Following this, Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin returned home and was cast as the Grinch. The man who ruined his own son’s Christmas.
Young James Goodwin is a regular at Celtic Park on Champions League nights. He often returns home with the warming glow that comes from seeing his favorites score a goal or two.
However, on a bitterly cold, windy day at Tannadice, the Scottish champions remained frozen in front of goal. Despite seventeen shots and 78 percent ball possession, it never really looked like scoring. A first visit to Tannadice as Celtic manager proved an irritating experience for Brendan Rodgers.
The champions were wasteful in front of goal and lacked an edge, huffing and puffing in an unpredictable, ferocious wind. No matter how hard they blew, Dundee United’s wall of mandarins held firm for 90 minutes, giving Goodwin a considerably more satisfying day than last weekend’s 4-3 defeat to Motherwell. Even if it ended in the cold shoulder of his own flesh and blood.
“Look, there were probably far too many people associated with me in the opposition this afternoon,” the smiling United manager admitted. ‘So I’m glad that now my phone isn’t buzzing anymore with people having a pop because they managed to beat us.
‘The great thing for us is that we can now enjoy Christmas, thanks to a very positive result.
Dundee United formed a mandarin wall to frustrate Adam Idah and his Celtic teammates
Kyogo Furuhashi should have done better if he only had goalkeeper Jack Walton to beat
“The supporters were excellent again today, great numbers here to get behind the team and hopefully they can enjoy Christmas too.
‘Then we have a big game against St Johnstone on the 26th where we certainly can’t play like that.’
To say a swirling wind blew Celtic off course would be pushing it. Nine points ahead of Rangers, they still have a significant margin for error.
On a day when key players succumbed to injury and illness, Rodgers was forced to field a reshuffled defense, with Stephen Welsh making his second start of the season alongside Liam Scales.
The biggest loss – by far – was Nicolas Kuhn, with his disappointing students Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma showing exactly why Rodgers plans to re-enter the transfer market in January.
United goalkeeper Jack Walton remained largely untested until the final minutes. Against a resolute United backline, locked in a game of attack versus defense, this was one of those days where Celtic could have huffed and puffed all day and still dropped points.
“You’re always disappointed when you draw a game that you should win,” Rodgers acknowledged afterwards.
‘We didn’t train the goalkeeper enough, but the players gave everything. If you don’t score early in these types of matches, it gives the opponent something to hold on to.
“We are eager to win every game, but with a nine-point lead, a trophy in the cabinet and good performances in the Champions League, it has been a good period for us.”
Kyogo Furuhashi missed the best chance of a deft Adam Idah film and made a terrible hash of his finish.
Arne Engels then forced Walton into a big save on the line when he poked Greg Taylor’s cutback home. By the end of it all, Celtic had failed to score in a home game for the first time since the 2-0 defeat to Hearts in March.
“We just had to be more clinical and ruthless with our finishing,” Rodgers added. ‘But I cannot fault the efforts of the players and what they have given.
‘The football was good, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We made a lot of quick, low passes and played good football, but we just couldn’t find the goal.”
Heading into the match after fourteen wins and a draw – their joint best start to a league season after fifteen games – there was a hint of concern among the Celtic supporters before kick-off as they took a look at a much-changed match. team sheet and reached for the Alka-Seltzer.
The absences of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty through illness offered hope to a United side chasing their first win over Celtic since December 2014.
With Alistair Johnston’s hip flaring up and Kuhn taking a blow to his knee, the visitors were missing four first-choice starters. Anthony Ralston and Scales came in, along with the less spotted Welsh.
Celtic should have been in the match with an opening goal within ten minutes. A Scales pass was pressed into the path of Reo Hatate by Daizen Maeda. Symptomatic of poor decision-making in general, the Japanese midfielder dragged a shot across goal when a square ball would have given Kyogo a simple side-foot finish.
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin ensured no Christmas presents were given to Celtic
The dominance of the visitors was so great that it took 38 minutes before Kasper Schmeichel touched the ball with his hands for the first time.
What stood out was Celtic’s inability to capitalize on their overwhelming dominance. The longer the game went on, the more striking it became.
The second half started with a rare Dundee United foray into the visiting penalty area, with 19-year-old Miller Thompson scoring on target for the first time. They lacked the strength to cause Schmeichel a serious problem, but as the match entered the final half hour Celtic’s fears grew.
For once, Idah, a £9 million man, was sent alongside Furuhashi and not in his place. Palma was also sent out for the ineffective Yang and actually fared no better.
Faced with a wall of mandarins, Celtic eventually forced their way through the ball as Idah’s delightful move finally gave Kyogo the chance he had been waiting for, with the striker making a strangely hesitant touch.
Celtic’s talisman demanded a drink on Walton and turned it into a stunner, allowing Walton to block.
As the board went up for another six minutes, Walton had to make a big save from Engels’ toepoke on the line, but the United keeper was never a man under fire.
For Goodwin’s side, this really was a surprisingly comfortable point.