Celtic 2 - 1 Dundee United: Celtic made to work for their points

Considering the momentous nature of the victory over United, perhaps that was right and proper. For, in racking up an 11th straight league win, Neil Lennon’s side have matched the best such run achieved in the Gordon Strachan era, which came in 2008.

Indeed, not since 2003-4, when Celtic racked up a Scottish top-flight record of 25 consecutive wins under Martin O’Neill, have they enjoyed longer sustained success in the SPL.

Moreover, staying firm in the face of a spirited second-half fightback from the Tannadice men allowed them to do a home double over the team from Tayside for the first season in the last six. Much, too much, will be made of the fact that Celtic, with a two-goal cushion secured in a forceful first half hour, endured a period after the interval their manager described as “fraught”.

That came after John Rankin hammered in a corking low drive from 25 yards which beat Fraser Forster and crossed the line via the keeper’s far right-hand post. It was the midfielder’s second goal in eight days following six months without a solitary strike.

And, not long afterwards, Forster had to push a Jon Daly effort from close range round the post, but it could hardly be viewed in isolation as the pivotal moment. For either side of it, Celtic had a couple of opportunities to put the encounter beyond United’s reach, Georgios Samaras passing up a number of prized openings.

United, for all that they matched their hosts in the second period – as Lennon admitted, Celtic missed the virus victim James Forrest for the natural winger’s “pace, ability on the counter and final ball” – there was never any point that it genuinely seemed Celtic would not be able to prolong their league winning streak.

With Forrest missing out with virus and Beram Kayal now lost for the season, Celtic were deprived of two major figures in their revitalising winning league run.

Initially, they didn’t seem to miss them in the slightest. The most impressive aspect of the two-goal advantage they claimed inside 18 minutes was that United played well during that spell.

In the first ten minutes, the visitors pressed with vigour, constructed a couple of opportunities – Forster blocking from Garry Kenneth after they spread panic in the Celtic box – then promptly found themselves 1-0 down.

The goal was the result of terrific interplay by the two Celtic forwards, a ball pushed through to Anthony Stokes after a challenge won by Thomas Rogne allowed the Irishman to release Gary Hooper to sprint forward and thump a shot high into the net for his 16th goal of the season.

That 12th-minute strike was explosive. Celtic’s second six minutes later was exquisite. Samaras played a short corner to Emilio Izaguirre on the left, who swung over the perfect cross for Victor Wanyama to get a run on.

The Kenyan made the most of that to rise above Kenneth and direct a towering header straight back across goal, giving Pernis no chance. With his third fine finish in the past five weeks, Wanyama is proving the complete player for Celtic right now. It was to United’s immense credit that they did not then crumble as, at that point, the confrontation looked a whole lot like the one earlier in the season at Celtic Park when they shipped five goals.

Manager Peter Houston, confined to the directors’ box for the first of a two-match ban, said as much afterwards.

“I have a lot of time for the players and they are an honest bunch,” he said of their ability to work their way back into contention following the loss of two “soft” goals.

Houston also praised his coaching staff Gary Kirk and Paul Hegarty for the second-half turnaround. “What was frustrating for me was not so much sitting watching in the stand but not being able to get in to the dressing room at half time. The backroom team did their job then with whatever they said,” the United manager stated.

Houston’s vantage point among Celtic’s corporate supporters even began to alert him to the greater possibilities his side’s improved passing could earn them. “I began to hear more noise from the Celtic supporters as we had more of the ball,” he said.

There were never going to be jeers at full-time, however.