Celts cruise to a 3-0 home victory over Dundee United | OneFootball

Scottish PremiershipSaturday, February 15Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC...3(McGregor 23, Jota 35, Idah 84)

DUNDEE UTD...0

Celtic moved 16 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table after defeating Dundee United 3-0 at Celtic Park, thanks to goals from Callum McGregor, Jota and Adam Idah.

From the get-go at Celtic Park this afternoon, the Celts were on the front foot and looked like they were out to put Dundee United to the sword early.

Over the course of the opening 45 minutes, Brendan Rodgers’ men dominated the ball and would go on to end the half having enjoyed 80 per cent of the possession.

There were a few early half-chances from the Bhoys, with Jota causing problems for the visitors on the left wing and able to send a number of good crosses in to the box.

Dundee United defended resolutely, however, and the Celts had to settle for a series of corner-kicks, with the Tannadice side spending the majority of the half on the back foot.

The champions continued to hunt for the opener which came in the 23rd minute from the left foot of the Celtic skipper, Callum McGregor.

The captain received the ball from Yang on the right-hand side, and proceeded to drift towards the edge of the area with one eye on goal.

He skipped past one Dundee United defender before pulling the trigger and his shot arrowed in to the bottom corner of the net, beyond the reach of Dundee United keeper Jack Walton.

The Celtic captain almost made it 2-0 seven minutes later when he shot from the edge of the box, but his curling effort crept just wide of the post.

Just before the 35-minute mark, Jeffrey Schlupp looked like he had scored a goal of the season contender when he fired an effort towards goal from 25 yards out, but the ball cannoned off the post and drifted to safety.

It wasn’t long before Celtic had the second goal, however, and this time it was Jota who got his name on the scoresheet.

And in typical fashion from the Portuguese winger, the goal was a piece of brilliance and a fitting finish to mark his first goal at Paradise since his return to the Hoops.

Auston Trusty passed to Jota on the left wing and the Celts’ No. 7 skipped inside towards the edge of the box before firing a shot towards goal which glided into the bottom corner and gave the champions a comfortable 2-0 lead at half time.

Dundee United enjoyed a spell of possession at the start of the second half and it was clear that Jim Goodwin had asked his side to get on the ball more in the second 45 minutes.

However, the threat from the champions was present all afternoon, and 10 minutes in to the second half, Yang won a free-kick on the edge of the Dundee United penalty area.

Luke McCowan was the man to take the set-piece, and his effort looked destined for the bottom corner, but a good save from Jack Walton prevented McCowan from getting on the scoresheet.

Chances for both sides were limited as the second half wore on, but the Celts continued with their relentless attacking play and it seemed like only a matter of time before the third goal arrived.

With 70 minutes gone, Dundee United tried to fashion an opportunity of their own as Trapanovski whipped a ball in to the area, but Kasper Schmeichel was alert to the danger and got up early to gather the ball.

Just under 10 minutes later, Daizen Maeda almost continued his brilliant scoring run when he got on to the end of an Arne Engels corner, but the Japanese forward’s header was cleared off the line at the back post.

It was beginning to look like Celtic’s two first-half goals would be the difference between the sides today, but with just over five minutes remaining, the champions added a third.

Greg Taylor stung the palms of the Dundee United keeper with an effort from the edge of the box, and the ball ended up with Anthony Ralston on the right wing.

The full back sent a ball across the box which was headed on by a Dundee United defender and was picked up by Adam Idah at the edge of the box.

The Irish forward took one touch to control the ball before unleashing a blistering strike in to the top corner to give the Bhoys a 3-0 lead.

The scoreline reflected Celtic's dominance throughout the match and will serve as the perfect preparation ahead of Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League tie against Bayern Munich in Germany.

Fixtures

Celtic Vs. Dundee United - Sat, Feb 15th 2025, 15:00 Final score: 3 - 0