Albian Ajeti rescues Celtic as Dundee United resistance finally broken

New arrival’s first goal since £4m move from West Ham seals late win for champions

Celtic's Albian Ajeti celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game during the Scottish Premiership match at Tannadice Park, Dundee. Pic: Steve Welsh/NMC Pool/PA Wire.

Celtic prevented title rivals Rangers from opening up a bigger gap at the top of the table but Dundee United did not make it easy for them.

Last season’s Championship winners did well to contain Neil Lennon’s men for long periods of the match so it was with some relief that the away side inside Tannadice celebrated substitute Albian Ajeti’s 84th-minute goal.

It was the Swiss international’s first goal for the club following his £4 million move from West Ham United.

It could have been a more straightforward outcome had United keeper Benji Siegrist not pulled off a hat-trick of superb saves from Ryan Christie and proved alert enough to thwart both Odsonne Edouard and Mohamed Elyounoussi.

He was assisted by a well-organised, hard-working and brave United side, who tried to throw their guests off rhythm and happily took the game to them at times.

Unlike their opponents, in the absence of their main goalscorer Lawrence Shankland, United lacked the killer instinct in the final third as inviting build-up play fizzled out and crosses into the danger area were not pounced on.

But there was plenty for the home side to be proud of and rivals will find them hard to break down this season and an even tougher proposition to deal with if they find a cutting edge.

Before kick-off Celtic will already have been aware of scores elsewhere and the fact that rivals Rangers had engineered a win over Kilmarnock, taking them nine points clear of the defending champions at the top of the table.

Back in domestic action for the first time since their slip up against Kilmarnock and their two-game enforced coronavirus lay-off, Celtic had been buoyed by their 6-0 spanking of Reykjavik in their midweek Champions League qualifier. But United had been paying attention to the way Kilmarnock benefitted from having a go at Celtic and getting in their faces, and they set out with the same gameplan.

In the very first minute Christopher Jullien had to be at full stretch to cut out a dangerous, low cross from United’s right flank and Peter Pawlett was down moments later, appealing for a penalty and that was followed by a few corners that ultimately amounted to nothing but gave their guests little chance to settle easily into the game or set the tempo.

Edouard did pounce on a clearance that fell for him but he failed to find the net.

As expected, the Glasgow side did get a handle on proceedings but by then, United had grown in confidence and stature, playing out from the back and picking passes forward. What they lacked at one end, in terms of a finish, they made up for at the other, defending doggedly, offering the men who had shone so brightly midweek, little chance to do likewise in an empty Tannadice.

Swarming anyone in hoops who ventured too close to goal,they restricted Celtic to long-range drives, usually from Christie and the midfielder’s frustration was evident as Siegrist pulled off one athletic save after another.

Moving the ball around, seeking a chink in the United back line, he slipped a pass into Elyounoussi, who moved it on to Greg Taylor, who switched it back to Christie for the shot but Siegrist was alert. That was in the 38th minute and the goalkeeper had to react just as quickly a couple of minutes later to rush out and block at Edouard’s feet.

Celtic continued to pile on pressure in the second half but United stood firm and the keeper foiled another rasping drive from Christie.

While many teams faced with Celtic on a charge sit deeper and deeper, the well-marshalled home side continued to push out and limit the options.

That led to a change in personnel and system as Lennon sent on Ajeti to partner Edouard and, switching to three at the back, used the width offered by the full-backs further upfield.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 84th minute when Christie again had a dig, and as he held his head in his hands as the keeper parried once more, Edouard tried to dig his way through a sea of bodies and did well to instead find Ajeti, whose shot sliced through the melee and into the net.

The shout from the United bench summed up the spirit that will make them testing competitors this term. “We go again!” screamed manager Micky Mellon as the Celtic players celebrated.

The away side will have been 
wary of their hosts doing just that as they showed them the utmost respect, taking the ball for a walk into the corner for the final minutes as they worked hard to see out their victory.