Dundee United end 52-game Celtic Park drought with 2-2 draw
A midfield trio kept Celtic at bay for 45 minutes, and Jim Goodwin’s side held on after the break to claim a point that Celtic’s league lead could not absorb.
In brief
- Dundee United drew 2-2 at Celtic Park and are unbeaten in six Scottish Premiership games.
- Celtic could not stretch their lead at the top of the table.
- United’s midfield of Iqbal, Cameron and Tait controlled the first half.
- Goodwin credits a change of style this season after a slow start.
Dundee United have not won at Celtic Park since 1992, and a 2-2 draw there did not change that. It did end something else: for the first time in 52 games, they left the ground without defeat, and it stopped the Scottish Premiership leaders from pulling further clear.
Dundee’s 3-1 win over Kilmarnock meant United slipped to fifth in the table despite the point. Goodwin, the United manager, was left disappointed that a win had been so close, according to BBC Sport.
A first half built in midfield
For 45 minutes United played the game on their terms. Zidane Iqbal, Lyall Cameron and Dylan Tait controlled the first half, and Tait passed more balls into the final third than any other United player. United held an advantage at one stage, and Zac Sapsford was cited as scoring again for them.
Everything changed at the break. Celtic brought on wingers Jota and Haissem Hassan, and the game turned in their favour. Liam Scales then equalised. Former United midfielder Scott Allan said the visitors were in the trenches in the second half, while former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner noted that even with the tempo and energy up, the home side still could not create much.
Goodwin pointed to the end of the match: “It would have been a historic victory had we done that, but credit to the opposition, their changes at half-time brought a real spark to their team.” He added that United had to dig deep in the last 20 minutes after responding to an early goal.
The three at the heart of it
- Zidane Iqbal: an Iraq international, formerly a Manchester United youth player, signed from Utrecht.
- Lyall Cameron: on loan from Rangers.
- Dylan Tait: the most frequent United passer into the final third in this game.
Former United wing-back Allan Preston was struck by Iqbal: “Iqbal is like a watch battery. He keeps everything ticking.” Allan said the trio had a shared understanding, describing them with the words “They have three footballers in there all on the same wavelength,”. BBC Radio Scotland’s Tom English asked whether this is the best midfield three in Scotland, a question posed rather than a verdict.
From a slow start to six unbeaten
The run did not arrive quickly. The six unbeaten games followed just one win in the previous seven. Goodwin missed out on the top six last season by a single place, and he has noted that Jens Berthel Askou’s success with Motherwell was a lightbulb moment that led to a change in style this season.
After 11 league games, Goodwin called it a decent performance and said October had been a good points return. He described the position as something to build on while stressing it was early days.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill had Goodwin as a youth player during his first spell in charge at Celtic, and spoke warmly of him. “He is a very fine manager, there is no question of that,” O’Neill said, adding that United came to Glasgow with plenty of confidence.
Photo: Santiago Sauceda González / Pexels
