[ad_1]
Ismaila Soro scored his first goal for Celtic as Neil Lennon’s resurgent team prepared for Saturday’s Old Firm derby with a convincing Scottish Premiership victory over Dundee United.
But it came at a cost, as defender Christopher Jullien suffered a knee injury after hitting a post.
Soro and David Turnbull scored from afar before Odsonne Edouard’s balloon sealed a sixth straight win.
Celtic heads to Ibrox 16 points behind the Rangers with three games in hand.
United, which was close thanks to Marc McNulty and Nicky Clark 2-0 down, remains in fifth place.
A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off in memory of legendary United manager Jim McLean, who died on December 26 at the age of 83.
McLean was in charge of the Tannadice club the last time they won at Celtic, 28 years ago, and Micky Mellon boldly brought forwards Lawrence Shankland, Marc McNulty and Nicky Clark into his starting lineup as he tried to end that long and sterile streak. .
There was also a great call from Celtic manager Neil Lennon, with Greek goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas recovered in place of Conor Hazard after five games on the bench.
United had coped comfortably with strong pressure from Celtic until Soro opened an unlikely opener midway through the first half with a 25-yard deflection into the top corner. A moment to savor for the Ivorian, but to forget for goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist, whose save attempt was weak.
Still, United’s margin of defeat could have been much higher had Siegrist not partially redeemed himself with multiple saves.
He made an instinctive block after Turnbull’s outrageous lob pushed Leigh Griffiths for a blast on goal, with Edouard sending the bounce wide.
But another long-distance drive doubled the lead when Turnbull shot low from the keeper’s right post to score for the third straight game.
United, anonymous as a attacking force in the first half, almost conjured an instant response after the break as McNulty beat Jullien off a Shankland pass and passed Barkas. Jullien ran back to clear the line, but his momentum led him to crash into the stud and after several minutes of treatment he was replaced by Nir Bitton.
United’s positive spell, and Celtic’s trembling in the back, continued as a Shankland cross found Clark 10 yards away, but with only the goalkeeper to beat, the forward shot horribly wide.
That was the best for the visitors when Celtic regained control. Griffiths and Edouard were thwarted by Siegrist before the pair of hits combined to create a third sublime.
A high pass from Griffiths divided the United defense and Edouard deftly launched the keeper for Celtic to continue their resurgence before the crucial showdown with the Rangers.
Man of the Match – David Turnbull
What did we learn?
This was a crucial but costly victory for a Celtic team still trying to make up lost ground in the title race. A fourth consecutive Premiership victory and clean sheet are further proof of his recovery, but the loss of Jullien would be a serious blow to the trip to Ibrox.
Neil Lennon will at least take comfort in his team’s attacking verve, with Turnbull again impressive as the two forwards Edouard and Griffiths worked together to torment the visitors.
United’s starting lineup was bold, but it didn’t pay off as Mellon’s team was too passive in the first half, effectively ending the game as competition. Standing up and allowing the players to shoot cost them the first two goals and their good start to the second half was thwarted by a whimsical finish.
What did they say?
Celtic coach Neil Lennon: “We played brilliantly and created a lot of really good opportunities.
“There was a lot of energy and quality. The atmosphere in the place is good and I am also very satisfied with the substitutes, their contribution was excellent.”
Dundee United coach Micky Mellon: “We have to show growth and improvement from the lessons we learned today. The opportunities we made were more than reasonable and at Celtic Park we have to take advantage of them.”
Whats Next?
Derby dates for both sides. Celtic will face the Old Firm Rangers in Ibrox on Saturday (12:30 GMT), while United will take part in the New Firm action in Aberdeen (15:00 GMT).
