Celtic knew that they had to go out and win at Dens Park after Rangers came out with a hard-fought victory in Paisley earlier in the day. Brendan Rodgers' men did just that with a 2-1 victory, but the truth is that it was anything but easy.
The champions started the game strongly, controlling a lot of the possession, and they should have had more than the one goal they took into the break. The effort that they did score was sensational, though, as James Forrest lashed home a sweetly struck volley after a flick-up from Kyogo Furuhashi.
Dundee ramped up the pressure in the second-half, and it was against the run of play that Celtic added a second goal as, once again, Forrest slid the ball past Jon McCracken following a mishap at the back from the Dark Blues.
To their credit, the home side were far from disheartened and kept the pressure on, even when the game looked too far from their reach at 2-0. They got their just reward with just 16 minutes remaining when a heavily deflected Antonio Portales goal gave them the lifeline they were looking for.
An injury-time chance for Michael Mellon hit the side-netting and, after weathering the late storm, Celtic left Dundee with all three points.
We have continually emphasised on ACSOM that this title race wasn't going to be easy, and this game was the evidence of that, but the key factor is that Celtic got the victory.
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Here are A Celtic State of Mind's 3 takeaways from Sunday's victory at Dens Park:
Evergreen Forrest does it again
James Forrest has been one of the most under-appreciated players at the club in recent years, so often being the scapegoat for both warranted and unwarranted criticism.
Despite worries that he couldn't do it from the start and that he was just an impact sub, Forrest silenced all of the doubters with a phenomenal display that rolled back the years.
His experience shone through on the day, and having serial winners such as Forrest in the team is far more important than many will realise.
Set-pieces still an issue
Celtic had to withstand a lot of pressure from Dundee, especially in the second-half, and most of the big chances for Tony Docherty's side came from set-piece situations.
The physical presence in the Dundee team meant they won almost every corner and free-kick and they were unlucky not to have grabbed more than their single goal.
There were often head-to-head mismatches - Greg Taylor was marking Antonio Portales on a number of occasions - and Celtic cannot afford to be so lax from set-pieces in the remaining fixtures this season. If they do, they will be punished.
Scales bounces back
Liam Scales' Hampden performance came under a lot of criticism from Celtic supporters, with the Irishman not covering himself in glory for both of Aberdeen's late equalisers under the Hampden sun.
We suggested last week that Maik Nawrocki could be in with a shout for a start, and Scales needed a big performance to remind the support why his starting spot is warranted. The 25-year-old did just that as he stepped out of defence well and dealt with everything that Dundee threw at him, firmly re-establishing himself as the second best centre-back at the club.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie