Celtic 2-0 Dundee United, Half Time | OneFootball

Martin O’Neill wasted no time in changing things upon returning to the dugout for the second time this season. The Irishman immediately opted to return to a back four for the visit of Dundee United this afternoon, with Maeda playing the role of the central striker and Yang given the wing, along with Tounekti.

The Hoops dominated the early proceedings with a stat on 21 minutes showing that they had 89% possession. However, beyond balls flashing across the box, there was little carved out in the way of clear cut chances. Daizen Maeda went closest when Tierney drove a powerful low cross and the Japanese international directed the ball goalwards only for the goalkeeper to make a smart save.

All the pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute, when the ball was worked well from wide left into Scales at the corner of the box. The Irish defender then squared to Yang, who took a touch to steady himself and then sharply thundered a shot into the bottom corner of the net, just as a Dundee United defender was closing him down. The ensuing cheers pierced the silence that had echoed around the ground and blocked out the shouts of players for a moment.

Within 120 seconds of play restarting, Trusty casually opted to play a pass out to Tierney just outside the Celtic box; but the Arabs’ attacker intercepted and made way for goal, only for Scales to spare his colleague’s blushes with a fine recovering tackle on the slide.

By 31 minutes, Celtic were 2-0 ahead. This was a simply stunning goal. The move began with a McGregor tackle finding its way to Yang on the right wing. He linked up with Araujo, who came inside. Hatate then sharply diverted the ball through the midfield and Tierney was fed the ball on the left side of the field. Using Tounekti as a decoy, Tierney strode forward and delivered a low pass to Engels, who coolly slotted home from close range. Cue the name of Martin O’Neill ringing out for each corner of the stadium.

Celtic were playing with a fluidity that hadn’t been seen for some time and were asserting their dominance in a way that they often should on the domestic scene.

Let’s hope for more of the same second half, and that the second half syndrome of late doesn’t strike again.