker terms.