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Celtic scored a goal in each half to defeat a tenacious Dundee United side and move 16 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Brendan Rodgers was keen to avoid a repeat of the goalless draw at Tannadice 17 days ago and stuck with the starting XI from the comfortable win over St Mirren three days earlier, with Hyun-Joon Yang replacing Nicolas Kuhn before kick-off.
They dominated from the start, with Daishin Maeda opening the scoring on the rebound to warm things up for the fans on a cold night at Parkhead.
The visitors had a late chance and were well organized to frustrate the Hoops, but substitute Hatat fired into the roof of the net to secure another victory for the home side.
Celtic are unbeaten at home this season while Dundee United sit third.
The basket was pushed away by Manchester United
Celtic are all smiles as they extend lead in Premier League
Rodgers called on some fans to be more patient after groaning when he spotted a backward pass in his side’s 3-0 win over St Mirren.
He also accused supporters in the standing area of disrespecting left-back Greg Taylor by singing the name of transfer target Kieran Tierney.
In response, fans sang the song again for the entire squad, which included other former players and manager Martin O’Neill.
Songs about Artur Boruc, Mikael Lustig, Billy McNeil, Charlie Mulgrew, Tommy Burns, Victor Wanyama, Jimmy Johnstone, Scott Sinclair, Jota, Odsonne Edouard and Henrik Larsson have all been aired.
Brendan Rodgers urges Celtic fans not to disrespect Greg Taylor
The fans sang a song about Tierney in injury time, capping off their run of songs. Tierney is believed to be close to agreeing a pre-contract agreement to return to Parkhead.
Jim Goodwin got little attacking energy from his players in a completely one-sided first half, but the visitors made a significant defensive switch inside the 45 minutes and it was like an attack Training sessions with defense.
The Manchester United boss will be frustrated by the nature of the opener after his side appeared to clear Alistair Johnston’s cross.
After Richard Odada’s calf-height pass from Vicko Sevelj, the ball fell to Luke McCowan in the penalty area. Maeda scored after the former Dundee midfielder’s shot was blocked by Jack Walton.
Daizen Maeda opens the scoring for Celtic against Dundee United
Earlier, Arne Engels took 10 corner kicks and Auston Trusty headed over the crossbar. The Belgian midfielder was Celtic’s most threatening player, and he also shot some provocative shots towards the goal and got close on several occasions.
United ended the first half without a shot, corner or cross – Celtic had 27 – and had just one touch inside the home penalty area and 16 per cent possession.
Things improved quickly after the break, although Kai Fotheringham and Glenn Middleton both missed the target with their first attempts.
Reo Hatate comes on to double Celtic’s lead
The Celtics had a chance to kill the game earlier than they did. Maeda deflected Taylor’s cross and United goalkeeper Jack Walton parried substitute Keigo Furuhashi’s header from Engels’s other corner.
Kasper Schmeichel made his first save in the 70th minute when Middleton’s powerful shot went over the near post and was quickly met by Fotheringham’s header.
The game remained evenly balanced until Hatet swept the ball into the top corner after substitute Paulo Bernardo faked Maeda’s pass.
Rodgers delighted with win as he awaits Kuhn’s prognosis
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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for the fans’ support during their 2-0 win over Dundee United.
Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers told Sky Sports News:
“It was a good win for us. I thought we probably dominated the game.
“In the first half, we had chances to score more goals, but going into the second half, we didn’t score a second goal. So, you have to go through a period with through balls and long throw-ins, and you have to deal with that. .
“There was a little bit of pressure there but I thought the players handled it well and got through it.
“Then we got the second goal and that eased any nerves that might have been in the game. We fully deserved it, we worked really hard and we were rewarded for it.
“I thought the atmosphere was great, whatever the temperature was, it was very, very cold but the numbers of Celtic fans showed that.
“They have been fantastic, they have supported and encouraged the team when they needed it and that has helped us get results.”
On Nicolas Kuhn’s absence, he added: “He just felt something in the warm-up, so unfortunately he had to come out.
“He doesn’t feel he’s fit to continue, so we’ll assess it tomorrow and see how that goes.”
Goodwin: A very tough ask.
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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin said the club
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin told Sky Sports News:
“We knew tonight was always going to be difficult given the amount of games we’ve played in recent weeks.
“Tonight is actually our sixth league game in 17 days, so it’s a very tough ask for the players to come here fresh. It’s difficult enough in the best of circumstances. , but to come here two days after the Hearts game with almost no recovery is always difficult.
“The players gave everything but unfortunately we didn’t do enough.
“We had chances to get the ball into the box with some deep free-kicks and some long passes and won a couple of corners, but unfortunately nothing was too kind to us in and around the box.”
