League · SPL
Dundee Utd0–4Celtic
Henrik Larsson (pen.) 22′
Chris Sutton 33′
Chris Sutton 40′
Stilian Petrov 72′
Lineups
Dundee Utd
Celtic
Dundee Utd · Starting XI
Celtic · Starting XI
- Rab Douglas
- Johan Mjallby
- Ramon Vega
- Joos Valgaeren
- Didier Agathe
- Jackie McNamara
- Neil Lennon
- Stilian Petrov
- Bobby Petta
- Henrik Larsson
- Chris Sutton
Dundee Utd · Substitutes
Celtic · Substitutes
- Jonathan Gould
- Tom Boyd
- Jamie Smith
- Lubomir Moravcik
- Tommy Johnson
Dundee Utd · Substitutions
- Hugh Davidson for John McQuillan68′
- David McCracken for Danny Griffin73′
- David Winters for Jim Hamilton75′
Celtic · Substitutions
- Tommy Johnson for Stilian Petrov79′
- Lubomir Moravcik for Henrik Larsson79′
- Jamie Smith for Bobby Petta79′
Dundee Utd · Manager
Celtic · Manager
- Martin O'Neill
Dundee Utd · Cautions
Celtic · Cautions
- Not recorded
Match report
Manager Alex Smith made three changes to the side that lined up against Hearts atTynecastle. In came McQuillan, Easton, and Thompson; out went Heaney, McCracken and Derek Lilley who was suspended. After the gutsy performance against Rangers, hopes were high that United could take something from this home match. However, this was not to be. After losing a rather dodgy penalty to Celtic, the United team seemed to lose the momentum and the visitor's showed why they were sitting top of the SPL. Manager Alex Smith was left totally bewildered by the ref's penalty decision, and he was not the…Read moreRead less
Manager Alex Smith made three changes to the side that lined up against Hearts atTynecastle. In came McQuillan, Easton, and Thompson; out went Heaney, McCracken and Derek Lilley who was suspended.
After the gutsy performance against Rangers, hopes were high that United could take something from this home match. However, this was not to be. After losing a rather dodgy penalty to Celtic, the United team seemed to lose the momentum and the visitor's showed why they were sitting top of the SPL. Manager Alex Smith was left totally bewildered by the ref's penalty decision, and he was not the only one. The match official Hugh Dallas ruled that Aljofree had tripped Larsson in the penalty area and immediately blew his whistle much to the dismay and anger of the home support. Henrick Larsson stepped forward and made no mistake from his spot kick. It was the Swedish striker's 29th goal of the season and could not have come easier. United's best chance of the first half came when Jim Hamilton got his head to a Craig Easton cross in the 12th minute. His header seemed net bound but was stopped by a stunning save by former Dens keeper Douglas who parried the ball over the bar. United's woes continued and some poor defending allowed Chris Sutton to fire home a couple of goals before the break. The first of his brace came from a cross by Bobby Petta who found Chris Sutton unmarked in the crowded box, who then had little trouble beating Alan Combe.Then with just five minutes left before half-time, again Chris Sutton found the back of the net.
United knew that they had it all to do as they headed for the break. Three down from the first half, and the lack of goal threat was all too evident. Stiltian Petrov added to the misery by scoring a fourth midway through the second half emphasising that all three points were heading to Celtic Park. Dundee United had experienced some very fine spirited performances of late but these were overshadowed by this display. With some poor defending and a lack of striking power up-front, Dundee United did not trouble Martin O'Neill's side. So it was onto Easter Road to see if they could grab three points against Hibs.
After the gutsy performance against Rangers, hopes were high that United could take something from this home match. However, this was not to be. After losing a rather dodgy penalty to Celtic, the United team seemed to lose the momentum and the visitor's showed why they were sitting top of the SPL. Manager Alex Smith was left totally bewildered by the ref's penalty decision, and he was not the only one. The match official Hugh Dallas ruled that Aljofree had tripped Larsson in the penalty area and immediately blew his whistle much to the dismay and anger of the home support. Henrick Larsson stepped forward and made no mistake from his spot kick. It was the Swedish striker's 29th goal of the season and could not have come easier. United's best chance of the first half came when Jim Hamilton got his head to a Craig Easton cross in the 12th minute. His header seemed net bound but was stopped by a stunning save by former Dens keeper Douglas who parried the ball over the bar. United's woes continued and some poor defending allowed Chris Sutton to fire home a couple of goals before the break. The first of his brace came from a cross by Bobby Petta who found Chris Sutton unmarked in the crowded box, who then had little trouble beating Alan Combe.Then with just five minutes left before half-time, again Chris Sutton found the back of the net.
United knew that they had it all to do as they headed for the break. Three down from the first half, and the lack of goal threat was all too evident. Stiltian Petrov added to the misery by scoring a fourth midway through the second half emphasising that all three points were heading to Celtic Park. Dundee United had experienced some very fine spirited performances of late but these were overshadowed by this display. With some poor defending and a lack of striking power up-front, Dundee United did not trouble Martin O'Neill's side. So it was onto Easter Road to see if they could grab three points against Hibs.