Celtic Continues Dominance with 4-0 Victory Over Dundee United

Celtic’s ruthless streak shows no sign of easing. Another trip to Tannadice, another 4-0 demolition of Dundee United, and Martin O'Neill’s side stroll into the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals with barely a scratch and a serious warning fired ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League play-off.

This wasn’t just a win. It was a repeat hammering. Back-to-back 4-0s on Tayside, the same script, the same gulf in class.

Here’s how O’Neill’s men measured up on a night when Celtic’s attack sparkled and the woodwork did as much defending as their goalkeeper.

Viljami Sinisalo – 7

Another clean sheet, his second in three games, and on paper it looks routine. It was anything but. The Finland international was beaten five times by the frame of his goal as Dundee United crashed efforts off the woodwork and cursed their luck. Sinisalo won’t care. A shutout is a shutout.

He looked safe under high balls and in basic handling, but his distribution remains the weak link. When Celtic are pushed in Europe, that flaw could bite.

Colby Donovan – 7

Thrown in with Alistair Johnston injured, the 19-year-old looks like he’ll be asked to go again on the biggest stage in midweek. Donovan was sharp going forward, solid defensively and never looked overawed.

The surprise? Third-choice Anthony Ralston didn’t even make the bench, a clear sign O’Neill trusts the youngster to handle the right-back role for now.

Cameron Carter-Vickers – 7

The heartbeat of this defence is back. Carter-Vickers, still working his way to full sharpness after that brutal Achilles injury, is improving with every outing.

He can look a yard off it in isolated one-on-one duels, but in the air he remains dominant. Celtic’s back line has tightened the moment he returned, and that’s no coincidence. Took the only booking of the night, a small price for the authority he brings.

Auston Trusty – 7

Trusty didn’t just defend, he set the tone. His glancing header from a first-half corner broke the deadlock and settled any early nerves. The USA World Cup defender looks increasingly at home next to Carter-Vickers, a pairing that already feels locked in.

O’Neill will be in no rush to tinker with that central defensive axis.

Liam Scales – 7

Back after a two-game league ban, the Irishman was asked to fill in at left-back with Kieran Tierney wrapped in cotton wool for Wednesday. Scales coped well enough, reliable in duels and positionally sound, but offered limited threat going the other way.

Celtic can get by with him there, but nights like this underline the need for a more natural, attacking deputy on that flank.

Callum McGregor – 7

So much for those who claimed his legs had gone. At 33, the captain still runs the game. McGregor dictated the tempo, kept Celtic ticking and barely misplaced a pass.

One lung-busting surge into the box almost brought a goal as he picked out Kasper Hogh with a clever cutback. The engine is still there. So is the class.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7

On his 33rd birthday, he finally got his first start of the season. Oxlade-Chamberlain may not cover the ground he once did, but the technique has never left him. He sprayed passes around Tannadice, threading balls between United defenders and opening lanes for runners.

He faded after the break, the legs reminding him of the years, yet there was enough here to show he can still play a meaningful role this season.

Benjamin Nygren – 9

Right now, he’s Celtic’s main man. Three games, three goals, three assists. Benjamin Nygren is living in the final-third numbers column.

His corner found Trusty for the opener. Later, he unselfishly slipped in Sebastian Tounekti for the third. Then he took centre stage himself, smashing a thunderous effort from 18 yards into the net to complete the rout.

A man-of-the-match display from a playmaker who looks unstoppable.

Camilo Duran – 8

Celtic have found something special. The £6million signing from Qarabag prefers to play through the middle, yet he’s been devastating from the right.

Duran pounced inside the box just minutes after Trusty’s opener, reacting quickest to a loose ball that appeared to brush Hogh’s hand on its way through. From there he never stopped running, pressing, harrying, and stretching the game.

Relentless work rate, real quality. A serious find.

Kasper Hogh – 7

No repeat of last week’s stunning first-half hat-trick at Kilmarnock, but the Dane’s influence remained obvious. Hogh was a constant nuisance, occupying defenders, battling for every ball and refusing to switch off.

He played a key role in two goals – first being wrestled to the turf before Duran struck, then holding up play smartly to allow Nygren to feed Tounekti. Strikers are judged on goals, but this was a selfless, graft-heavy shift.

Sebastian Tounekti – 8

A different player to the one who drifted last season. Given a start with Yang absent, Tounekti grabbed his chance and refused to let go.

He twisted United’s defence inside out on a rapid counter, then squeezed his finish between two defenders and into the bottom corner for Celtic’s third. Later he turned provider, slipping the ball to Nygren for the fourth.

Electric, direct, and finally delivering what his talent promises.

Subs

• Mika Baur – 5: Introduced to inject energy and creativity, the German looked busy and bright. He carries shades of Reo Hatate in his movement and style, a ready-made option if the Japanese midfielder moves on.
• Dane Murray – 4: Came on for Trusty and slotted in calmly. Another composed cameo from the academy centre-back, who looks increasingly comfortable at this level.
• Luke McCowan – 4: Fresh from scoring off the bench at Rugby Park, the former Dundee man was thrown on again, this time in place of standout Nygren. Worked hard but with the game already won, his impact was limited.
• James Forrest – 4: The evergreen winger replaced Hogh, allowing Duran to move centrally. Offered his usual direct running and experience in the closing stages.
• Haissem Hassan – 3: On for Tounekti late on. The Egyptian has barely featured in pre-season and it showed in his sharpness, but the Tannadice crowd still gave him a rousing reception.

Celtic leave Tayside with another 4-0, a place in the last eight, and momentum surging ahead of a Champions League play-off that will demand the same ruthlessness. If this is the standard O’Neill’s side are setting in August, what does the rest of the season look like for everyone trying to catch them?