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{ Celtic moved five points clear of Rangers at the top of the SPL with a 3-1 win at Dundee United, setting up a tantalising Old Firm clash next week.

Deflected goals from Anthony Stokes and Mark Wilson gave Celtic a comfortable 2-0 lead at half time but they were unsure at the back and United exploited that hesitance when David Goodwillie pulled one back in the second half.

United pressed for an equaliser, with Goodwillie denied by Fraser Forster’s save, but Celtic put hopes of a comeback to bed when defender Daniel Majstorovic headed Charlie Mulgrew’s excellent free-kick home with 12 minutes left.

Celtic have now won five league games in a row, lying five points clear of champions Rangers, who have two games in hand.

While Celtic’s first-half goals were fortuitous they were by far the better attacking threat although were not helped by a ragged pitch.

Neil Lennon’s side took a 16th-minute lead when Stokes’ low shot from the left - which United keeper Dusan Pernis had covered - struck the unfortunate Garry Kenneth and flew in.

The hosts saw plenty of the ball, with Craig Conway causing problems on the left, but Forster in the Celtic goal barely saw any action while, down the other end, Kris Commons kicked air when he should have finished.

Wilson made it two on 36 minutes, exploiting hesitant defending by Paul Dixon to meet Scott Brown’s low ball, his finish also deflected in, this time off Sean Dillon.

From that point it was all Celtic, who looked like scoring every time they went forward, failing to find the net after a goal-mouth scramble, seeing a penalty appeal rejected when Stokes went down under Keith Watson’s challenge and Commons again fluffing his lines with a volley.

United, meanwhile, could only muster a cross-shot from Goodwillie that flew wide.

The pattern continued in the second half, with United barely threatening while Majstorovic missed a sitter, heading Commons’s corner wide when left unmarked by slack defending.

But the hosts pulled one back when Conway’s free-kick wreaked havoc in the Celtic box, Brown failing to clear his lines and Forster’s parry dropping to the grateful Goodwillie.

Peter Houston’s side sensed a miracle comeback, which was so nearly completed when substitute Ki Sung-Yeung gave the ball away, Goodwillie’s low finish kept out by a fortunate Forster, who nearly let the ball through him.

The fightback was ended though when, with 12 minutes left, Mulgrew put in a superb curling ball from the right that Swede Majstorovic dived in to meet with a low bullet header that nestled in the bottom right.

There was still time for a comedy miss from Hooper, who tripped over his own feet when set to finish from six yards out, while the former Scunthorpe striker had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside seconds later.

The momentum is now with Celtic, who know that a home win in next Sunday's Old Firm clash will put them in the driving seat for the title.

United, meanwhile, stay sixth although have four games in hand on most sides around them.

Reda Maher / Eurosport


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