Celtic Crowned Scottish Premiership Champions In Style At Tannadice.
Celtic secured a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title — and their 13th in 14 seasons — with a dominant 5-0 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice.
Brendan Rodgers’ side needed only a point to seal the title but delivered a performance fitting of champions, making the Northern Irishman the most decorated living Celtic manager with 11 honours, behind only legends Willie Maley and Jock Stein.
Thousands of travelling Celtic supporters were in celebratory mood as the visitors wrapped up the championship well before half-time. Nicolas Kühn’s second goal of the afternoon — Celtic’s third — marked their 100th league strike of the campaign, capping an extraordinary season of attacking prowess.
Adam Idah added two more goals early in the second half, a header followed by a low drive, putting Celtic five goals ahead before the hour mark and ensuring a miserable afternoon for a dejected United, who had started brightly but crumbled after half an hour.
The breakthrough came courtesy of a Ryan Strain own goal under pressure from Jota — who later departed with a suspected knee injury — before Kühn’s brace, both assisted by the lively Daizen Maeda, sent Celtic into complete control.
Prior to kick-off, Rodgers had challenged his players to surpass the 106 goals scored by his treble-winning side of 2016-17. With five more needed from four remaining fixtures, that record now appears well within reach.
Celtic’s Relentless Form Shows No Signs of Slowing
Rodgers demanded that his side finish the title race with a flourish, and his players have responded emphatically in recent weeks.
Although the performance began in subdued fashion, by half-time Celtic were three goals to the good and had effectively secured the title. By the hour mark, the scoreline reflected their dominance, with United unable to contain their rampant visitors.
Maeda, in terrific form with 11 goals in his last nine appearances, turned provider, setting up Kühn’s two well-taken strikes. The German winger responded to critics of his recent form with a playful gesture, indicating the noise around him had been overblown.
Idah’s double served as another timely reminder of his quality when Celtic are in full flow, providing a clinical edge to a side that have simply been a class above their domestic rivals this season.
Victory leaves Celtic two-thirds of the way towards claiming a remarkable sixth domestic treble in nine seasons, underlining their enduring dominance of Scottish football.
United Show Early Promise but Collapse Under Celtic Pressure
For Dundee United, there were brief positives in the early exchanges. Jim Goodwin’s side started brightly and matched Celtic in the opening half-hour, despite a bizarre early delay caused by tangerines thrown onto the pitch by away supporters protesting ticket prices.
However, after the concession of the opening goal, United quickly unravelled. Goodwin can take some encouragement from his team’s early resilience and their tactical flexibility, switching to a back four which initially showed promise.
Nonetheless, the scale of their collapse will be a concern. Although United remain firmly in the hunt for a European place, they will need to quickly put this chastening defeat behind them.
What They Said
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers:
“We wanted to raise the flag for Celtic today and we’ve done that. The players were outstanding. It feels like it’s been normalised when it really isn’t. It’s such a hard thing to do but for these players, from the first day of pre-season right the way through, we’re going to push and fight to win as many trophies as we can.”
Celtic captain Callum McGregor:
“It means the world to us. We wanted to perform because if we do, we know we’ll get what we want. The sky is the limit for us. We have four league games to try and arrive into the Scottish Cup final in the best moment and, if we do that, we have the chance to do something special this season.”
Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel:
“You can only beat what’s in front of you and that’s what we’ve done all season. That relentless nature is what we’re all about. It’s a constant strive and drive to be better. I have loved this season — it’s incredible. This is special.”
Celtic winger James Forrest:
“It’s hard to put into words. When you’re getting older, you appreciate it more, you don’t take it for granted. I’ve played in so many good teams over the years; this one is right up there. The standards are so high.”
