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Celtic secured a dominant 4-0 victory over Dundee United at Celtic Park as interim manager Martin O’Neill made a winning return to the club, with goals from Hyun-Jun Yang, Arne Engels, Benjamin Nygren and Daizen Maeda moving the champions second in the Scottish Premiership table.
Celtic Thrash Dundee United 4-0 as Martin O’Neill Makes Winning Return to Parkhead
Celtic returned to their best form following Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat to Rangers that cost Wilfried Nancy his job, with two goals in five first-half minutes establishing control at Celtic Park. Yang opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a 20-yard strike after receiving a pass from Liam Scales on the edge of the box, before Engels doubled the advantage with a first-time finish from Kieran Tierney’s pass five minutes later.
O’Neill restored Celtic’s traditional 4-3-3 formation and made four changes to the starting lineup, bringing in Scales, Julian Araujo, Sebastian Tounekti and Reo Hatate. The tactical switch proved effective as Celtic dominated possession with 78 per cent of the ball and registered 22 shots compared to Dundee United’s three attempts on goal.
Substitute Nygren added the third goal in the 63rd minute, shooting high into the net from six yards for his 11th goal of the season. Maeda completed the scoring six minutes later with an easy finish after Tounekti’s shot was saved, securing Celtic’s joint-biggest league win of the campaign.
The comprehensive victory moved Celtic above Rangers into second place on goal difference, sitting three points behind leaders Heart of Midlothian. O’Neill acknowledged the title race remains challenging but expressed confidence his players are ready for the fight, stating that defending champions find themselves in a dogfight that will continue until the end of the season.
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin admitted his side failed to defend the box adequately and struggled to adapt to Celtic’s formation change under O’Neill. The visitors had limited opportunities, with Owen Stirton coming closest when he shot just wide from 18 yards after the Celtic defence backed off in the first half.
