DEREK McInnes last night refused to criticise his Aberdeen players despite their poor display in a 3-0 defeat to Celtic at Pittodrie and vowed to make sure they bounce back against Ross County on Saturday.

McInnes's team were outclassed by Brendan Rodgers's side and feel three points behind them at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table.

However, the Aberdeen manager, whose side has now lost their last eight games against Celtic, is focused on ensuring they follow up the painful reverse with a victory.

Read more: Aberdeen 0, Celtic 3; Brendan Rodgers's side move to brink of century-old British record with easy win

"There’s no criticism of my players for the way the game played out," he said. "There was a huge gulf and we want to be as competitive as we can. When Celtic play like that there’s a huge gulf domestically.

"We just get back on now. I won’t think about that game. When I go to bed it’s about Ross County and there’s no hangover. It was a sore one, we’ve just got to make sure there is no hangover going into the next game.

Read more: Brendan Rodgers hails Celtic's big game mentality after Aberdeen win takes them to verge of British record

"We’ve been very good through the league from and we intend to be good again. There wasn’t a seat to be had and that’s down to how well the players have done.

"We’ve created an expectation but when Celtic play like that no one can do toe to toe. That’s the harsh reality. But we can do better, we’re not without blame."