But 10 minutes from the interval everything started to come together for Aberdeen.
Four minutes from the interval Chelsea were in front at last.
For all that, a decent cross by Pogba five minutes from the interval might have led to an opening goal.
Flood's conversion and a drop goal reduced the lead to five points six minutes from the interval.
Eleven minutes from the interval, the same player failed again, missing the target entirely with a header from a corner.
Guardiola's team emerged from the interval with greater confidence but it was soon undermined in peculiar fashion.
Far from running up the white flag, however, Verona had struck the woodwork twice in that first half, and would equalise within moments of returning from the interval.
The home side's tempo had stepped up from the interval, the rhythm in their passing more upbeat with Gerrard their metronome in the centre.
The octave between the two syllables of "Starman," in Bowie's song of that name, is lifted from the interval between "Some" and "where" in "Somewhere over the Rainbow".
Conway, in fact, passed up a glorious opportunity to send his team in front, heading over from six yards just five minutes from the interval.
Griffiths was then booked by Craig Thomson for simulation inside the box as Foster moved in but five minutes from the interval Celtic doubled their lead through Sinclair.
