celts finish all square at tannadice
Gregor Kyle
CELTIC returned to the scene of last season’s dramatic title triumph and had to settle for a share of the spoils as Dundee United grabbed a late equaliser at Tannadice.
The champions looked good for all three points, with Paul Hartley having put them in front on 51 minutes with a well-worked goal.
But with Craig Levein’s men pouring forward in the latter stages, his two substitutes, Craig Conway and Fransisco Sandaza combined to grab an equaliser in the 80th minute.
Just stepping through the doors at Tannadice brought the memories of last season’s title clincher flooding back and with Celtic having remained undefeated here since August 15, 1999, the stadium is a happy hunting ground for the Hoops.
That’s not to suggest that Celtic have had it all their own way here in recent years, though, and there was a sense that there would be a reaction in the wake of United’s surprise, opening day defeat to Premier League new boys Hamilton.
Their determination to make amends was evident in the opening half as they carved out the first chances of the game, with Artur Boruc stretching to touch a David Robertson header to safety in 11 minutes and Danny Grainger sending a half-volley zipping over the bar ten minutes later.
There was also an early booking for striker Roy O’Donovan who, after a succession of fouls, was finally penalised for a barge on Boruc.
Celtic, meanwhile, stuck to the task, with Shunsuke Nakamura impressing on his return to the team, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in good form and Scott Brown a relentless presence in midfield.
As Gordon Strachan’s side worked to break down a well-organised back four, United also enjoyed a lucky escape on the half hour mark as the inconsistent and frustrating referee Charlie Richmond failed to penalise Mihael Kovacevic for a blatant foul on Scott McDonald as he bore down on goal.
Finally, with five minutes to go in the first half, the Champions finally succeeded in getting a shot on target, with Aiden McGeady sending Lukasz Zaluska scrambling across his goal to palm away an effort from the edge of the box.
More was expected in the second half from Celtic and they didn’t take too long to deliver, with Paul Hartley putting them in front six minutes after the restart.
The goal was beautifully worked and began with a sprint up the right wing from Mark Wilson, whose long cross found Nakamura in space on the opposite flank. The midfielder then cut in and rolled the ball out to Hartley who stepped up and struck a low drive that deflected past Zaluska for the opener.
With United now pursuing a leveller, the game exploded into life, with the atmosphere fuelled by a measure of controversy as the home side were denied what appeared to be a good shout for a penalty as O’Donovan went down in the box.
The referee was, however, spared the ire of the United support, limping off the park injured after a freak collision with Nakamura in the middle of the park.
With Richmond replaced by fourth official, Iain Brines, the pace went up a notch and as the sides attacked and countered, Hartley saw a good effort saved, United’s Warren Feeney fired straight at Artur Boruc, before Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink missed the chance of the match after being put through by McDonald.
There still looked to be goals in this game as it entered the final furlong and with the United fans screaming for a penalty almost every time they entered the box, they pushed forward and continued to threaten.
Celtic had looked solid in the face of pressure, but all it took was one slip, and when Craig Conway got beyond Andreas Hinkel at the byline and cut the ball in to the near post, fellow substitute Fransisco Sanadaza was there to stab it past Boruc.
With Celtic pushing forward, United continued to threaten and Morgaro Gomis may even have pinched all three points had he succeeded in keeping his long-range effort just an inch or two lower.
As the game drew to a close, Lee Wilkie sent a header over the bar after the referee ignored a blatant push and a handball before awarding United a corner, but Gordon Strachan’s men rode out the storm.
It was a disappointing result for Celtic who had done enough to merit the victory.
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